Oops! There goes another Mountain Juke Box! (*05/04/2009*) Update

[DaOld Man]

No, I didnt think negatively about your input. I value input, good and bad.
I have never been a good carpenter, and it shows I know, that I am still learning, so I appreciate all the advice and help I can get.

Now, the perforated metal I am using is different from Mountains, but I couldnt find what he used at Loews, so of the designs they had, I got the one that i liked the most.

I have since painted the inside of the air vent with a black permanent marker, it looks a lot better.
Mountain did his speakers different from mine. I placed the speaker bar where its grill would show, whereas Mountain made a grill for his.
Look at Javeryh's thread, he copied Mountains speaker grill I think. I think NVTS copied Mountains grill too.
You have to go back quite a few pictures to see my speaker setup.

[mountain]

Can't be just the laminate, don't think it is thick enough.

Actually, that is what I did. I covered the panel with cabinet grade laminate (the long oval was already cut in the MDF) and then flipped the panel and routered 1/4" of the MDF away from the opening to allow the speaker grill to be mounted as far forward as possible. The laminate edge does not "hold" anything, the speaker is mounted seperately. I sanded the edges of the laminate with 600 grit sandpaper, then 1000 to give it a finished look.

[reko19]

If I am understanding it correctly, the edge is laminated and the excess laminate is routed off? The same for the rear panel?

[mountain]

If I am understanding it correctly, the edge is laminated and the excess laminate is routed off? The same for the rear panel?

This may help you understand how I did it.

[reko19]

got it, thank you

[DaOld Man]

Thanks Mountain for that tip about the T-molding slot depth. I was really worried about it, because there is not a lot of room on the 1/2" MDF for 3/4" T-molding.

Ok, I got all the T-molding slots cut.
Got the speaker box finished, it's ready for the wire works.
Got half the T-molding installed on the top box.
Dont have too many pictures yet, but here are a few.

First, a sneak peek of how I plan to do the powermate back light.
I used some 1/4" by 1-1/2" fender washers for support. I drilled the holes in the washers to 3/8".
Here it is in a test mode. I plan to have the washers and bolt hold the plexi until the glue dries, then remove the washers and bolt out the back and install the ole PM.



Here is the speaker box. Protective plastic has not been pulled off the t-molding yet.



If you notice the T-molding is hanging off the edge just a slight amount.
I didnt notice this until I had already cut the first slot. I think it looks pretty good, so Im keeping it like that.

Here is a closeup of the speaker bar. This pic doesnt do it justice:



One last shot, with slightly different angle:



I also got the rabbet cut made on the back. No pic of that yet.
Next to do:
Finish installing t-molding on top box.
Cut out the back panel.
Install mounting block for USB ports.
Start putting the guts in this baby.

[drawfull]

If you notice the T-molding is hanging off the edge just a slight amount.
I didnt notice this until I had already cut the first slot. I think it looks pretty good, so Im keeping it like that.

I didn't notice til you mentioned it

It looks great! Is the speaker grill a different colour or is it the pic? I think it contrasts well if it's the former.

[DaOld Man]

Thanks drawfull..

That grill is the actual sound bar speaker grill. It is a little off from the chrome of the T-molding, but it matches pretty good I think.

[DaOld Man]

Alrighty! This juke is finished, all except some more software tweaking and some cd ripping.

I am posting a few pics. I have a lot more of the build process between now and the last post, but since Im pressed for time right now, I will update with more pics later.

First of all, let me thank Mountain for his spectacular design. I just wish i could match his craftsmanship.
Also thanks to Javeryh, NVTS, Drawful, and all the others who helped me on this project.

If you decide to make a copy of Mountains juke, let me warn you. It is not as easy as Mountain makes it look.

First pic (and these pics are not too good).
Front shot with a tribute to Mountain in the foreground.



The back:



Power cord, LAN network cable and mouse and keyboard plugged in:



Front, turned a little bit:



Merry Christmas to all. May God bless and be with you always.

[mountain]

Front shot with a tribute to Mountain in the foreground.

 
Thats awesome!

This really turned out nice, you should be very proud. I suppose I made it look easy just by the way I post my progress.  This build almost killed me and consumed just about every free moment of my time for a month. I am glad you liked the design enough to make one of your own. I hope you get as much pleasure out of it as my Dad has.

Merry Christmas!

[Martijn]

Yes, congrats Daoldman... It's indeed a lot more work then i thought.

Question. do you like the plexi front for the speakers? Or would you rather have done it with black mat laminate?

[Franco B]

   Great job Daoldman! Turned out great! You must be very happy. 

[DaOld Man]

Thanks guys. I forgot to mention you franco for help credit. I am sure I forgot to mention a lot of people, so let me re-phrase it and say thanks to everyone for helping me. This forum is a very good resource.

I am very happy how it turned out, but there are a few messes I made. I will probably point them out later.
Martijn, I thought about using the acrylic or the laminate for the speaker front a long time. I finally decided that I think I would go with the acrylic. I figured it would match the top better.
I think I was right, but you tell me.

[DaOld Man]

I few more build pics.

The powermate mount.
As I mentioned earlier, I wanted the powermates blue led to shine around the bottom of the knob. I used clear plexi as the spacer.
Here it is glued to the front:



I used crazy glue to glue the spacer. This is a mistake! Even though I tested it on a piece of scrap, the crazy glue stuck to the paper and even burned the acrylic a bit around the disc. I had a hard time getting the paper off the acrylic and it looks like crap. At least it is sort of hidden behind the knob.
Note to self: dont use crazy glue on acrylic ever again!

I then took a small mirror out of one of my wifes old makeup compact things.
It was perfect for the 1-1/2" hole I cut in the mdf.
I wrapped a piece of foam rubber weatherstripping around the outside perimeter of it.
This was to keep the light from the marquee from getting in.



I then mounted it behind the powermate with a small metal brace. The brace was in my junk box, I'm not sure what it came off of, but it looks like it may have came from a cd rom or something.



Sorry about the flash flood on that last pic.

And here it is looking from the front, with the high dollar knob installed:



The idea doesnt work too well. The clear plexi doesnt throw out the blue light like I thought it would. You can see the blue light if you look behind the knob, but it wasnt the bling effect I really wanted.
I think the mirror may be too close to the led, I may try putting a spacer between the two later.
I thought about moving the led to the front part of the powermates circuit board, but I figured that was way too much work. The led is SMT, and it looks pretty crowded on that tiny board.

[DaOld Man]

Here is a shot of the marquee back and monitor and motherboard plate mounted.



I had a problem with the touchscreen not working. Mountain suggested that something may be touching the lines on the inner edge of the screen.
The foam weatherstripping was touching, so I removed the weatherstripping and it worked.
But I didnt like the way it looked with the weatherstripping removed, so I put more weatherstripping on and moved the monitor away from the front by pacing washers between the monitor mounting brackets and the MDF. This worked.

Here is a shot of the speaker box:



The two MDF blocks above the fan are rotation stops. I mounted an aluminum L bracket to the top box.
The bracket extends through the bottom and about 1/2" inch into the speaker box.
These stop blocks stop rotation in both directions at about 36 degrees past the 90 degree point, or top box perpendicular to the speaker box.
The block below the fan is just to fasten the fan to.
I used tie wraps to hold the speaker bar in. I wasnt happy with the way my spring idea turned out. The tie wraps work great.
You can see the wiring for (left to right), external amp jack, startup mode switch, and Ethernet jack.
On the other side of the box you can see the power entry module.
You can also see the fan and the speaker bar power wired to a speaker cable going back on top. This supplies power for the fan and speaker.

Here is the back panel, before laminate applied:



Notice the rabbet cut around the marquee area. Also notice the holes for the USB jacks.
I cut the holes on the wrong side and had to re-cut them.

Here is the grill, test fitted in the rabbet cut:



Here is the laminate after cutting it to the same shape as the panel, and laid on top of the panel for test fitting:



Notice the knick on the left side? The router got away from me. Also notice the splotch of glue right below the knick? This was from a sticker that the laminate had on it. I figured it would just peel off, but no. I had to work on it quite a bit to get all the residual glue off.

Next I applied contact cement to both pieces and after it dried, i inserted the grill into the rabbet cut.
I then laid the laminate on top of the board, with wood dowels between the two.
I carefully lined the two pieces up and then removed the dowels.
I pressed them together with a rolling pin.
I then cut out the hole for the power on button, and the USB ports. (I triple checked the  holes before cutting the laminate.)
I then mounted the switch, which helps to hold the grill steady.



Well thats all for now...
Hope Santa was good to you all.

[leapinlew]

 

Nice Job

[DaOld Man]

Thanks Lew...

[Nvts]

Looking good.   

Try wrapping the foam rubber weatherstripping around the mirror with aluminum foil when you put it back a bit farther.  You want the light to bounce off the sides, and the weatherstripping is likely absorbing some of the light.  You probibly also need something to disperse the light when it passes through the spacer instead of just hitting the back of the knob.

I bet you could use some of that funky plexiglass that bends more light to the edges that you see in a few store displays where the edge looks impossibly bright, but I cant recall what that stuff is called.

[reko19]

Looking good.  I will be following your steps soon enough, monitor is already in.

[DaOld Man]

Thanks Nvts, I may try that.
Thanks to you too, Reko, I cant wait to see the progress on your juke.

Here are a few more pics.
Needless to say the wife loved it, Im on the good list for a change LOL.

A cd being ripped with windows media player. I havent figured out yet how to do the ripping from Xlobby.



Another shot with XLobby up:



Placing a DVD in the drive:



Here is Windows desktop. I havent figured out how to play DVDs from XLobby either. Have to exit to windows to play with media player.
Thats me and my wife on the desktop:



DVD menu:



And DVD playing:



In case you havent guessed it yet, Andy Griffith is my wifes favorite old TV show, except it has to be the older black and white ones.

[Donkey_Kong]

Dang it looks like a mountain clone! Nice work.

Andy Griffith is the best tv show, EVER! Season 1-5 is BW, then Barney leaves and they go to color.

[drawfull]

It looks great da Old Man     

Hope the wife likes it and appreciates all the heartache and effort!!

[Nvts]

Here is the special IDE adapter installed:

I have a spare DVD player from a portable lying around, where do get your adapter?

[DaOld Man]

Thanks guys...
Drawful, my wife really does appreciate it. She's almost afraid to touch it, afraid she might break it. I have a truly good woman.

Nvts: I got my adapter off ebay, I think I paid around 10 bucks for it, including shipping.
It's called a slim drive to ide adapter.
A quick google search turned up this one, but you may want to shop around for a cheaper one:
http://www.eyo.com.au/prod_L-IDE-SlimCD_proddesc_Slim_CD_DVD_drive_IDE_Adapter.html

Also search for it on ebay. Im pretty sure you can get a type that adapts to usb instead of ide, if that will suit you better.

I searched for "slim to ide" (minus the quote marks) on ebay and found this one for $4.99, with free shipping. It looks exactly like the one I bought.

Clicky

[logik]

Turned out very nice!   

[javeryh]

I've been out of commission for a while but I wanted to make sure to let you know how great everything turned out.  I really like the DVD tray on the back - great idea.  Now I need to hurry up and finish mine!   

[DaOld Man]

Turned out very nice!   

Thanks Logik, I appreciate it!!

[DaOld Man]

I've been out of commission for a while but I wanted to make sure to let you know how great everything turned out.  I really like the DVD tray on the back - great idea.  Now I need to hurry up and finish mine!   

Thanks Javeryh!!
You know you are the one that "pushed me over the edge" in my decision to build a mountain juke, when you started yours.
I cant wait to see yours finished.

Now, a little update.
The griffin Powermate works most of the time, using the version of software that came with it (V1.5?) (Thanks Barry Barcrest for the suggestion.)
But it still fails to initiate sometimes, so I have decided to replace it with a pot.
I think I will go with some blue leds that should light up the circle around the knob a lot better.
I will try to get more pictures of that journey.

[dhcf23]

Here is Windows desktop. I havent figured out how to play DVDs from XLobby either. Have to exit to windows to play with media player.

Hi guys, I'm new to this forum and have been lurking around for a couple days admiring the work you have done. Maybe I will find a use for some of my old computer parts after seeing this, just have to convince the wife we "need" one.

I have been playing around with Xlobby for a little while and started to think about a skin that would be basically only for jukebox use and that is sort of how I found this forum, so I have some knowledge in xlobby already. You can set up Xlobby to autoplay DVD's and CD's. If you go into settings (f2), then to the Misc tab, there is a section there for autoplay. Many of the skins already have events set up and pop up screens created so all you have to do is assign the proper event. when you enter a cd or dvd it will pop up and ask you what you want to do. I think the DVD player most use by default in there is Zoomplayer though, so some tweaking would be needed for media player, although zoomplayer pro is only $30 or so and has good integration with Xlobby so it may be worth it to you.

Another thing I noticed you guys talking about was the internet radio issues. There is a plugin available for Xlobby now for shoutcast. You would need to add some screens to the BONG skin if you wanted to use it, but many of the newer ones have it integrated already. It really works well and would be a great addition to a jukebox with internet access.

If I get a nice skin completed sometime that is good for jukebox implementation I will let you know and you guys can try it out and let me know what you think. I am certainly not a skinning master but I have been able to customize a few with good success.

Thanks and keep up the inspiring work.

[reko19]

i could really use some help with xlobby as far as internet radio and autoplay. your help would be greatly appreciated.

[DaOld Man]

I have been playing around with Xlobby for a little while and started to think about a skin that would be basically only for jukebox use and that is sort of how I found this forum, so I have some knowledge in xlobby already. You can set up Xlobby to autoplay DVD's and CD's. If you go into settings (f2), then to the Misc tab, there is a section there for autoplay. Many of the skins already have events set up and pop up screens created so all you have to do is assign the proper event. when you enter a cd or dvd it will pop up and ask you what you want to do. I think the DVD player most use by default in there is Zoomplayer though, so some tweaking would be needed for media player, although zoomplayer pro is only $30 or so and has good integration with Xlobby so it may be worth it to you.

Another thing I noticed you guys talking about was the internet radio issues. There is a plugin available for Xlobby now for shoutcast. You would need to add some screens to the BONG skin if you wanted to use it, but many of the newer ones have it integrated already. It really works well and would be a great addition to a jukebox with internet access.

If I get a nice skin completed sometime that is good for jukebox implementation I will let you know and you guys can try it out and let me know what you think. I am certainly not a skinning master but I have been able to customize a few with good success.

Thanks and keep up the inspiring work.

Hello, and welcome to the board!
Build your wife one of those mountain jukes and she will probably let you build any arcade you want after that.
Thanks for the advice on the playing dvd's. I have XLobby setup to pop up the play box, and I downloaded a trial version of Zoom Player, but I cant get the xlobby command to work. What is the syntax of that command?
Also, I would love to see any skins you have made for Xlobby.
Internet radio sounds good too.
My wife originally said she was going to put the juke where she works (walmart Pharmacy), if they will allow it. I figured there was no way I could get on their network without causing a stir, so I didnt want internet on it.
But she has left it at home, uses it while shes working in the kitchen, so now im thinking of putting a wireless NIC in it, so the radio part would be good now.

[reko19]

DaOld Man,
I got the audio CD to work in Xlobby following directions posted above. Let me know if you need any help, it is very straightforward.

[dhcf23]

DaOld Man

When you click the play button from the pop up window does it even launch zoomplayer, does the pop up even happen?

Also do you have any AVI files or other movie types loaded to play through xlobby and if so have you gotten those to work?

You may need to go to the File Types tab in the set up menu and set the path to zoomplayer,  and also make sure you have one set up for Video_TS files. You can try this paramater for DVD's

/DVD /PLAY /F %playlist%

Which skin are you using...modified Bong or Bong2, I can play around with one those when I get home tonight and make sure I can get the DVD pop up to work.

[DaOld Man]

I dont have any movies saved to hard drive (I only have 80 gigs of space).
The popup does pop up in xlobby but when I press play dvd, nothing happens.
I just want to be able to plug in the dvd and have the movie play in xlobby.
Pressing play on the popup would be ok.
I think I am using the default skin. I will have to double check and get back with you.
I will have to check the file types tab.

[Martijn]

whats that blue led doing there behind the speaker gril?

turn it off

[DaOld Man]

That blue led is internal to the speaker bar. I kinda like it.
It was originally supposed to match the blue ring around the volume knob, which was a failure.
To turn off the led I would have to take the speaker bar apart, which IMHO is impossible for a normal human being without destroying the thing, so the only option I would have would be to cover it up, which I could cut out a piece of laminate that would separate the speakers and cover the led.
The way I mounted the speaker bar, it would be very easy to sandwich a thin piece between the bar and the acrylic.  But I will talk to the wife and see what she thinks, it is hers anyway you know.

What is everyone else's opinion on the blue led in the speaker bar?

[mountain]

I like the look of the LED 

[Barry Barcrest]

I like the LED too... Nice job on this dude.

[DaOld Man]

Thanks guys, I think the led will stay.

Thanks for the kind words Barry!!

[jthompson]

Nice to see this project get wrapped up. Looks good!