I have been working on these projects recently in converting vintage wooden radios into modern radios/jukeboxes. I've almost finished a large console one (Philco 41-608) and it allowed for a 7" touchscreen as well as a couple LCD screens and a ton of space. With it I'm using itunes or simlar to choose database the songs and play then back wirelessly from a server.

Anyway, I am also now working on a table top unit which will do the same thing but it gives me a lot less space. And no room for a touchscreen without messing up the antique look of the radio. I'm trying to preserve that. Anyway, I've found a software from Innobec called Sidewindow that uses a pocket PC and lets you use that and the touchscreen as a second monitor from XP. Which is great... except there's not room for that either except on a tether. So I'm wanting to use the LCD screens (a 128X64 Graphic LCD and a 4X20 Character LCD) as the "monitor"... such that I can use them in a similar manner as one would use the Empeg... I've got 2 knobs available just like the Empeg.

So the next question is just why not use my Empeg... Well, the problem lies in wanting to be able to stream all of the music from a server wirelessly... And a library of 73K songs at disposal.

I know Winamp can do a lot of this functionality on the LCD screens, but I'm not sure if it will totally fit the bill. Is there a linux or freebsd software that anyone knows of will do that? Or does anyone have any ideas of a way to do this better?

I'm attaching some pictures done in solidworks of putting the computer in the radio cabinet. I've done the design in Solidworks taking measurements from the Philco cabinet. I'm using a Via Epia Mini ITX motherboard and a Rosewill 200W MicroATX power supply. I've got 2 7W amplifiers driving 4 2.7"X2" speakers. The LCD screens are shown for location. The wireless dongle is shown also. The wiring for all is the challenge.

I am in the process of refinishing the wooden cabinet now.


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305097-philco48-461modernized1.jpg (118 downloads)