Project: MP3 Jukebox

Discussion in 'Project Logs' started by Yo-DUH_87, 12 Oct 2003.

  1. Lovah

    Lovah Apple and Canon fanboy

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    Looking good, very good !

    Love the lcd , nice and big ! :)


    I understand the schematics of the serial interface. and I think its fairly easy to that alot of people here could built it, for very very little cost... just some push buttons, resistors and a serial connector..


    but is there any software for it ? or do we have to write that ourselfs ?

    thanks
    L
     
  2. Yo-DUH_87

    Yo-DUH_87 Who you calling tiny?

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    Girder (don't have a link for it) allows control of the PC Through the serial button interface (or so I have heard), and it appears that the liquidMP3 winamp plugin also has an option for control through the serial button "circuit."

    I'll let you guys know my results with the button circuit when I get it built. I think it will work quite nicely ;)

    The LCD is fairly nice, it is big (which was my goal) and all, but it's primary disadvantage is it's lack of backlighting (thus the reason it is so cheap). I've started a thread in electronics asking for a source of nice cheap backlit graphical LCDs, but I don't know if it will go anywhere or not. If I can't find anything better, I'll see about adding a backlight to this LCD (I'm thinking a ccfl would do nicely :thumb: ).
     
  3. Solarius

    Solarius What's a Dremel?

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    Very very cool.. makes me wish I stayed with engineering. Now I've just got to try and pick it up on the fly.. :( Good descriptions and diagrams though! Definitely making me want to learn more.. :)
     
  4. Hazer

    Hazer In time,you too will be relixalated

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    Heh. Just found this thread. Ive had a HG25504 from allelectronics for awhile now. I use LCDstudio to control it through the parallel port. Funny thing about that negative power supply: allelectronics sells a 5V DC-DC converter for 50 cents that gives you -10V, -20V and -26V output. I have a custom built parallel interface PCB wirewrapped with all parts from allelectronics (pin strips, DC-DC converter, PCB mount 25DB connector). That way I dont have to hack up a parallel cable or solder anything to the LCD.

    [​IMG]

    Yeah, the biggest downfall of this cheap little beauty is the lack of backlighting. Dont think you can stick something behind that glass and light it up though. I took mine apart and wired up 5 superbrights underneath the glass. You could hardly tell they were lit though. The LCD is purely reflective. Transflective (or is it trans-reflective) LCDs allow light to shine through from behind, but this one doesnt.

    Not all hope is lost though. If your CCFL is small enough (the ones that are 3mm diameter) you can 'backlight' this LCD by placing it on the EDGE of the glass. This means removing and notching the metal bezel. How well will this work? I havent time to try, too many projects and tutorials and my money keeps going to parts and measurement tools......sigh.


    EIO may be your best/only bet for getting a BIG backlit LCD. They are few and far inbetween.

    PS: Allelectronics also sell 5V CCFL inverters for dirt-cheap also.
     
    Last edited: 16 Oct 2003
  5. Yo-DUH_87

    Yo-DUH_87 Who you calling tiny?

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    Thanks for the tips, I'm looking into the alternatives, but it looks like backlighting this LCD is the only viable option at the moment.

    Since it isn't all that expencive of a display, I think I may try taking the housing apart and experimenting with sidelighting it, it is worth a shot anyway ;)

    This project is kind of on hold until I get the stuff for the button circuit and get the LCD figured out, but I'm still giving a lot of thought to it ;)
     
  6. B|@c|<|c3

    B|@c|<|c3 What's a Dremel?

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    maybe wire up a used GBASP backlight

    check ebay for a GBA SP, take the light out and sell it on ebay again :lol:
     
  7. PhatMatt

    PhatMatt What's a Dremel?

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    is that ethical? heh
     
  8. Gnemelf

    Gnemelf Minimodder

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    looks nice i still gotta get my lcd wired up... lol
     
  9. Fluba

    Fluba What's a Dremel?

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    or get an afterburner kit. it's a "frontlight backlight" for the original GBA. it was installed on top of the LCD screen. normally go for about £15 to £25.

    nice to see our articles on ModAsylum are useful :) (that one got [H]'d i think :D
     
  10. Hazer

    Hazer In time,you too will be relixalated

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    After pulling mine apart (again), Ive noticed some problems with installing backlighting on this thing. The rubber contacts block the galss from either the top or bottom. The one side that has some room is where the ribbon cable attaches. So that leaves one side to try and light it from the side. Not very good.

    On the other hand, if you can remove the glass from the rubber contacts, there may be a way to light from the back:

    Ive noticed that a reflective film is on the very back of the glass. It may be possible to remove this film only, and use all that space underneath for your basic LED or CCFL lighting. But I dont recommend this for light-hearted people. Doing this could easily break the glass, mis-align the contacts when putting back together, etc, etc.

    This may be just the cheapest non-backlit LCD to get.
     
  11. Fluba

    Fluba What's a Dremel?

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    http://www.modasylum.com/guides.php?guide=21

    everyones favourite site also has a nice guide on a serial button interface, including winamp & girder configuration :)

    Hazer m8, can i get some details on that little board you have there? im importing a few of these LCDs to the UK and could do with a little board to get em working easily ;)
     
    Last edited: 16 Nov 2003
  12. Yo-DUH_87

    Yo-DUH_87 Who you calling tiny?

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    Wow, people replying in my log!

    Basicaly, the project is on hold, as one of the hdds in the jukebox machine is chosing to be flakey and I haven't had the time to get in there and fix it. Life is getting prety crazy about now, and I have another machine in need of more immediate attention :(

    The VGA dummy works! I got out an old worthless VGA extention cable and stuck 3 100ohm-ish resistors in the approprate spots, booted the machine, and then VNCed into it from my main box. I just used normal 1/2w resistors, they don't get hot, and I haven't fried the video card ;)

    I haven't even ordered the parts for the button circuit yet, gahh, I'll have to make sure to include that with my next major parts hit. :duh:

    I so can't wait until summer vacation, 3 whole months to get my various projects finnished :wallbash:
     
  13. Hazer

    Hazer In time,you too will be relixalated

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    Here's the wiring diagram:

    [​IMG]

    Here is a parts list from allelectronics:

    Perf board (any size you want, you only need 2" x 3")
    DB-25SRT right angle PCB mount DB25 connector
    10kOhm resistor for reset pull-up
    100nF cap for reset pull-up
    Molex connector (not on allelectronics)
    SHS-40 40pin header

    You can order these parts for on-noard DC-DC negative voltage conversion:

    DC-32 5V to -10V/-19V/-26V DC-DC converter
    It requires the following parts:
    220 uF electrolytic cap
    2x 10uF electrolytic caps
    RTP-5K 5kOhm potentiometer (mutliturn) for contrast adjustment.

    The DC-DC converter requires a 4.7kOhm load on the -19V output.

    You can skip this and just use 2 9V batteries for simplicity and use whatever value pot you have on hand.

    Edit: the negative Vee voltage is Vcontrast on the wiring diagram.
     
    Last edited: 16 Nov 2003
  14. Fluba

    Fluba What's a Dremel?

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    where does the -ve voltage come in then? i cant see it on your wiring diagram :|
     
  15. Yo-DUH_87

    Yo-DUH_87 Who you calling tiny?

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    Fluba, you attempted to ask in IRC this morning for the wiring diagram I used, it is at the top of the thread (same as hazers).

    I basicaly lucked out by finding that -15v psu:

    [​IMG]

    So I didn't have to build a -15v supply.

    a bit offtopic, but you should probibly change your irc username, as I just said all this to parag0n on IRC, and it turns out that he wasn't you :eyebrow: Slightly annoying to say the least.

    /me gives fluba a sound thrashing ;)

    -ve = vcontrast on schematic, bty ;)
     
  16. Yo-DUH_87

    Yo-DUH_87 Who you calling tiny?

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    Well, disaster has struck, big time. :grr:

    The hdd that had my MP3 collection on it decided to die about a week ago (had it all backed up, thank God), so I pulled the system apart and removed the dead organ. I am attempting to fit it all on the main hdd (9.1gb, hah!), but we'll see how that goes (I'm also going to be adding christmas music to all of this soon, so my collection will be expanding quite a bit).

    Since the mp3 box has been non-functioning, I decided to hook up the LCD to my main computer, and I'm enjoying it quite a bit. I'm thinking that I may steal it and use it for a project somewhat related to my main computer (you would never guess :p ). Or I may just order another, they are quite cheap you know ;)

    I'll keep you guys updated on the status of this project, the software I use, etc. if I ever get the button circuit built/not steal the LCD for other purposes.

    :wallbash: :wallbash: :wallbash:

    As a side note, I have just decided never again to purchace cheap cases. This case is made out of such thin metal that I droped it and put a nice fold in the side. The mounting holes for teh expention cards are also out of whack, and will eventualy pull the cards out of the sockets :duh:

    :wallbash: :wallbash: :wallbash:

    if hell manufactured cases, this would be at the top of their product line :grr:
     
  17. nleahcim

    nleahcim What's a Dremel?

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  18. The Spyder

    The Spyder What's a Dremel?

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    Lesson...
    DONT BUY FROM FRYS....
    ofcourse my little sister has the same case holding her Amd 1200... ;)
    LMK if you need a loaner harddrive, theres a 30gig sitting here doing nothing~
     
  19. Yo-DUH_87

    Yo-DUH_87 Who you calling tiny?

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    The case is trash, but $20 is a good price, and it came with a PSU (not that I need another one, but it did come with one). It'll end up behind the hi-fi equipment hidden away when all is said and done, so it realy doesn't matter anyways I guess.

    Thanks for the offer, but I've got it under control for the most part. Over the weekend I got most everything running on the main hdd (9.1gb), I still have some stuff left to do, but for the most part I got it figured out. I've still got to do a little experimenting with the remote control software, it seems to be rather temprimental :duh:

    I'm hoping to have it mostly in place (with or without the LCD) by Thanksgiving, but we'll see. I'll post some pics of it and my ghetto VGA dummie when it's in place (I don't know that I'll need the button interface anymore, as there is a comptuer nearby that will be used for control).

    Sorry for the apparent lack of progress, school has been getting more demanding lately, and I just picked up a copy of Splinter Cell :duh:
     
  20. Aquila

    Aquila What's a Dremel?

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    When I built my mp3-player that goes with my stereo, I used pieces from an old keyboard for the buttons on it. ( I only used the litlle chip in it and not the whole thing, as that would look horrible :rolleyes: ) Anyway it was quite easy to make the switches actually, just look at the plastic sheets inside the keyboard and you can easily see what should be soldered where. :)
    But of course if you do it like this you won't be able to use a keyboard...

    If anyone understands, please explain to those who don't :)
     

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