# My MP3 Jukebox (Wurlitzer Style)



## Caesar (Sep 4, 2009)

*Cavicchio MP3 Jukebox (Wurlitzer Style)*

Happy Holidays !

My first veneering project finally complete! :yes:

Please keep in mind that this wasn't a kit. It was created from scratch. Even the light columns & arched plastics were formed by hand.
The front is covered with a piece of black plexi. The rest is basicly 1/2 plywood.
The silver colored, art deco armbands were made from poplar wood.

I utilized an older P4-3ghz Processor, 1Gig ram, 256mb AGP card, 300 watt power supply running Windows XP.
The audio is normal 2.1 computer speakers. ~20w subwoofer & 3w per channel.
I created all the graphics using a trial version of Photoshop CS4.
The jukebox software is E-Touch Jukebox, it'll work with pretty much any PC.
17" ELO Touchscreen purchased used on Ebay.

Before you attempt to build one, It helps a great deal if you are knowledgable/comfortable with:
AC Electrical
Woodworking
Computers
Plastics
Art Work Creation

Check out my album for more Jukebox build pics !
Enjoy!

Thanks! :thumbsup:


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## Streamwinner (Nov 25, 2008)

Very nice work. Looks like it was complicated. How long did it take you?


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## Caesar (Sep 4, 2009)

Hello !
From start to finish about 6 months. :huh:
I wasn't able to work on it every night (One could only wish). There were plenty of times where it just sat idle for a days before I'd continue. :thumbdown:

It's great for parties, because you can take your entire music collection with you. :yes:

Thanks!


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## Chad (May 10, 2009)

Looks pretty sweet. Nice job


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## ponch37300 (Feb 27, 2008)

That's really neat. Great job.


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## Texas Sawduster (Apr 27, 2009)

*Wow*

I am jealous.
Now I know what to do with an old computer.


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## badshot (Sep 14, 2009)

That is absolutely amazing. Great job. How did you work the plastic?


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## Caesar (Sep 4, 2009)

Hello,
The straight columns are just butt jointed at 90*.

Something new that I discovered since, I've seen a heating wire kit that can be used to bend plexiglass to any angle. kinda cool...

There are 3 pieces that make up the top arch.
1st the Face (the front side/part that you see).
2nd the top (top part of the arch that collects dust)
3rd the inside arch (bottom inside curve)

I first cut the Face piece to match the jukes arched cabinet.
It was just a matter of butt jointing and cementing the top arch against the curved face. I warmed the top piece slightly and evenly with a heat gun to give it a bit more flex. If you don't already own alot of clamps, you soon will 

After the the face and top arch have had a week or so to dry. I then cut out about a dozen, forming square blocks.
Wrap the contact area of the blocks with aluminum foil so the cement doesn't adhere to the wood.
I placed each of the blocks against the face and top plastics. Here's the tricky part.
Warm up the inside piece for your arch. Then press the 3rd piece against the blocks inside the arch. The blocks will insure the arch is pretty much uniform. It's important that there are no gaps along the bottom (where the inside curve touches the arch's face piece.) Cement and wait 2-3 weeks before removing the forming blocks. Once you remove the forming blocks and any stuck on-foil, flip it over and you've got a custom homemade arch. 

Practice assembling a few times before using the cement. http://www.ipscorp.com/assembly
Cut your plastics 3-5 inches longer then you need. Once totally dry, you can always trim off the excess length. Make sure you use a new blade and cut very, very, slow. Don't be afraid to scuff up the inside part of the plastics to help the cement. Don't worry about any bubbles in the cement, you won't see them unless you are using crystal clear plexi or clear polycarb.

I used the cement once again to adhere my wood mounting blocks to the arch & columns.
See my album for more pics...

Hope this helps...


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## Back to the Wood (Dec 19, 2009)

Caesar,
 This is absolutely amazing! :thumbsup:

My son has an old computer that he has been asking me about how to get rid of it. If it is OK with you, I'd like to try to copy your ideas and build one. 
It looks like something that will keep me busy for the next year or two.:laughing:

I went to your photo album. You did an awesome job of documenting the whole project. Even if I don't get to build one, thanks for posting such great work.

Bob


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## Caesar (Sep 4, 2009)

Hello & sorry for my slow response...
By all means go right ahead and copy. I'm glad that my photos have inspired you to build one.

In an effort to save a few dollars: Instead of the 17" ELO touchscreen, you can use a standard LCD monitor & a $20 wireless mouse to select your tunes.

Feel free to ask questions!

Don't forget to photogragh your build for others. :thumbsup:

Thanks!


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## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

Sorry I seen this a while back when it was first posted and thought I posted a reply but evidently not. 

That is some great work and a very cool project. :thumbup1:


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## Back to the Wood (Dec 19, 2009)

Caesar said:


> Hello & sorry for my slow response...
> By all means go right ahead and copy. I'm glad that my photos have inspired you to build one.
> 
> In an effort to save a few dollars: Instead of the 17" ELO touchscreen, you can use a standard LCD monitor & a $20 wireless mouse to select your tunes.
> ...


My wife has a couple of things for me to do before I start this, but I definitely will photograph the build. I planned on using the touchscreen because its so cool, but now I'm going to add a wireless mouse. When I'm doing some work and want to listen to something, I'll use the mouse and I won't need to leave what I'm doing.

What software did you use to select and play the music? The only one that I've run across is VRockola and it costs $100.

Bob


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## Caesar (Sep 4, 2009)

Hello,
The software is from: http://www.freeboxjukebox.com/
Lots of other great projects are posted there...
The forum support group is great! Hours of fun reading & pics.
There is a free version that you can try. Look for "Public & Demo releases" on the home page. 

One thing to keep in mind. I know that my version doesn't play WMA music files, I think it's a Microsoft legal thing. So my entire collection is made up of MP3 files. 

When I purchased it, the cost was a one time minimum donation of $25.00

Barry Barcrest is the developer and he responds to questions very quickly.

To sum it up basically:
I had to create a folder for each artist's album. (over 1200 folders each representing 1 album)

Each folder contains the MP3's and a picture of the album cover (.jpg)

The sofware then looks and displays the MP3's & cover for each album.

It's alot of work organizing your music but it's worth it.

Thanks!


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## Back to the Wood (Dec 19, 2009)

Caesar said:


> Hello,
> The software is from: http://www.freeboxjukebox.com/
> Lots of other great projects are posted there...
> The forum support group is great! Hours of fun reading & pics.
> ...


Thanks for the info. I have all my music as MP3's, that way I don't worry about what I am using to play it and I got in the habit, long ago, of putting each CD in a separate folder with Artist & Title label. I have over 1000 CD of "Blues" alone, plus Jazz, Oldies, etc. I will have to put the CD cover jpg in each folder. Not a big problem, just time consuming.

I noticed that you live in Erie, PA. I was born and raised in Scranton, PA, went to college in Philly, then went to work for IBM and ended up in Texas.

Thanks again and I'll keep you updated when I start the project.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Cool Project*

Have you made any additions or other ones lately? Are you still onboard here?  bill


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## WWWorker (Jan 12, 2011)

Beautiful!


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## H. A. S. (Sep 23, 2010)

Very cool project. Nice Craftsmanship! Wish I had that kind of time and patience...


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## Caesar (Sep 4, 2009)

Thank You Everyone!
Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I really haven't had to upgrade or modify anything other than a more current version of the E-Jukebox software.

Recently, I've found myself spending too much time restoring a old mechanical cash register for my basement bar. 
I can't wait to get back to woodworking once more. A mini-size touch jukebox is definetly on the drawingboard, shhh...this one will end up being a birthday gift for a family member. :thumbsup:


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