BrandxXx
join:2001-01-20
Okinawa
1 edit | getting a weird idea
So I have been here all day reading what others have posted and I though why not stuff a laptop into a hollow standard home entertainment DVD player. I figure I can fit the internals a DVD burner and 3.5 inch hdd in there with room to spare.
Can anybody show me one that has been done before so I can get a better idea of what I am getting onto if I decide to do it. I doubt they are common but any problems I may run into.
Thanks in advance! |
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justin
Australian
join:1999-05-28
Brooklyn, NY | what would be the point? to fit it into a rack or to reduce noise? I think the problem would be no place to surface all the motherboard output sockets.. |
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Turbocpe
Premium
join:2001-12-22
IA
| reply to BrandxXx
Honestly, I've had that idea myself. Having a spare laptop motherboard or two, with no laptop hard drives, no laptop media drives or lcds, I wondered about taking the barebone motherboard and using a VCR at the time.
My intention would be to use it as a piece of entertainment system. It would take a motherboard that is usable, and put it to use. |
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justin
Australian
join:1999-05-28
Brooklyn, NY | you could probably buy an old TIVO, and then upgrade it.. |
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BrandxXx
join:2001-01-20
Okinawa
| reply to BrandxXx
The DVD player is all plastic or damn near so making slots for the power VGA VIVO and USB ports woudnt be a problem I dont think. WOrst came to worst I could remove the whole back and use some metal mesh or a clean flat smoth piece of plastic and make fresh clean holes. I could just buy a TIVO but PCs are much more versatile. I am going to use it as a quiet very small and stealth multimedia PC. If I could find a case with the same dimensions I may go that route. But I have spare time and an old DVD player and laptop sitting around. So I figure ask and see if anybody has done it before that can give some pointers.
Here is the plan I have. remove the guts of the DVD player and the laptop. place the mobo in the case and mark he screw mount holes drill the holes and mount the mobo on spacers so that it isnt laying on the case and can have air flow. next mark the location for the inputs and outputs on the mobo. They are all on the back besides the sound and one USB and firewire port. After that I will mark the holes for the HDD tray and the firewire to SATA adapter. I also plan on mounting the laptop HDD as well but that may be the hard part. There will be room under the mobo for it but making a mount so its not just floping around if I move the system. I may just have to worry about side to side movement if I space the hight of the mobo right. Then I can glue in two rails to limit the movement. And place some thin pads in there for good measure. I want to replace the heat sink and fan with a larger passive one so no sound other than the HDDs. That may be a problem as well. Might have to make a custom mounting plate that can straddle the mobo. I may place a small fan in the back of the case but nothing big even my stereo receiver has one. Almost forgot I have to make a mount for the DVD drive that will also be going to the USB port on the side. Gonna take apart an external for that. lining that up with the existing hole will be a pain but doable.
Thats the plan if anybody can tell something I forgot or any flaws they see let me know. Also is there any good home entertainment software. with TIVO like TV/media recording functionality. Something like SnapStream's Personal Video Station or InterVideo's WinDVR. I may just get one of them but wondering if there is something better. |
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justin
Australian
join:1999-05-28
Brooklyn, NY | yeah see the video i posted in the unix forum a while ago, there is definitely good (and free) tivo-like (and more) software available. |
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Tikker_LoS
join:2004-04-29
Regina, SK | definitely sounds doable
might be more work than it's worth tho, getting the dvd players VFD to recognize your OS might suck
Another option would be to look at AV looking cases |
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BrandxXx
join:2001-01-20
Okinawa
| reply to BrandxXx
I was actually going to stick a standard PC dvd drive into the box. with the laptop internals being so slim a profile it should fit no problem. I just hope I can fabricate the mount good enough for nice alignment. I have look at AV cases but none of them look that great. The dvd player I have I wanted to use matched my hone entertainment system branding but is to slim I believe to accomplish what I wanted. Trying to keep everything Yamaha branded. I am in the search for an older model that isnt so slim. THe one big thing I overlooked was soldering the power and hotkeys on the laptop into the buttons on the dvd player. Another thing I am not sure on is if I should mount the laptop power supply in the dvd player case or leave it external. Damn things do generate heat. I may wall it off in the case if there is room and make it draw and vent from outside the case.
If anybody has beat me to it post pictures pls. I will do the same if I actually do undertake this task. Its still in the idea stages now. |
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MstrBlstr
Status - Tired
Premium
join:2005-03-15
South Texas
| You may, or may not, have seen this one.
Could, possibly, give you some ideas. Nice pictures included in the article.
»www.extensiontech.net/articles/m···/dvdmod/
Hope that it helps.
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Its a case of mind over matter. Those that mind, don't matter - and those that matter, don't mind. |
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