Make:

An audio visualizer: http://censtron.com/?p=18

Reply to this comment

I love the idea of a puppet theater, but it might be a little small for that. You could be literal and throw in a flat-screen TV, or even one of those new tiny LED projectors to make a RPTV. You could probably fit in a flat-screen TV and bar gear.

Reply to this comment

I had a used TV from around the same era, though the picture tube was almost perfectly round. I had an electrician remove the picture tube and discharge the capacitor. I turned the picture tube to be facing up, built legs for it, and had it as an end table (placed a small glass top). Pretty good conversation started. Wish I took pics. As for the cabinet, still have it. The cats sleep in it. One day it'll be a bookshelf of sorts.

Reply to this comment

MAME machine!!

Reply to this comment

Posted by: A.RistauStudio on January 12, 2009 at 5:45 PM

Deffinatly a small scale automata theater with sensing directed at the viewer

Reply to this comment

How about one of those plasma ball thingies - that you can touch and the lightning follows your finger around?

Reply to this comment

Hmm, I thought about maybe a computer with webcam. I'd try replacing the old CRT with a newer colour one (although I suppose LCD would work best), and putting the webcam in that odd emblem thing above the screen. I also had the radical idea of putting a touch screen in there and using it as some sort of home media remote control, but it would take a huge amount of effort and be REALLY awkward to use.

Reply to this comment

How about replacing the CRT with a microwave oven and making a hidden drawer to house the popcorn you will pop after warming your "TV" dinner. If you can find the right sized minifridge, it could be a great home for a few beers...

M~

Reply to this comment

If the tube still lights up, you can do what we did in college (MIT, back in the late 70's).

1. Cut wires to the magnetic coils. Turn on the TV -- you should have a dot in the center.

2. Take a 9 volt battery, and determine which two coil wires will drive the dot vertically, and then which two will drive the dot horizontally.

3. Connect the sets of wires to left and right channels of a stereo amp.

4. Play some Pink Floyd.

Reply to this comment

You could also refit it as a homebrew guitar amp/speaker cab.

Reply to this comment

Posted by: mlange.myopenid.com on January 12, 2009 at 7:41 PM

Via Hack-A-Day:
http://hackaday.com/2005/03/19/wave-vessel-audio-visualization/

(Though, he did specify that the TV was broken, I figured it woudl be an informative link nonetheless)

Reply to this comment

There's probably enough space in the cabinet to turn it into an all in one media center. Refit a flatscreen, put in a couple of decent speakers behind the grill, and on the side an/or top you could hack in a dvd player, and maybe (if you wanted) even a casette player and vcr. The emblem panel below the screen could become a drawer for remotes or for dvds or something.

Reply to this comment

Posted by: John Park on January 12, 2009 at 8:19 PM

Awesome stuff! Just as I expected from the MAKE: readership.

Stuart, that Wave Vessel is very cool looking.

Arthur, I bet that would look incredibly hip, in a mad science kind of way.

A.RistauStudio, auto direction sensing automata sound perfect and creepy.

Connor, I thought that little window up top looked pretty compelling. I think it's a channel number display. (Turns out I'm getting it tomorrow night, so I haven't seen it in person yet).

Reply to this comment

Get the original guts working again. This might take some doing. Then wire in a DTV set-top conversion box and hide it inside the TV. You now have a modern DTV receiver in an old, working B&W TV cabinet. It will only display 480i, but it will be the only one on the block!

Reply to this comment

Fishtank! But with only B/W or greyscale (scales!) fish and plants!

Reply to this comment

Posted by: John Park on January 12, 2009 at 8:53 PM

I just found out more about the set's origins from Diana:

"I can’t wait to see what becomes of it! We acquired it when we were still living in an apartment (around Olympic and La Cienega) and we came home one night after midnight to find it sitting in our parking space (someone just dumped it there). We thought it was cool and carried it upstairs. We have had it for about 13 or 14 years and it’s done nothing more than sit there with stuff on top of it.(My mother-in-law thinks it’s the ugliest thing and couldn’t understand why we ever wanted it!)"

Reply to this comment

I despise the look of silver plastic, which is why I did this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sboaz/2329773120/in/set-72157605793381362/
The tv is probably from around the 40s, it didn't work at all, I plopped in a flat CRT TV I got for free. I think I despise flat panel TVs more than the silver plastic, CRTs looks so much better.

BTW, thanks for posting my wave vessel article.

Reply to this comment

You could try upping the voltage, replacing the phosphor with an angled metal sheet, and having the powerful beam of electrons in a semi-vacuum produce x-rays for home food sterilisation applications!

Be sure to get yourself some decent shielding first. Always consult your doctor. This might be illegal to own in your country.

Reply to this comment

Ohhhh, it will be so fun !!

Personally I'm partial to the bar ;-)
http://alpinebutterfly.blogspot.com/2008/01/recycled-tv-bar.html

Think of the possibilities with a mini keg..

Or, I think considering the set, it would be totally cool to make a giant paper TV. Maybe use floor cloth, or canvas instead of paper.
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2006/10/diy_paper_tv.html

Ok, I'll stop drooling now.

Reply to this comment

Thanks for the link to my TV conversion project! Along the same lines as James' idea, I also have a working Predicta TV set that is hooked to a satellite box - It's a blast to watch space-age technology on a "space-age" TV! It is an especially interesting effect to watch old black and white movies on it.

Reply to this comment

replace the tube with a mirror.

Reply to this comment

I think this tube is perfect for storing and viewing a collection of old black and white movies. Basically throw a media PC into it to hold the movies, DVR all the TCM you can, and enjoy the movies as they should be watched: on a classic screen.

Reply to this comment

Posted by: Aud1073cH on January 13, 2009 at 11:44 AM

these cabinets have lots of room inside!

Depending on its construction, you may be able to add hinges to the front, and re-finish the inside with shelves to hold whatever you like.

The opening for the tube could be replaced by:
-a photo frame to hold perhaps a dozen photos,
- LCD TV/digital photo frame (I think I've seen some LCD TVs that have an SD slot to show photos)
-blackboard/chalk message board (or whiteboard)
-large clock

Alternate Idea: Cat Condo

If you've got pets that like a place to hide, you could line the interior with a couple layers of vinyl contact paper for easy cleaning, and make a pet bed inside. Perfect for cats, ferrets, caged animals, or perhaps small dogs, if they are willing to get inside.
Food could be stored below.

Reply to this comment

assuming the tube is dead, replace it with a used tube TV (those analog TVs are going to be on curbs nationwide in a couple weeks).

Turn the color all the way down to go B&W, then stick an atari flashback or other retro gaming system in the cabinet and play pong, breakout, etc.

Reply to this comment

replace the screen with a color one and then add this to the front of it for nonsensing whatever is displayed there.

http://www.jasoneppink.com/pixelator/

Reply to this comment

Posted by: CMHDave on January 14, 2009 at 5:35 PM

Something like the Digital Newsstand maybe?

http://www.designondeadline.com/digitalnewsstand/index.html

Reply to this comment

How about installing an LCD pannel that could be streaming on line shows such as Make TV?

Reply to this comment

It's definitely a media center...at least that's what I did with mine. Of course, mine was mahogany, and I never had the guts, except for the 10" speaker. I took that out and hid a powered subwoofer in the compartment. I painted the inside black; put in one shelf, a power strip in the back and stashed all my stereo components inside. Be sure to leave plenty of ventilation space for the receiver and position it on top so that it doesn't heat up the other components. A largish TV sat on top of the whole thing, remoted the speakers. When the doors were closed (it had doors), it looked like a TV on a cabinet. Opened, it was a stylish retro entertainment center.

If I did it over again, I'd probably mount a media center pc where I put the sub....

jak

Reply to this comment

I think a fully functional black and white TV would make a great device to torture your children with. Find a way to hide the converter box and make it work using the original dial. Then plop a set of foil covered HD "rabbit ears" on top. Any time the kids complain that "there is nothing on TV", punish them with what you grew up with; five fuzzy network stations with no color.

It would be a great centerpiece for a "Redneck 70's" themed Superbowl party.

Hook up a VCR, pop some popcorn over the stove, and watch "the Honeymooners" with the kids every Friday night, while you and Erin sip on Old Fashions.

Just throwing it out there.

Reply to this comment

Posted by: John Park on January 16, 2009 at 2:13 PM

Great idea Shawn. Everyone say "hi" to Shawn please, he's my childhood friend. We used to take things apart, build dangerous things, set stuff on fire, and get up to general mischief together. Looks like nothing changes.

Reply to this comment