Miss Betsy's Steampunk Monitor

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As there is already a Steampunk Mouse and Keyboard the need for a matching monitor arose.
I planned to finish this project in about 3 weeks but 1 problem gave the other and the weeks passed and turned to months....

Step 1: Plans

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If you visit the google library in these days, the librarian will find plenty of articles and depictions of so called "Steampunk Monitors". In my imagination though, I envisioned the creation of a device that could show static but also moving pictures generated by means of computation and modulation of waves generated by my ingenious new invention.... (Any resemblance to devices used in "City of Lost Children" is purely coincidental).

I also wanted to add "loudspeakers" (E. Siemens et al.) to the device to present an even more pleasurable experience.

The device will be able to reproduce sound and static/moving pictures and will be powered by another invention of mine , based on the works of my fellow researchers Nikola Tesla, using hyper-condensed steam applied to a turbine by the same name, Count Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta and Michail Osipovich Dolivo-Dobrovolsky, able to produce alternating current in the amount of 110 Volts.

The glass storing containers and part of this generator will be visible atop the base cabinet. Due to an yet undiscovered effect, these jars light up in the rhythm of the reproduced sound. (Not depicted in this Instructable)

Please bear with me, your humble servant will keep you updated on the progress of this Instructable, for you to enjoy and, if you feel inclined, to reproduce.

This way it might have sounded over a 100 years ago but we live in 2010 and have all the tools and amenities of the 21st century.

Tools used: (might not be complete and not everything is absolutely necessary)
Craftsman mini drill with all kinds of attachments
Set of screwdrivers
Set of sandpaper 120 - 600
Hand-me-down drill press
Drill bits
Vise
Soldering iron
Assorted pliers (needle nose almost a must)
Metal files
Hack and coping saw
Table or chop saw
Propane torch

Materials used:
19" Dell E197FPf LCD Monitor
1/3" and 1/2" copper pipe and assorted fittings and connectors
1/4" screws and rod
Brass Cap Nuts
LED's ( red and green from a grab bag)
Whatever parts and pieces you might find laying around)

Cool! I worked with an artist friend last year on a steampunk monitor after introducing him to the concept. We went the copper route as well. Check it out: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22298724@N02/3739012501/in/set-72157621748314136/" rel="nofollow">http://www.flickr.com/photos/22298724@N02/3739012501/in/set-72157621748314136/</a>

Could imagine it to be a nice conversation starter in your coffee-shop. Nicely done.

Dude....this has to be one of the coolest projects & inspirations ever. Seriously, my favorite movie. Almost nobody I know has seen it or even heard of it. Rad project.

Thx, appreciate it! :-)

I am a woodworker and I am building a steampunk style computer system out of a 1920's treadle sewing machine cabinet. I want the monitor (steampunk style like yours) to rise up out of a socket in the back when the treadle is pumped then it will turn portrait or landscape as this monitor does that. I am not a mechanical engineer so not sure how to get it to do this. I am looking for someone who might be able to help me work out the gears or sliders needed. I think I can mount the monitor via the back panel and use drawer slides to get it to slide up and down, its the mechanics of getting the treadle to somehow gear up the monitor into place that I am not sure how to proceed.. ANYONE who has some ideas please let me know, I have a blog on this project on my woodworking site www.thisoldworkshop.com just look for the blogs on the menu and you can find me there.. Daniel Carter.. send me a message if you have some ideas. I am working on stripping the old finish and rebuilding the cabinet at the moment but will kick into the mechanical parts very soon. Any help will be appreciated and credit given in the blog. THANK YOU

Very nice work and a great instructable!

And to think you had to use this monitor all the while you were modifying it! Brave. That's like overhauling your hot rod every night and driving it during the day.

I see you kept the amplifiers as they were. Now you have to regulate the volume of left and right separately. Maybe that's the way you wanted it to be, so you can easily regulate the balance of the sound. But I would have taken off the pot's and put one stereo pot of the same value in the case and connect the regulators each with one amplifier. That way you would have had only one knob for volume control. The same goes for the inputs. You could have combined them into one stereo input. The two leds for the power can stay and be used as an indicator that the amps are connected to the power supply. The power connections could also have been combined if your power supply is strong enough for both amps together. But I guess you wanted to keep it as simple as possible to connect. ;) Imagine some steam comming out of the copper tubes and you have one steaming computer. I wonder what your computer case looks like. :D

Aw, man! I had the same idea a couple of weeks ago - about making a full computer set out of Steampunk. If you don't mind, I'd very much like to follow suit... Win Guy

That is some of the little detail that I bet most people would have missed. Heck I've read over this a least a dozen times and never noticed it!

Yes lets see your CPU case! With all that brass tubes we know you will use, it should be water cooled! :)

For an even better sound, you might try sealing the space around the speaker on the vent. With a small speaker like that, best sound (IMO, of course) is achieved when the speaker is mounted into a sealed, foam/absorbant filled container.

Your designs are so elegant, and your instructables are wonderfully readable and clear. Thank you!

Next time, saw the pipe in half lengthwise, install the components, then drill a couple more holes and bolt the pieces together, or solder an end cap on the right half of one piece and on the left half of the other piece, at which point you can simply slip the two halves into the end caps.

Thanks for the solution Warlock. And this would work for all kinds of problems, as well, huh? Betsy I am simply salivating over your instructables!

frustrating but well worth it! This is a work of art!

That's awesome! Nice finish, looks good.

Awesome, where did the wallpaper come from?

Try to google "steampunk wallpaper" or so, I think that's how I found it.

Kewl, kewl, kewl. Good work. We just need some gears rather than buttons to control the settings. I imagine a series of tubes.;)

Only waiting for your tubes and gears *wink*

Big Finish, Looks great!

The set should be on display in an art exhibit!

Wow.......amazing design. I must have it!!!!! lol

Amazing design! I am in awe of the artistry that went into the whole setup.

cool.

lol combine these with this: http://www.instructables.com/community/Best-steampunk-case-mod-to-date/

You are the best!

seriously, this looks kickass XD

Congrats on finishing it. It looks great!

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MissBetsy 394

Bio: You might call me "Jane of all trades, mistress of none"; "all" is definitely an exaggeration but I am interested in lots of "trades" and ... More »

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