Introduction: Retro DVD Player

About: Al is a wearable tech entrepreneur and creator of a line of smart phone controlled LED handbags http://catclutch.com With 22 years of experience in the IT industry, Al is currently Senior Director of Inform…

An old vintage radio transformed into a slot loading DVD player. The 4 buttons control power, play/pause, stop, and eject and it can also be controlled via remote control.

Step 1: The Original DVD Player and Radio Case

I got the case from a vintage radio repair man in town. The DVD player is a slot loading Insignia model http://www.insignia-products.com/p-140-insignia-progressive-scan-dvd-player-with-hdmi-output.aspx which I picked up for $50 at Best Buy. I needed a slot loading DVD player for this project and was a little surprised to find there are not that many slot loading DVD players on the market.

Step 2: Mounting the DVD Drive

Cut a slot the size of a DVD in the case and then mount the DVD drive vertically to line up with the slot. Just below the DVD drive is the DVD motherboard.

Step 3: LED and Buttons

Wired in a blue LED (with a 100 ohm resistor in series) to 5V off the power supply. The power supply had a 5V label which made this very easy. Then mount the LED to the radio panel.

Mount momentary swtiches on the front of the case for power, play/pause, stop, and eject controls. Wire the swtiches to the respective buttons on the DVD motherboard.

Step 4: Lengthening Some of the Wires

In order for everything to mount correctly, some of the wires had to be lengthened.

Step 5: IR Receiver

Cut out the IR receiver from the motherboard and then mount on the front of the case so the DVD player can be controlled via remote control in addition to the front buttons. The IR receiver is below the blue LED in the middle of the case.

Step 6: Back Display

Mount the display from original DVD player on the back of the case. I had to cut out a slot with the Dremel and then glued it in using Weldbond glue.

Hook everything up for a final test before permanently soldering all the connections (front buttons, front LED, and IR receiver).

Step 7: Acrylic Back

Mount and cut out an acrylic piece to cover the back of the case.

On the top left, you can see the working display.

On the top right is where the front buttons are wired into.

The power supply is mounted on top of the DVD drive.

Step 8: Finished

All done, the retro DVD player in action

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