Introduction: Stand Alone CD Player

By www.mrjentis.com
About: My favorite hobbies are learning how to do new and cool stuff from more experienced people and building DIY (Do It Yourself) projects. They involve your typical household items that are usually discarded and …



This is the follow up project from my cd player adapter project I did earlier to make a stand alone cd player. Other computer recycling projects I did were the Case/Safe and the EPFU.

Step 1: Tools and Materials

This is my version of how to make a stand alone cd player using your old and useless computer case.

Here's a bunch of things I used to build mine and you'll probably need:

Tools
  • hacksaw (to cut the sheet metal)
  • electric drill and various drill bit sizes
  • bench vice
  • Phillips screwdriver
  • metal file
Materials
  • an old computer case (preferably with both doors)
  • wooden planks of various sizes
  • cardboard box
  • paint i.e, (spray paint)
  • lots of screws
Of coarse, to build a functional stand alone cd player, make sure yours has a play button and a headphone jack and volume knob if you want to use the front part. To get audio at the back of your CDROM directly to your computer speakers, you'll need the audio
cable that plus into it and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Step 2: Shaping the Case

The shape and size of the case all depends on the dimensions of the CD drive tray and the CD drive itself. Since my tray holds 3 drives, it made the case relatively shorter than if say it had 4 slots.

The dimensions of my case are: 
L x W x H 
9in x 7 1/2in x 6in

To begin the layout, I marked a centerline along the side door to divide it into two symmetrical halves. That means that the handhold indent, or at least that's what I call it, is also divided into half. 

To make the most out of the door, I decided to make the top, parts of the sides, and the back of the metal case out of the sheet metal and cut out the excess metal useful for other parts.

After all the dimensions have been marked out, the metal can be cut and prepared for bending. I used two planks of wood the hold the metal in a bench vice and used a hacksaw to make the cut out.

The metal file is used to remove the sharp edges of the cut metal.


Step 3: Drilling the Holes

I decided to use three equally spaced screws to hold each side together and three screws on the bottom tab as well. The holes for the mounting of the feet were also marked out in appropriate positions and the holes were drilled.

The positions for the holes for the power port and the audio jack were marked on the inside by putting the halves together and noting where the jacks overshadow the back, so to speak. The same procedure goes for mounting the tray inside the case.

After the positions for the holes are marked (the red lines on the right), the appropriate size drill is used to bore the holes.

Step 4: Covering Up the Metalwork

I used cardboard to hide the metalwork in the CD holder compartment and to give the project a more appealing look. It will be later sprayed black for a better look.

The wood I used made the bezel 1 1/8" thick and fully covers the gap between the tray and the case. It also allows a 1/4" thick lip to over hang the case itself.

This mean the pieces will have a groove cut in them and 45degree cuts at the ends to form the corners.

Step 5: The Jacks Placement

I made the details for making the power adapter in my other instructable. It basically consist of a 5v and 12v voltage regulator powered by a laptop charger. You can also find more info on this page.

I basically choose to put the power adapter in the corner because the corner offer additional strength and opportunity for better heat transfer.

The audio jack basically went in the other corner.

Step 6: Gluing the Parts Together

After the parts are painted or sprayed with your creativity, the parts can be assembled and glued together.

Step 7: Final Showcase

Well, this is the final product of all those steps. This is my third computer recycling project with the first being the Case/Safe and the second being the EFPU. I hoped you found this project useful in some way.