Id like to mod an old stereo into an htpc

This is going to be a slow going project and Im asking questions early so I can work stuff out in advance

Heres the overview though:
I have an old receiver that wont put a video signal through anymore, so I thought I might be able to mod it into something more fun. It has an aluminum case that is vented quite well and plenty of room for the ATX board that I intend to use. I might have to find a low profile heatsink for cooling, but I havent measured yet... stock may be okay. The back of the case is going to have to be cut in a major way to accomodate the IO panel (but Im alright with/can handle that). I plan to suspend the HDD from the top of the case (maybe zipties, maybe nylon cord) and add another hole in the side for a laptop like side loading disk drive. None of this is a big problem (on paper ) and will only take some elbow grease.

Where it gets tough for me is the origional stereo panel. Id like to keep it. And id like to keep it with some functionality. As of now its a small board that consists of function switches and an lcd panel , as well as a volume knob. Now when I say functional, I mean I want the lcd to still light up (customizing the text as well), the power button to be the PC power button, and maybe to find some uses for the switches and volume knob. I can live with just the power button and the lcd panel, but my first thought for the switch buttons is a led light show, and for the volume knob a fan controller (for just one fan). Now this project is a bit out of my reach on a technical level so if someone were to say "Dont even try" I would believe them, but Id still like to try. Ive got saws, drills, dremels, a soldering pen and elbow grease though! So tell me guys.... is this possible and how would I go about it?

BTW: For powering the front panel the plan is to modify the power input to take a molex plug, but I havent checked the spec sheets yet to determine what the proper voltage is. I am hoping for 12v and there is also a small ribbon cable that connects this thing to the rest of the stereo (I wanna say its got 5-7 wires but I dont have it in front of me)

what brand/model is the receiver?

Sony str-k84op . Just St curious? Or do you think it might be possible? Thanks for taking a look either way

my main concern is that with a full sized atx board where are you going to put the power supply?
I mean its possible but if you shoehorn it all in its gonna be cramped.
also I don't think your going to be able to get very long video cards in there, overall depth shows 11.7 inches, that's not taking into account how far back that front panel stick into it aswell.
if you go with a short card (looking at a R9270x on my desk) that should work no problem

I have 2 ways around that problem ( I think). The first (and the one I like better) is that if I can't force a standard size psu in there to move down a size. I also have a micro atx board that I could use instead, and it's a good option. The only reason I was going to use the full size was because I have a better cpu for it. I haven't got a graphics card yet either, but I haven't got the budget for a big boy card and I don't have a problem with a smaller one

My parts lists stands (roughly) at this : I've got 2 possible mobo cpu combos. I have cooling for either one as well. Hdd and dvd rom. 1 full atx psu from an oem build.... Will only work with one mobo /cpu combo. Possibly a gpu ( it kinda depends on what develops with my current build)



What I don't got: a gpu or psu that I'm certain will work. I also haven't decided what misc cards will be needed for the pci slots. I haven't though about the monitor yet, but I'm leaning towards some sort of Micro monitor or perhaps a tablet interface ( I don't know if that's possible because I haven't checked yet.... Remember this project I still in dream phase ) keeping as close to the "stereo" experience is kind of the goal... And building a cool as pc. Thanks for the reply!

These will make your life easier I imagine.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817148044

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...=Pci-e_riser_cable-_-16U-0001-00046-_-Product


For the back, I would simply get a piece of plastic, and trim it to what you need. The switches and volume potentiometer can be modified to be input devices as well.

As far as HTPC goes, AMD apu's would probably work best, negating the need for a dedicated GPU.

Even though it may have good flow, I would still try to work in a fan or two. The cpu heatsink will have to be quite small, so getting a good flat mount unit would be ideal.

Oh yeah those will definitely make my life a little easier with this project. Thank you. I had wondered if I might have to move all the way down to a Pico for the psu, but the size you linked seems like there would still be room to spare. The particulars of the mounting would still be a bit fuzzy, but I'm sure I can make a workable bracket of some kind, or maybe a detached mounting for the sake of quietness.

Thank you for mentioning the on board apu. I sometimes forget about the on board gizmos whilst dreaming of add on wizardry. I shall have to see if the on board will be enough to push a descent display (although I have to admit that"good enough" will probably be good enough with some of the more common details. If I can get push great display and have awesome graphics and a high benchmark then great, but the cool factor is in the case for this one)

I also should have listed a fan in my supplies list. I have some laying around and I definitely don't intend to try fanless with this one. I worry about rattle due to the thin metal of the frame, but I feel that rubber gaskets and replacing the stock case screws with a cushioned screw might be the end of that worry. I haven't done a build with water cooling yet though... So maybe. I will only consider that if I can't get it to be decently quiet on air however.

And as to the plastic, great minds must think alike. I cannot remember why, but I had already been considering a plastic window on the side panel for some reason or another. If I have anything visible from the back or the side I might have to make it pretty too though add some leds and sleeves for the wires!

Thanks for the advice so far guys. This little project is definitely going to take some time to get to. I'm currently overhauling my main build (would be done by now if I wasn't trying to make it pretty ) and I have a couple other side projects. In the meantime I need to know where to start with the face plate though. For instance will I be using the native circuitry at all? Or is it just a case for the lcd display and the volume know now? I guess what I mean is will I have to decouple them from their circuitry to access them or.... Well I guess what I mean is I haven't the foggiest idea where to start with this part.

I actually took a motherboard and stuck it on top of my onkyo receiver. If you have a full size, it should be nearly identical form factor.

If it is, a full size psu will fit VERY well actually, but you would really need to get a smaller motherboard. A full atx eats up a huge amount of floor space on these things.

ATX = 9x12,"
mATX = 9x9"
I don't know the size of min-ITX, but it's smaller still.

Molex is 5 & 12 V btw.
Yellow wires = 12V
Red wires = 5V
Black wire = Ground
Looking forward to see this mod!

I'm still gunning for the atx board as the amd proc is the best by margin of apu. Meaning the Intel chip is near the same clock speed but I'd have to add a gpu. Got a psu that will fit along with the smaller board ( full size psu) . But I've covered that already. I'll either have to buy a short gpu or a mini psu. It's pretty much a choice between amd and intel as well as the ability to OC ( although I don't consider OC to be a big part of this build, both chips are dual core 3ish Ghz so there's plenty of power for a basic htpc. ) I should add that I've got stock coolers for both chips and ram ( 4x 1gb ddr2) that should have been added to the parts list. I'll get back to you guys once I figure out exactly which parts I will use. I am still stuck on what to do with the monitor. It needs to be small enough to be easily hidden or I need to be able to use a tablet/smartphone for that function..... Like I said I'll get back to you guys

Just a brief update: Ive looked into micro monitors and found a few but they are massively expensive. Except maybe the ones that are meant to be hooked too the backup camera on a vehicle, but those seem to use A/V inputs and Im not sure if I can use them for this. I have found some info that looks promising where the use of a tablet as a SECOND monitor is concerned. It see,s to say that it will only work to extend the display as a second monitor though, and I havent even looked into if it will work with Linux Mint or not (Mint is the direction I am leaning for the OS, mostly because I dont want to buy Windows for this project)

I have put a little thought into how to connect the LCD to the board. I wonder if splicing the ribbon cable into one of the USB headers on the mobo might be the direction to go? It seems to be worth a shot anyway, but of course further research will need to be done. Its just my best guess at this point in time

Typically those things need a converter which are pretty expensive and must be tailor made specifically for the screen type you are using. Else you could just get an old laptop and pull the screen off and go to town.

bob4933 said:

Typically those things need a converter which are pretty expensive and must be tailor made specifically for the screen type you are using. Else you could just get an old laptop and pull the screen off and go to town.

Click to expand...

Hmmmm.... I swear Iput in a reply here....

Well I kinda solved the monitor trouble by using what little brains I've got to see the hdmi port on the board and realizing that most modern TV sets have hdmi in. So I have the primary monitor figured out and with the software I spoke of earlier I can extend the display to a tablet ( which should be nice for watching something different than the kiddies without disturbinggget their viewing time, as well as being able to fine tune things like volume and resolution on the fly)

I still haven't looked too much close at the actual hard part of this build (the stereo panel) but I've got a few ideas in that regard. One is to match the power and data wires to the corresponding wires on the USB header a few some splicin work. As far as the power button goes I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner but I'll simply run wires to the mobo power terminals and have that be that. I'd like a more elegant solution without cutting anything but I don't see one. so there's the updates guys!

knoober said:

As far as the power button goes I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner but I'll simply run wires to the mobo power terminals and have that be that. I'd like a more elegant solution without cutting anything but I don't see one. so there's the updates guys!

Click to expand...

That's what I'm doing now on my main rig

2 wires, just short 'em on my hard drive bay to start up the rig

Feeling like Ive abandones this thread a bit, but not quite. just slow working. FInally getting the main rig put together enoough to put my attention elsewhere. So heres a few specs for those who are wondering where this is going :

CPU: AMD Athlon x2 260
cooling :arctic alpine 64+ (from an old build)
Mobo: Asus M4n78 Pro
Ram: 4gb (1gb x4) of some no name brand that I have laying around. Ive had it in this board before with a different cpu so it is confirmed working.
HDD : Random 60gb that I also happen to have laying around.
GPU: I think I will probably put a discreet card in here. I just upgraded on my main rig so now I have an r5 220 to put in there. Im not sure how it compares to the onboard however. research still needs to be done I guess
PSU: this one is still up in the air. I have a roughly 400-450w atx psu but I havent measured yet to see if it will fit. If it wont I will be moving towards one of the links listed above.

As far as the front panel is concerned I have had even more thoughts that we will have to see how they play out.
1) If possible I will be leaving the i/o switch intact (from the stereo... you know the part that switches between the dvd player and tv and stuff) it isnt connected to the main stereo. The ribbon cable I mentioned in an earlier post is the interface between the front panel and the switch (which for all intents and purposes is just like the 20 rca switches you can buy at the store.... passive switch with multiple inputs and one output). I had a thought about getting an hdmi to rca adapter and wiring it internally so that the monitor could be put on the switch, but then Id need to adapt back to hdmi from the output in order to get to the TV (which will function as the monitor). The main problem I see with this is powering the stereo front panel from the psu instead of the stock psu that comes with the stereo. I assume it will either be 3.3 , 5 , or 12V so Id just have to splice the wires..... more research for me

Ive also kind of abandoned the idea of a custom message on the LCD panel. It seems to me that the messages displayed there (TV/DVD...etc, as well as the stereo equalizer presets) would be programmed into the front panel (some sort of bios chip maybe??) so I'm not sure if Id be able to change any of that without work that is above and beyond my abilities (not that all of these tasks arent a little over my poor noggin)

So there you have it.... absolutely no work done , but lots of imagining done

Edit : just found out I will need 2 sound cards to run a different movie on each monitor. Any suggestion? (well not to run a different movie, but to have a different movie and it's sound on each monitor) I've for enough slots for it, just want to make sure I get a good card

Imagining is still work

Got any pics for us?

Silver_Pharaoh said:

Imagining is still work

Got any pics for us?

Click to expand...

Weeeeell..... heres one of my r5 22 with an old amd cpu fan duct taped on so that I can try for some sort of OC on that silly little card. It really made me because every pic of my card I looked at online had a fan on the sink and the one I got from the store was passive cooling. Quiet I know, but I want to make sure everything is as cool as it can be!



This will be going into the build in question once my new gpu arrives (HD 7790) but probably without the fan, its noisy as hell!

Hahaha me likey!