Philco Radio & Mac mini Touchscreen Mod

[coolbluelights]

What a waste of a perfectly good classic...

[rushymoto]

For sure no one would steal it if they broke in. Transformers Radio.

[I967]

congratulations. you have successfully fucked a decent piece of technology, were it repairable. the radio is what...50 years old? at least. let's see how will that digital crap you stuffed it with hold up for 20 years.

[kennifergod]

how much does it cost to get your ipod/ipad converted so it can play on tubes?

[Zennyel]

Wooow !!!! wonderfull ....es perfecto ,jamás creí ver algo tan bello .

Un minicomponente Philco de 1942 actuliazado con una computadora "Touchscreen" !!!!

Realmente quien hizo esto tiene clase ,estilo y personalidad.

Bellísimo !!.... Perfectísimo.

[AntiqueRadiodoc]

Nice work! It does hav the look of an early projection tv set.

[alonsolucine]

watch?v=heDVOFRLPTg

[rrjx]

Es un acto criminal!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Semejante radio convertido en esa basura!!!!!!!

Si hubieses mantenido el sonido de las valulas o tubos al MAC, hubiese sido una buena mezcla!! pero si es un home theater sony, mataste el glamour de la radio!

Definitivamente, mala la marihuana que te fumaste!, muy mala!

Saludos, y ofenzas desde Chile!

[dianacerda]

man You had achieved it with an ipod, less I spread to the front

[IstvanN1961]

Sad, ruined!

[dne11041980]

You have broken so good tube radio!

[pvivdytser]

Fico,però la radio non è piu originale

[isethaitchison]

i love antique radios but this is impressive. how long did it take u to build it?

[FelixTheHouseFreak]

A piece of history gone. Its kind of like putting a honda hybrid engine in a classic Cadillac from the 50s.

[Thunderchicken1997]

As a purist, I say BLASPHEMY!! As a gadget junkie, I say WOW!!! Nice job! It looks like it was made by Philco. Does it still function the way it was intended?

These were quality built radio, with fantastic tonal quality (for AM & Shortwave).

I'm impressed.

[daniellma]

Well done! I applaud the effort and innovation...why not take it one more step and design your own cabinet? Roughly the same size, maybe a little more retro and with modern materials.

[lalvarado63]

Awesome job on the old philco, I had one two years ago that I bought restored from an antique dealer here in San Jose, Ca. it was very similar in style to yours but did not have a door to open for a turntable. thanx for the share

[mstax]

Coolest "updating" of an old radio, ever!

[TuxedoRonny]

Oh my, someone has a lot of time and money on their hands....

[utubeaccess7]

I have the same radio, I bought non-working a couple years ago - had thought about installing a modern AM/FM radio, but this is just unreal! You know the 40-42 Philco BOL phono's are very rare...

Have any of the Beam of Light phonograph parts left over? I'd be interested in buying them!

Thanks,

-7

[Karma313th]

Just to clarify, the touch screen is a neat idea, but...The sound on these old Philcos is phenomenal, particularly since the 42-1010 used Philco's "Beam of Light" on the phonograph tone arm (only was used for the 41 and 42 model years). Just restored a 41-608P and have never heard a richer, fuller sound from a turntable.

[HappyDiscoDeath]

epic awesome

[ahmedafandi]

how did u get the touch screen to work on the OSX?

[Radiosnmore5]

Taking a piece of history and ruining it by shoving a computer in there is an awful idea. The 42-1010 is a very good radio. Why ruin it??

[Karma313th]

@Radiosnmore5 - I have to agree. It would be one thing to connect the touchscreen to a restored Philco, but tearing out the guts to use the cabinet is a travesty, particularly since the old consoles really do have a rich, warm sound you just don't get with modern equipment -- as this video shows.

[onlywhenprovoked]

the most amazing mod i have seen possibly ever wow

superb work

[baraku19]

questo si che è un giusto approccio tra moderno e antico

[Max0Inq]

Fallout!

[mbunds]

Simply beautiful!!

[phamtruax]

what type of monitor touch screen did you use?

[mortitio]

You have ruined a perfectly good radio.

[TheJacobHolmes]

@mortitio - seriously, these days people want more than just radio in their living rooms. I guarantee you that if this radio wasnt modified, it would be nothing more than a decoration.

[lostcowhand]

@mortitio

Normally, I would agree with that. But, occasionally the electrical parts are too fried to repair so all you have is an empty shell anyways. I did this same type of thing with an old console stereo and turned it into a gaming center with a flat screen monitor mounted to the flip-up lid.

[TeamNES1]

That's an awesome mod! I've never seen anything as cool as this in my life thus far. Does it have good speakers in it?

[onlywhenprovoked]

beautiful work

[RICHARDDAVISMCLEOD]

Are you still using the Tubes and original chassis in this Philco? I understand there are low power radio broadcasters that can broadcast the signal to the actual original chassis in these great old radios, and still get the quality sound from the original speakers, that really just can't be duplicated on modern equipment. Especially the warm sound that only vacuum tubes can produce.

[VaderNES]

Screw that, if his console had a phonograph, then he could rig it from the phonograph plug.

I have, in fact, done that meself with my Dell Inspiron 7500 (running Windows 98) and my 1951 Westinghouse H-110, and it worked perfectly.

[robbyg74]

what did you use for the sound? The original stereo, and speaker, or a new receiver and speakers? I'm trying to do something similar and was curious as to how you went about it

[winkstink1]

I gutted the original 1946 sound system. In the video I am using some Sony home theater 5.1(minus 2 speakers) receiver system. Currently, I am simplifying the system and switching it to a Creative Gigaworks T3 2.1 sound system.

[robbyg74]

ok thanks for the response. Is the monitor just attached to the piece that opens via a hinge? Does the top just rest on the stereo below the knobs? Sorry if i'm hassling you but i'm very interested on how you did this. I think it's an awesome idea!

[coondogtheman1234]

man that sounds awesome. you mated a computer with a tube rig. the sound is so warm.

[kinglonewolf104]

Thats cool :)

&eB

[robbyg74]

i am interested in doing a similar project. What did you use to make the screen come out? I'v been looking at lift systems and linear actuators and I am having trouble visualizing how it would work.

[DeerParkDist]

This is very cool. This is very similar to a Crosley Jukebox that uses a Mini-Mac and touchscreen. I have video of it posted, or just search Crosley Digital. Nice work!

[HistoryWeekly]

I dunno as cool as this is, an original Philco is just way cooler by itself.

[gck86]

wow so cool .u giving a new life of 1942 Philco radio modified with a Mac Mini and a 17" touchscreen.awesome

[Superdaru]

Very nice. If you like look at my jukebox at times.

[thatkidfromyouhtube]

mad nice earned my sub :)

[acuraRule12355]

how much did it cost and dose the regular radio work still

[ivedigga]

you are the best

[typicalaussiebloke]

Fantastic stuff!!! You did an awesome job modifying this classic radio into a full theater system, it is also a work of art!! Have to say too that the flat screen tilted upright makes this radio look like a 1940s B&W projection TV set as projection sets of that period have that kind of appearance. BTW love that song ''Too Hot To Stop'' by The Bar Kays, that song is super BAAAAD!!! :)

[winkstink1]

Thanks Mate!

[Pinetreemetal]

@winkstink1 how much?

[cheezeheads]

COOL!!!! Awesome! did u use troll touch?

[winkstink1]

No, the touchscreen is just a generic (Chinese) kit I got off Ebay. It came with a 17" piece of glass connected to a USB ribbon that I installed under the bezel.

[penfen1]

kool

[VaderNES]

I cannot say that I agree with the destruction of a classic radio. I am currently restoring a 1940s console radio/phonograph. So far, the only part that it needs is a 6Y6G tube, which I have ordered, and have coming in the mail.

[winkstink1]

You may not agree with what I have done, but I use my modified classic radio more than I would with its original AM radio and phonograph capabilities...

[VaderNES]

I have a complete cabinet meself (I already described it), and I am going to use the shit out of it. I am going to use it instead of modern transistorized sound systems, because transistors suck.

[VaderNES]

I have just recieved my 6Y6GA tube, and I've plugged the radio in after inserting the tube. It works perfectly, and the tubes all light-up. I've listened to records on it, and they play perfectly. The sound quality is excellent.

[winkstink1]

NICE!

[EasternDigitalWorks]

Great job! Leave it to the creativity of Mac users. You've inspired me to "create different".

[zeathan]

wow! ncie furnished... amazing!

[MitchsAllNite]

Soooo unbelieveably cool! Wish I'd thought of it first! ;) Great idea.

[ongoing37]

thats cool but people are going to steal your ideas lol

[winkstink1]

Its just an old Sony 17" LCD, but it has a touchscreen kit (a piece of glass with a usb cable) laid on top.

[robbyg74]

what brand was the touchscreen kit?

[winkstink1]

Just a generic chinese touchscreen kit from ebay.

[robbyg74]

What kind of monitor did you use and is it hard to interface with your mac?

[Brandon6542]

very impressive

[force311999]

Is the turntable still under it? Is it done in a way that it can be undone. I love the Idea but hate to ruin a classic radio for computer stuff because the computer stuff will become obsolete

[macdimar]

and the radio won't? :-)

[force311999]

And the radio will not. sorry misspoke

[glennmillerfan]

The Older Radios Have An Overall Much Better Sound Quality Than Todays HD Radios In My Opinion,So The Radio Is Not Obsolete.

[force311999]

The radio is not being used there is a sub and speakers behind it. I looked at the pics and the mac sits in the hole where the turntable gos and the speaker is removed great idea and looks like no damage to the original radio. The radio has no tubes in it. He just should store the turntable and speaker so it can be put back in someday .great job and a nice way to hide the tech in a classic room

[Artificialkel]

That is very creative. Bet it cost a lot.

[RMNOLEKS]

mine was supposed to look like that, looks more like a high school woodwork project

[coondogtheman1234]

thats awesome i might modify my motorola hifi like this but chances are ill just hook my ipod, psp, ps2 whatever up to it id like to keep the original wood

[leloodallasmultipass]

you MUST change the bezel around the touchscreen to some decent wood. it looks like garbage- may as well use duct tape if you want to sink to that level. Find yourself some ash or maple or if you think you can handle it, get some veneer of the original type of wood that is used to veneer the rest of the cabinet. polyurethaned pine from home depot will never look like it should. you clearly know what you are doing mechanically/electrically, but just go that extra mile and this will be perfect.

[onehundreddollars]

I want this more than you possibly could know.

[rodpin]

Amazing! Excellent job!

[itchywitchy]

Amazing, that is a fantastic piece of kit!

[flashinpan]

That thing is awesome!