Crutchfield Tailgate Contest Runner-up

Scott H. builds a custom A/V module for his tailgate bus with help from Crutchfield.

http://www.crutchfield.com/contest/Tailgate/index.html

Scott H. describes the project:

The objective for the design of our tailgate system was to have a state-of-the-art, portable system that can be mounted on our bus during the Rutgers football games, but also be small enough to fit inside the minivan for the occasional vehicle tailgate. One major consideration that went into our product selection, construction and installation was that we wanted to keep the design compact, sturdy and as light as possible, enabling the pre-tailgate setup to be as quick and easy as possible by only two people. The final dimensions of the cabinet (36" high x 47-1/4" wide x 11-1/2" deep) were pre-determined before the build and equipment selected to fit within the cabinet.

With these requirements as our design basis, we chose products based upon overall weight (TV was significantly lighter than other models considered), size, and ease of installation (using a sound bar vs. a separate receiver/speakers set-up). We mounted the satellite receiver box inside the cabinet by using mounting bracket spacers that provided the clearance required to hide the box behind the TV for a clean and neat appearance. All components are internally wired in our cabinet with only a coaxial cable feed to the satellite dish and a single power cord to our portable generator extending outside the cabinet. We used standard-size building materials and paid particular attention to the component spacing requirements within the cabinet to enable access to all of the hook-ups. We also ensured the doors to the cabinet could close while protecting the components during storage. In some cases, clearances and tolerances of 1/16" were factored into the design so, for example, the digital picture frame didn't hit the TV when the doors are closed, but allowed enough clearance for the satellite box to be hidden behind the TV while enabling the TV to be tilted if necessary during viewing.

- Scott H.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Crutchfield
• Dream
• Contest
• electronics
• DIY
• tailgate
• bus
• sound
• system