A music center can be built from an old cassette media center. With due diligence, you will get a functional and completely modern device.

The process of creating a device with your own hands will require imagination, a set of tools and a little experience in working with electrical engineering.

• You can create a homemade music center from an old car radio. Most of these devices have a powerful amplifier in the electrical circuit, which allows:
• Reproduce sound using suitable passive acoustics left over from an old tape recorder or player.
• Depending on the complexity of the device, play CDs, including in digital formats.

Install a radio whose antenna can be mounted inside the speaker.

The photo shows an example of a homemade music center. In fact, this is the basis, which can then be brought to the desired level: create finishes, design the body, use computer modding tools.

Another way is to make a music center from an old player or tape recorder, using almost all the components of the donor device.

The radio can be disassembled and its electronic components can be placed inside the body of the old media center. Such work is not difficult: the design already contains an antenna and a power supply, which are often standardized and do not require modification. You can place an old radio in place of cassette decks

not used due to outdated storage media.

For the above options, the power source can also literally be “lying under your feet.” Worn out, unusable due to a drop in power or slight deviations in parameters, computer power supplies are an ideal option.

The comb, which attaches to the motherboard, contains pins for system startup and a low-power, fixed-voltage bus. To connect to a 220V network, the computer unit has enough four-pin connectors.

Although radio tape recorders have a different number of output channels and different connection interfaces, finding a way to connect them to a 220 V network when creating a music center is not difficult. The general switching diagram looks like this:

A computer power supply will be used as a battery. When choosing it, you need to make sure that the device is powerful enough to output 5A. Required contacts for connection:

ATX format power supplies will have to be started through a control pair of contacts. It is located on a 24-pin comb:

In the figure of the switching diagram it is already marked which of the connector cables should be connected to the radio. The back of the sound-reproducing device may look like this:

Depending on the model, the location of the power supply, the number of audio outputs and the set of other interfaces may vary. Only the color marking of the block remains unchanged. The instructions for the radio will help you determine the purpose of a particular wire.

Non-standard paths

Home craftsmen who do not have such a ready-made solution as a car radio can safely use their imagination. There are a lot of options:

You won't have to do much to fit all of these devices into your old media center. The devices need to be freed from their cases, maybe a little work with a soldering iron to bring the control buttons, connectors for memory cards and USB to the front plastic panel of the center. The answer to the question of how to make a power supply circuit becomes clear if you count the number of outputs in a computer power source - there are enough of them for everyone.

What to do if you want to do everything from scratch

If you want to mount everything in a unique housing or use old passive acoustics for this purpose, you will definitely need amplifier. If there is an old one lying around somewhere, the issue can be considered resolved. Those who don’t have anything suitable at hand will have to improvise a little. The ideal place where you can find everything is the well-known AliExpress. Here you will find both integrated circuits that are inexpensive and can provide high output power per channel, as well as standard products that can be adapted to solve the task at hand - creating a music center.

The development of digital electronics is noticeable not only in the rapid obsolescence of computer technology, but also in the rapid obsolescence of automotive electronics.

Using car radios as an example, almost all available advances are built into this equipment; along with the improvement in consumer properties, their price is significantly reduced. The once unaffordable MP3 car radio, a car audiophile's dream, now costs just over 1,000 rubles. This situation leads to the fact that completely functional unnecessary devices appear in the household. Somehow, by the will of fate, I was for a long time 150 km from a big city. In inclement weather, I had to while away the time watching the TV, which in our age of progress shows only two terrestrial channels, or rather two zombie channels. In the FM range, the cell phone received only one radio station with a wide repertoire heavily mixed with gopstop songs. It was here that I remembered the old car radio I had taken out of the car. Due to the availability of free time, I decided to make a stationary homemade radio receiver with the ability to receive the Mayak radio station in the mid-wave range. Moreover, all the additional parts in the form of a loudspeaker and power supply were present, and the loop antenna remained after the manufacture of the detector receiver.

How to make a radio receiver body with your own hands

I decided to make the body from pieces - scraps of OSB boards. The blanks were cut out with a jigsaw.

1. The receiver will require six blanks:

— front panel frame for mounting a car radio measuring 260mm×95mm;

— front panel for speaker 260mm×240mm;

- side wall, height 330mm, base 240mm, top 260mm, two pieces required;

— top cover 262mm×260mm;

— bottom cover 230mm×260mm.

The external dimensions of the radio receiver box are as follows: width 275mm, height 330mm, depth 260mm. Blanks from the front side polished emery cloth.

2. The issue of final finishing of the receiver has not yet been resolved, so for freedom of thought I decided to assemble the case using PVA glue. We begin the assembly from the base of the receiver; to do this, in the place where the side walls are attached, we use self-tapping screws and glue to attach two slats with a cross-section of 25mm×25mm.

3. I glued the same bars in the places where the side walls of the top cover were attached; here I did not use self-tapping screws; I applied clamping force for gluing using clamps. Drying time for each glue is 24 hours.

4. I glued the side walls to the bottom and lid. We press the walls against the slats with clamps. Be sure to check the diagonals of the box, the measurements should be the same. If something is crooked, it’s better to fix everything at this stage.

5. After the gluing of the box had dried, I glued the slats along the contour of the fastening of the future back cover, and also glued the slats in the places where the front panels were installed. I used clamps for fixation.

6. Carefully marked and cut out a cutout on the radio mounting panel in the center of the upper part, 178mm wide and 50mm deep.

7. In the center of the speaker panel, I drilled a hole with a diameter of 113 mm for the speaker. You can use old working ones or other loudspeakers as a speaker. You can immediately drill the mounting holes. An unpaired speaker, left over from the published design, is installed in this design.

8. Before installing the panels, be sure to sand their front part with sandpaper, then it will be more difficult to do this.

9. Glue the panels into the box. Finally dry all connections.

10. Sanded the box from the ends and from the adhesive joints.

11. The box must be thoroughly cleaned of dust.

12. I cut the back wall with dimensions 320mm×270mm from a piece of treated fiberboard. I drilled holes with a diameter of 10mm in the wall according to the markings. The wall is attached to the body with four self-tapping screws.

13. The receiver body can be covered with parquet varnish, puttied and painted or covered with veneer.

Radio assembly

1. I used a small-sized Chinese switching power supply as a power supply, but any power supply with a 12-volt output and a load of 1.5-2 Amps will do. The power supply was placed on a plastic panel attached to the wall of the box. The power wires of the car radio are stripped and connected to the terminals of the power supply.

2. Installed the speaker and the panel for the protective mesh.

2. I decided to make the antenna built-in. For the experiments, a frame was assembled from scrap materials. The diagonal size of the frame is 200mm; 16 turns of enamel-insulated wire are wound around the frame. I connected the frame to the receiver and received the Mayak radio station on medium waves at a frequency of 549 kHz. Subsequently, the frame was modified and made from a CD with the mirror layer removed. I would like to note that several old car radios were tested, the Pioneer DEH-3700MP device completely refused to work on the CB with a frame and asked for a piece of wire 1-1.5 meters long.

3. I attached the frame to the side wall of the radio box.

4. I secured the car radio in the box using a bracket made from four pieces of mounting tape. At one end the bracket is attached with a nut to the radio, and at the other end the bracket is secured with a screw to the bottom cover of the box.

I bought a HYUNDAI H-CDM8043 radio tape recorder on occasion and after some minor repairs with the socket, I decided to make one out of it. I have long wanted to make such a center for myself, since I couldn’t buy a normal mini system for less than 4 thousand. The cost of mini-systems with quad audio with normal sound and 3 bars in the dynamics starts from 5 thousand rubles, which is somewhat expensive. The car radio was purchased used for 900 rubles, after which the front panel was completely rebuilt. The radio has 4 outputs of 50 watts each - as the manufacturer assures. In fact, according to the datasheet for its amplifier, the maximum peak power is 30 watts per channel. And the normal power per channel without overload is 20 watts, which is quite enough, taking into account the fact that I use 4 three-way speakers.

So, I didn’t make the whole body, I just used part of the table, but made something like a casing with cardboard and colored tape.

I installed an 80 mm fan from a computer power supply there and bought 2 car switches with bulbs of different colors.

One turns on the fan power, and the other turns on the backlight for the color music system, which I recently assembled.

The fan is connected through a simple transistor voltage regulator, which can be used to regulate the speed of rotation of the blades - after all, we do not always need 100 percent of the revolutions. Its diagram is in the figure below:

The regulator is made as a canopy, directly on the variable resistor itself. I screwed a piece of aluminum onto the transistor just in case. Although it practically does not heat up.

Why did you use cardboard? It is good because it is perfectly cut and takes any necessary shape, the switches are of excellent steel, and cooling is ensured.

Power supply - switching, 12V 4A. Its power is quite enough to power the entire system.

And all this equipment is connected to a surge protector.

Total system costs:

Power supply 700 rubles - 12 volt 4 A
- radio 900 rubles including power filter, casing and all wiring.
- speakers - 2 sets of Mystery MJ103BX speakers for 800 RUBLES - 1600 RUB with my discount of 1500 RUB.
- two switches with 12 volt indication - 45 rubles.
- fan regulator and transistor, tape, electrical tape and other consumables were already in stock.

In your version, you can use textolite, aluminum or plywood for the body (placing the radio inside the old speaker). The main thing is that I showed you the very principle of constructing such devices. The design of the homemade music center has been installed and has been pleasing with its convenience and good performance for many days now! Comrade was with you. redmoon.

Discuss the article HOW TO MAKE A MUSIC CENTER

Many car enthusiasts often have old radios lying around idle in the garage: they remain after purchasing new equipment or the car is sold without music. You can find a use for it at home or in the country. Even an inexpensive car radio can outperform many home audio devices in terms of sound quality and purity. Let's learn how to make a music center with your own hands.

The main things you can’t do without in this matter:

• The radio is in working order;
• Speakers or speakers;
• Power unit;
• Additional wires.

First of all, we decide on the power source. Any options designed for a constant voltage of 12 V are possible, but with a power of less than 300 W they are not suitable in principle - they are too weak. It could be:

• Computer power supply;
• A household unit sold in radio departments;
• Transformer with rectifier from an old TV;
• Battery charger.

The choice of speakers directly depends on the power device used. From a weak source, the radio will only be able to operate at low volume, and a current of 5-8 A will be enough to accelerate to its fullest potential. The power of the speakers is also selected based on the parameters of a particular car radio. Speakers from a music center or car speakers are suitable.

Next, a homemade case is made or something suitable in size is found. Holes are cut for the radio and speakers. You can simply make a front panel and insert it, for example, into a TV stand or hang it on the wall.

With the right tools, you can convert your car stereo into a home music listening device. You need the right hardware, such as a power supply. And in a few steps you can turn your car stereo into a device for listening to music indoors.

Instructions for creating a music center from a car radio

You need a power supply to create a music center. But it doesn't have to be new. If you have an old computer, unplug it and use it for your project.

1. To get started with your home stereo system, locate the green and black wires on the block and place a piece of wire between them to act as a jumper wire.
2. On the car stereo, twist the red and yellow cables together.
3. Next, connect the black ground wire on the stereo to the black wire on the connector.
4. The red and yellow wires of the stereo connect to the yellow wire of the connector.
5. Then follow the usual instructions to connect the stereo to your speakers.

While using a power supply to power your car stereo in your home is one way, you can do it even if you don't have a unit.

1. You can connect the speakers to the radio using the gray and green wires.
2. You may need to use an additional speaker cable.
3. The next step is to connect the yellow and red wires on the stereo and add an additional speaker for stereo sound.
4. Connect the wires with soldering or electrical tape to get a quality result.
5. You need a 12V power cord to connect the device to the network. You can easily purchase it at any technical store.
6. Cut the end of the power cord and connect the black wire to a line of white around the red and yellow stereo wires.

Electrical connection diagram

Although most radio tape recorders have different numbers of outputs and inputs, it is not difficult to find a method for connecting them to a 220 Volt network when making a home audio system. The standard electrical diagram for connecting cables looks like this:

To power the system, a regular power supply from an old PC is used. Before connecting it to the system, you need to check that the device has enough power to receive 5 amps.

Required connectors for connection:

ATX type power supplies must be connected via control connectors. They are on a 24-pin comb.

The image shows which wires need to be connected to the car radio.

The back of the device looks like this:

For different types of radios, the location of the power supply, the number of sound outputs and other parameters may differ. Only the color designations of the cables do not change.

Device testing

To test the music center, you must first load the audio file onto a portable storage device with a USB output. After this, turn on the music center to the mains voltage. An indicator should light up confirming that it is turned on.

Then insert the flash drive into the desired USB port. If all steps were performed correctly, the speakers should play sound. If there is no sound, turn up the volume or check the connections of all contacts.