Project: Kitchen Utensil+ (Mk II in progress 22/09/10)

[Rob_B]

EDIT: Mk II in progress as of 22/09/10 - http://forums.hexus.net/project-logs...sil-mk-ii.html

EDIT2: All original images dead as I was mucking around with my website, oh dear Salvaged some so the full build isn't available but you get the idea!

Messy workspace!
http://img34.imageshack.us/i/2447339...4208588289.jpg
http://img704.imageshack.us/i/244733...4208588289.jpg
http://img529.imageshack.us/i/244733...9208588289.jpg

Frame
http://img690.imageshack.us/i/244733...9208588289.jpg

Completed & some closer shots
http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/7...9208588289.jpg
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/8...4208588289.jpg
http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/6...9208588289.jpg
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/4...4208588289.jpg
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/61/...9208588289.jpg
http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/2...4208588289.jpg
http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/2...9208588289.jpg

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So I'd been thinking for a while about a mod, never had the drive to do it but decided to go ahead with this one as I needed something to do!
I want to make something not out of the realms of possibility for most folk like myself, no power coating, no expensive parts, no workshop with loads of tools & no hundreds of hours poured into it!

Firstly it started as a mod to fit a touchscreen into a kitchen worktop, after realising the extra cost/trouble to do this (& the fact I'd need a lot more tools to cut the worktop!) I went for the under-cabinet PC.

I started with an old laptop I'd been given, its a Compaq Presario 700, 14.1" LCD, Duron 1Ghz, 240mb RAM (?), 20 (or 40) Gb HDD running XP, I know, you're jealous already!

I'm skipping the tear down pics of the laptop, It took me quite some time & I put a lot more work in that the pic suggests! After removing lots of frame/hardware that I won't need (including the floppy drive!) it looks like this...

I'd scouted around for something to frame it to go with our kitchen, it's black & after getting fed up of looking I stumped up £8 for this one from Hobbycraft...

and the back...

The LCD sat high on the frame

So I cut them out using my new toy (a fake Dremel bought for £10 & a £17 official Dremel 100 piece kit) I'm getting used to it, it's dark & I'd drank some wine so it's a bit rough but the it's only the back so meh!

Now it sits well but there is a gap from the front..

Due to my (poor) Dremelling skills & the fact I don't want to go too deep I've decided to fill the gap with something like a black rubber seal, this may also allow me to put something in front of the screen (to protect it)

The next step is to build the box to support the laptop body underneath the kitchen cabinet, it'll just be a box that it slides into with a hinged front attached to the LCD frame so I can push it out of sight when not in use.

I'm going to try to get some more RAM, the max is 384, there is 128mb onboard & I need PC133 so I'll scour eBay for a 256mb stick when I get time. I also need a USB Wifi dongle as this only has a 56k moden in the card slot as this will mainly be used for iPlayer/streaming when in the kitchen. These are on my shopping list!

Well, that's it for now, updates when I get some wood for the frame, a hinge (and suggestions on how to do that?) and more time!


Cost so far:

Laptop - FREE
HDD - Swapped an Xbox for it.
Frame - £8.50
Dremel - £10
Dremel bits - £17
Black 'seals' - £2.50
Black mesh tray - £5.61 (Too small, waste of Amazon credit that was!)
Acrylic sheet for screen - £4.30
USB Hub - £1
Tape - £1
Wood - FREE
Screws - £1
Hole drills - £1


Total = £51.91 & an old Xbox!

[digit]

I like it, don't think i'd trust myself to dissemble a laptop and it to to still work afterwards.

[Rob_B]

It's not too bad actually, I'd removed as much as poss then decided I should keep the keyboard & track pad so it looks like I've not tocuhed the base. One small problem when I forgot to attach the CPU fan & the keyboard got VERY hot which meant I had to strip it all down again to plug it in!

Pic below is the space reserved for this, under the middle cabinet. As you can see although there is over twice the height of the LCD as space I still need a hinge or it'd just get in the way.

[Rob_B]

Well, one long/wet trip around Edinburgh centre this afternoon led to a strange conversation in Claire's Accessories, this lead to me spending a whopping £2.50 on a pack of black, rubbery bangle things. I'm hoping they'll join easily with a bit of heat to make my screen seal



Also just bought this, this may become the holder for the laptop body underneath the cabinet. Will need to wait & see what happens!

[mycarsavw]

Love these sort of mods - subscribed with interest.

(wonder if you've seen this before?)

[Rob_B]

Funnily enough I have & lost the link

I'm not a fan of the hardware side of that mod (due to size & cutting a hole in the wall!) the touchscreen is nice but out of my price range. It's the software that interests me & I'll be having some of that off I think!

[Pob255]

I've been thinking of a touch screen kitchen pc for a while now, hadn't thought of using a dissasembled laptop for it though. but it's a really nice idea.

The touch screen is the major cost issue though.

is it possible to get a cheap touchscreen kit, like you can for netbooks?

[robtbear]

I'd use a piece of photo frame glass in front of the LCD panel to protect it, or even cling film but that might look a bit tatty very quickly. I also noticed the Kettle is very close condensation from that could be a problem if your not careful.

Edit: wouldn't be touch screen if you did that tho lol but the touch screen panel will protect it.

[Rob_B]

I've been thinking of a touch screen kitchen pc for a while now, hadn't thought of using a dissasembled laptop for it though. but it's a really nice idea.

The touch screen is the major cost issue though.

is it possible to get a cheap touchscreen kit, like you can for netbooks?

I think 15" touchscreen covers are about £50, too expensive for me on this mod.

I'd use a piece of photo frame glass in front of the LCD panel to protect it, or even cling film but that might look a bit tatty very quickly. I also noticed the Kettle is very close condensation from that could be a problem if your not careful.

Edit: wouldn't be touch screen if you did that tho lol but the touch screen panel will protect it.

The kettle is being moved, don't worry about that Still undecided on whether to put anything in front of the screen, don't see what harm it will come to so I might not bother & just dremel the frame a bit lower to get a closer fit

[Pob255]

Personally I'd be a bit more worried about shock damage when flipping the screen down.
If I'm reading this right, and you plan to have it hinged to the bottom of the cupbaord so it swings down/can be folded up out of the way.

Can I ask if you considered just mounting it onto the cupboard door? Ok that would involve drilling a few holes in the door.

For protection I'd just get a thin sheet of clear acrylic/purspex.
Something like this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2mm-Clear-Acry...item3a579639ab

[Rob_B]

Personally I'd be a bit more worried about shock damage when flipping the screen down.
If I'm reading this right, and you plan to have it hinged to the bottom of the cupbaord so it swings down/can be folded up out of the way.

I'm not worried about that. The screen will be pulled down by the frame, I'm going to put a strip of metal along the bottom of the frame where it'll be pulled to add support. Any force should be directed through the frame to the hinged area which will be a wooden dowel screwed into the cabinet. As for the latch, I'm thinking of using magnets, should mean a nice smooth pull but I need to check they won't interfere with the screen first!

Can I ask if you considered just mounting it onto the cupboard door? Ok that would involve drilling a few holes in the door.

For protection I'd just get a thin sheet of clear acrylic/purspex.
Something like this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2mm-Clear-Acry...item3a579639ab

I did, but due to the length of the monitor cables I'd have the mount the base into the cabinet (perhaps on its side), my wife wasn't taken by the idea of it being in there & considering the high posibility of it getting knocked & the fact it'd be more work I decided against it

Think I'll go for that acrylic, will fill the gap nicely & although probably not totally needed it won't do any harm

I've got a small strip of worktop spare that I might work on if this goes ok, perhaps go back to my original idea of mounting it in there (although it'd be tricky to watch lying flat!)

[Rob_B]

Decided to go for an acrylic sheet, getting it cut to size by the seller for ease. This will sit in the frame meaning the LCD may now not sit flush to the frame at the back but I will just strap this up to keep it secure.

Wood arrived for the box, made a bit of a mis-calculation on the size so the sides need to be re-done taller. Am also going to nick a hole cutter drill bit from my father-in-law for ventilation.

[Rob_B]

So, a stop at Poundland today yeiled some tape (for the back of the frame & insulating some exposed bits) & a 4-port USB hub, the hub as i'd struggle to use the USB ports on the laptop otherwise due to positioning. £2 well spent methinks!



The wood arrived & the box is almost complete. I realised I have no decent screws lying around so have used a mixture just to get it together & will replace them asap!



This shows clearance in the box (for airflow) & I will be drilling holes in the base/sides later.



Here is where it will be positioned when finished, as mentioned before I have a lack of decent screws so there is one side not secured & I propped it up with bottle-top fridge magnets to take the pic



Tasks for tomorrow are to buy some decent flat headed screws, get a hole cutter drill bit (Poundland again!) & then sort out the hinge mechanism (I've not figured that out yet)

Still waiting on my acrylic sheet & when it arrives I can crack on with the frame.

[mycarsavw]

When you get your fancy new screws, countersink them and then fill the heads with sawdust/glue. Just drill out the first few mm of the hole with a slightly bigger drill bit - but then you knew that already.

Looking very nice so far

[Rob_B]

Got some screws/hole cutters (7 for a quid!) this morning - thanks again Poundland

Will counter-sink to some degree, I assume you mention it as they're sticking out at the moment? They're all different types & I didn't want to drill anything before seeing the size of the final screws I'd use.
I'm thinking of using a black vinyl to cover the box when finished so covering screw heads isn't too important but it depends how I feel at the time! Anyone with any suggestions for getting plain black sticky-backed vinyl sheet? I was thinking of those ones they sell to cover counters/etc in B&Q.

[mycarsavw]

Spray glue and some black laminate would work - there's another project with black vinyl in here somewhere - K22 is the username.

It's MDF by the looks of it, so it'll take paint quite nicely once you've primed it - it's a nice smooth surface too so a few coats of primer and a final coat of japlack/car paint would work.

Altho... if you could find the same surface as your worktop... hubba!