KSB
Well-known member
This forum has been very informative and has been a huge source of inspiration.
A few months back I had to remove an aftermarket stereo that was in a car we were sending to the wreckers. I removed the deck a couple of speakers that were still good and while was at it I pulled the antenna out.
I had a two drawer intermediate chest at home that I was not using and after pulling the stereo out that day in my mind it all of a sudden had a purpose. I had always thought that those Kobalt toolboxes with the stereo built into them were the coolest thing ever so I decided to make my own.
That afternoon my youngest (2 years) and I were home alone so while she played in the backyard I started on my project. About an hour later I had the deck mounted in the top drawer of the box.
The project stalled for a while after that while I tried to decide how I was going to power the deck and what to use for speakers.
I decided that one of the easiest things to do would be to use the pre-outs on the deck and use a set of powered computer speakers. After a few missed opportunities on Kijiji, and finding nothing at the local flea markets I "splurged" on the cheapest set I could get at Future Shop.
I was unsure of how much power the deck would consume. I had a 12VDC 1.5A power cube from an old set of computer speakers that I wanted to use but had no real information on how much current the deck would draw if I was not using the amplifier section. I reasoned that the power supply on hand would likely do fine, which it did. I added a DPDT switch, accommodated it in the hole on the left side of the drawer left by the handle. The switch allows me to turn the deck on and off, I wired the constant power and ignition power on the same terminal. The memory is erased every time I turn it off but it is not a big deal at this point.
Next was the antenna, I had a spare antenna from the car I scrapped but I also had a spare NMO mount antenna. In the end I opted to use the NMO mount because it was easier for me to mount. I bent a small piece of aluminium bar and drilled the hole for the antenna and mounting holes for the side of the box.
I mounted the speakers using two way tape to the side of my top chest. The speakers were super light and the tape has been holding them perfectly for a while now.
Everything was perfect at this point with the exception of radio reception. I had the antenna mount but unfortunately no antenna to go with it. As luck would have it I was at the dump and ran across a busted alarm clock radio so I grabbed the antenna off it On the NMO style antenna mounts you can remove the centre conductor, this worked perfectly as I installed a 6-32 screw and nut thought the antenna I acquired and inserted it in place of the centre conductor.
I have been using this daily at work for a few month now although not super loud it works well. Please feel free to ask questions if I missed anything.
A few months back I had to remove an aftermarket stereo that was in a car we were sending to the wreckers. I removed the deck a couple of speakers that were still good and while was at it I pulled the antenna out.
I had a two drawer intermediate chest at home that I was not using and after pulling the stereo out that day in my mind it all of a sudden had a purpose. I had always thought that those Kobalt toolboxes with the stereo built into them were the coolest thing ever so I decided to make my own.
That afternoon my youngest (2 years) and I were home alone so while she played in the backyard I started on my project. About an hour later I had the deck mounted in the top drawer of the box.
The project stalled for a while after that while I tried to decide how I was going to power the deck and what to use for speakers.
I decided that one of the easiest things to do would be to use the pre-outs on the deck and use a set of powered computer speakers. After a few missed opportunities on Kijiji, and finding nothing at the local flea markets I "splurged" on the cheapest set I could get at Future Shop.
I was unsure of how much power the deck would consume. I had a 12VDC 1.5A power cube from an old set of computer speakers that I wanted to use but had no real information on how much current the deck would draw if I was not using the amplifier section. I reasoned that the power supply on hand would likely do fine, which it did. I added a DPDT switch, accommodated it in the hole on the left side of the drawer left by the handle. The switch allows me to turn the deck on and off, I wired the constant power and ignition power on the same terminal. The memory is erased every time I turn it off but it is not a big deal at this point.
Next was the antenna, I had a spare antenna from the car I scrapped but I also had a spare NMO mount antenna. In the end I opted to use the NMO mount because it was easier for me to mount. I bent a small piece of aluminium bar and drilled the hole for the antenna and mounting holes for the side of the box.
I mounted the speakers using two way tape to the side of my top chest. The speakers were super light and the tape has been holding them perfectly for a while now.
Everything was perfect at this point with the exception of radio reception. I had the antenna mount but unfortunately no antenna to go with it. As luck would have it I was at the dump and ran across a busted alarm clock radio so I grabbed the antenna off it On the NMO style antenna mounts you can remove the centre conductor, this worked perfectly as I installed a 6-32 screw and nut thought the antenna I acquired and inserted it in place of the centre conductor.
I have been using this daily at work for a few month now although not super loud it works well. Please feel free to ask questions if I missed anything.
