Custom CD Player

About two years back I had talked with my friend about wanting to build a CD player shaped like the Minecraft Jukebox. We toyed with the idea and looked online briefly for parts before the idea trailed off. In walks this summer, when I get a burst of energy after finishing a separate side project. I finally decide to just start working. With the help of ChatGPT, I figured out what I would need to buy for a minimum viable product. I went ahead and ordered the parts on Amazon, and waited patiently for them to arrive.

Once they arrived, I started piecing them together. I encountered a couple setbacks, such as incompatible cords and wires that didn’t fit, so I had to make a few more purchases. After buying all the parts I needed, I was able to wire it all up and finally get some audio playing! This made me even more excited to build the housing. I did realize that I was running out of time in summer, and would need to consider what I was hoping to accomplish by the time I had to leave. I ended up buying some plywood from Home Depot, and getting some help from my dad with his power tools.

I was able to get the sides cut out and my father was kind enough to drill some of the holes during a camping trip of mine. This left me with a fully assembled, working CD player! I was very excited to take it to my dorm and get some music playing. In the future, I definitely will redo the housing, as it definitely leans on the minimum side of MVP, but that’s something that’ll take practice. Additionally, I hope to eventually get a bluetooth receiver wedged inside somewhere, which should allow me to stream music from my phone, not just CDs.