Mp3 Conversion and Fix-Up (See Part 1 for the start of this project)

I enjoyed my quick-fix mp3 player but it also had some limitations. It was very convient to press a button on the side to start and stop the music, plus I could skip a song easily. The problem was that I now wanted it to play more than just 50's music. I also had a problem if someone asked for a specific song. I knew I had it, but with no display I could not play it.

I looked at a number of options. First, I thought about putting a PC in the cabinet and using a tablet to remote control it. Winamp has a http remote control plugin which would have worked. The problem is that I need to find a computer, set it up, and make it work with my tablet. I really wanted a simple solution.

I did some more research and found a product called the SqueezeBox. There are a number of variations including a radio type box that lets you stream music and Internet radio from your computer. The version I wanted was a hidden version with a remote.

Check it out on the Amazon SqueezeBox page.

This is the SqueezeBox. The hidden unit will go in my jukebox and plug into my existing PC amplified speakers instead of my current mp3 player.

This is the remote control. It is WIFI and so is the box. That means they both run off my home wifi so I can use the remote from anywhere in the house, no IR path needed. I can keep my sound files in a folder on my PC and share that one folder. This makes it easy to manage too.

My subwoofer PC speakers. These are the same ones I had previously with my mp3 seetup(shown here). All I had to do was plug them into the new box. I may use my mp3 player on another jukebox for a quick-fix.

Now I simply turn on the power switch in the back to light up my jukebox and use the remote to select the music I want or to find a specific song. Most people do not even realize it is not playing a record because the 100c leaves the record half hanging out between songs anyway.

This is a great solution. It gives me a lot more flexibility, allows me to play more music than I can fit on a 2gig sd card, lets me pick individual songs or playlists from the 60's 70's or 80's or romantic music or classical, whatever.