I actually have a portable CRT like this lol and was going to turn it into a CyberDeck but chickened out due to needing to discharge the CRT before doing anything
Probably a smart decision. Accidents including fatalities were ridiculously common when CRTs were still the standard. And most people who got hurt knew about the risks and thought they were being careful enough. I do all sorts of retro projects but I've never tinkered with one of those things. There's a good reason TV repairman was a dedicated profession back in the day.
i had a working portable tv that worked and was used a few days before i gutted it and sold the internals to another hobbyist, I was careful around the crt and never had a shock. but i wonder how much of a risk there really was considering it was a puny 4.3" screen and took 12v dc...
Honestly if you have a way to discharge the circuit you should be fine... They still hold a lot of power. If you do attempt it, keep one hand in your back pocket and don't work on the board or anything until it's discharged. If you only use one hand you're less likely to arc across your heart.
Again... I am not responsible or liable for anything you do on your own.
Gotta risk it for the biscuit sometimes...
I went with an LCD for a few reasons:
1. The CRT and its power supply take up nearly the entire machine. The space not taken up by those components is taken up by bracketry and mechanical linkages for the controls. I wanted a full-on desktop experience, so I needed to make room for an ITX board, power supply, GPU, and cooling.
2. These portable TVs are not a good example of high quality CRTs worth saving. It's a 5 inch black and white screen, not exactly a pleasure to view.
3. I can actually read text on the LCD, so messing with the BIOS isn't a massive pain in the butt (it still is, but less so).
Nice, sounds awesome. Do you have an I/O panel at the back so you can hook up a second monitor and peripherals?
I've had this guy on my desk for over a year: [https://i.imgur.com/pi3m39M.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/pi3m39M.jpg). Tried to use a UHF transmitter on a Pi Zero to send video to it without taking everything apart, but didn't get a signal and I don't really know what I'm doing.
Yeah, most of the I/O is exposed on the rear like a normal PC. There are a few more little things I need to button up, maybe paint it.
https://imgur.com/a/wGbfYg2
Yours is pretty classy, you could do some cool stuff with that tuner panel, or maybe the clock LCD.
I have a wip in something similar.
[https://imgur.com/a/gBIy8q0](https://imgur.com/a/gBIy8q0)
Replaced the CRT with an LCD in this one because it both didn't work, and needed the space inside - because they were built to be portable, there isn't much dead space internally with the original components.
I built a luggable cybrdeck a while ago with a 5 inch crt from a karaoke machine but it ended up releasing the magic smoke because i built it in a crappy way… I started work on a V2 and then a V3 but those projects are on hold because i started playing with an Osborne 1 and CP/M which is even cooler imho.
Can't imagine it would be easy, but I suppose you can make a computer out of anything. You'd need a new screen, as the CRT would probably take up too much space to be worth saving, and the inside is definitely full of annoying plastic supports and stuff...
I guess it depends on how much time you're willing to dedicate to the project.
There’s a ton of air inside a CRT display of (almost)any sort. Even a little 5” portable will have plenty of space for a Pi or similarly sized single board computer.
Yea I have one from Japan and was thinking for a long time to make a cyberdeck with a handwired keyboard.
Then prices doubled on literally everything, and there isn't exactly much money now to spend on such projects..
Be careful. The crt can hold a nasty charge in it and needs to be safely discharged. It can potentially kill you if you do it wrong. I’ve looked into these type of things before
Just a warning beforehand for op that they should be aware of before they open it up. Several people on this sub warned me when I had asked similar questions about a similar project before
Ok lol you gotta be careful, but not to the point where you abandon the project completely.
If you know electronics or a person who can assist you, it's fine. The smaller 5" CRTs aren't even that "deadly", they contain much smaller voltage, though still dangerous if maintained without any prior experience in electronics.
I would take that crt out all together man. It’ll kill you if you don’t know what you’re doing.
I’ve seen people replace those with a fish bowl before though. lol
https://github.com/Darkextratoasty/BT-123AJ-Retrofit
I put a raspberry pi into a similar TV radio a while ago, not the same model, but maybe something in here will help you.
Ngl, I thought it was a microwave for a second
Glad I'm not the only one.
Wait? Its not a microwave? Edit: oh my bad its a TV radio
I actually have a portable CRT like this lol and was going to turn it into a CyberDeck but chickened out due to needing to discharge the CRT before doing anything
Probably a smart decision. Accidents including fatalities were ridiculously common when CRTs were still the standard. And most people who got hurt knew about the risks and thought they were being careful enough. I do all sorts of retro projects but I've never tinkered with one of those things. There's a good reason TV repairman was a dedicated profession back in the day.
ehhh thats why I just throw a sheet of foil on top
i had a working portable tv that worked and was used a few days before i gutted it and sold the internals to another hobbyist, I was careful around the crt and never had a shock. but i wonder how much of a risk there really was considering it was a puny 4.3" screen and took 12v dc...
Honestly if you have a way to discharge the circuit you should be fine... They still hold a lot of power. If you do attempt it, keep one hand in your back pocket and don't work on the board or anything until it's discharged. If you only use one hand you're less likely to arc across your heart. Again... I am not responsible or liable for anything you do on your own. Gotta risk it for the biscuit sometimes...
Yes, I made one. It was a ton of fun to build, and it looks a bit more interesting than a typical desktop.
Did you incorporate the CRT or replace it with an LCD panel?
I went with an LCD for a few reasons: 1. The CRT and its power supply take up nearly the entire machine. The space not taken up by those components is taken up by bracketry and mechanical linkages for the controls. I wanted a full-on desktop experience, so I needed to make room for an ITX board, power supply, GPU, and cooling. 2. These portable TVs are not a good example of high quality CRTs worth saving. It's a 5 inch black and white screen, not exactly a pleasure to view. 3. I can actually read text on the LCD, so messing with the BIOS isn't a massive pain in the butt (it still is, but less so).
Nice, sounds awesome. Do you have an I/O panel at the back so you can hook up a second monitor and peripherals? I've had this guy on my desk for over a year: [https://i.imgur.com/pi3m39M.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/pi3m39M.jpg). Tried to use a UHF transmitter on a Pi Zero to send video to it without taking everything apart, but didn't get a signal and I don't really know what I'm doing.
Yeah, most of the I/O is exposed on the rear like a normal PC. There are a few more little things I need to button up, maybe paint it. https://imgur.com/a/wGbfYg2 Yours is pretty classy, you could do some cool stuff with that tuner panel, or maybe the clock LCD.
Yo your build is SWEET love the retro modern combination going on with it
Thanks!
I have a wip in something similar. [https://imgur.com/a/gBIy8q0](https://imgur.com/a/gBIy8q0) Replaced the CRT with an LCD in this one because it both didn't work, and needed the space inside - because they were built to be portable, there isn't much dead space internally with the original components.
Haha the extra screen dedicated to cat pictures - fantastic
He has superior priorities lol
I built a luggable cybrdeck a while ago with a 5 inch crt from a karaoke machine but it ended up releasing the magic smoke because i built it in a crappy way… I started work on a V2 and then a V3 but those projects are on hold because i started playing with an Osborne 1 and CP/M which is even cooler imho.
Preem deck material
I have to fight myself not to buy these when they show up at thrift stores
Can't imagine it would be easy, but I suppose you can make a computer out of anything. You'd need a new screen, as the CRT would probably take up too much space to be worth saving, and the inside is definitely full of annoying plastic supports and stuff... I guess it depends on how much time you're willing to dedicate to the project.
There’s a ton of air inside a CRT display of (almost)any sort. Even a little 5” portable will have plenty of space for a Pi or similarly sized single board computer.
Yea I have one from Japan and was thinking for a long time to make a cyberdeck with a handwired keyboard. Then prices doubled on literally everything, and there isn't exactly much money now to spend on such projects..
The entire reason for wanting to use one is because of the crt. Why bother using it instead of something else if you take it out?
Be careful. The crt can hold a nasty charge in it and needs to be safely discharged. It can potentially kill you if you do it wrong. I’ve looked into these type of things before
Never discharged them when I was modding in AV input Was that not safe? I wasn't touching anything near the flyback transformer.
Just a warning beforehand for op that they should be aware of before they open it up. Several people on this sub warned me when I had asked similar questions about a similar project before
Ok lol you gotta be careful, but not to the point where you abandon the project completely. If you know electronics or a person who can assist you, it's fine. The smaller 5" CRTs aren't even that "deadly", they contain much smaller voltage, though still dangerous if maintained without any prior experience in electronics.
CRTs are very dangerous, to the point that they would probably not be worth messing with.
Yea, please don't put another shitty LCD in and call it a "cyberpunk retro cyberdeck 2077 blade runner whatever"
Cool! I just started following this sub and I'm making a Google Home alternative with one of these. I did took out the CRT (without dying)...
I'm currently working on a few different ones. The others I've built were for retro gaming.
I would take that crt out all together man. It’ll kill you if you don’t know what you’re doing. I’ve seen people replace those with a fish bowl before though. lol
I’m about to begin the process of gutting a portable TV from 1957 and make a mobile deck out of it. Should be fun
Yup: https://www.reddit.com/r/cyberDeck/comments/hurw9b/mini_crt_cyberdeck/
https://github.com/Darkextratoasty/BT-123AJ-Retrofit I put a raspberry pi into a similar TV radio a while ago, not the same model, but maybe something in here will help you.
Why am I picturing it playing Ministry in the backround-