Converting Jukebox to MP3 PC base...

I got a few jukeboxes to play with... One is a 70s Wurlitzer that has so many issues with it and broken tid-bits its not worth messing with; however the selector unit and all that works... I see MP3 boxes for Wallbox unit so I was thinking is it possible to ditch all the record guts and simply use the selector switches like a wall box and just throw a whole PC inside...

I think it is doable; I have an old 466mhz laptop; it has a serial and parallel ports build in I saw a guy with a site called jukeboxwiz and he says he is/was working on some wallbox software...

anyone familiar with it or use it at all..?

What type of signal does the jukebox unit send to the record play opposed to a wallbox unit..?

I don't know if it's oable or not--the jukbox keyboard works much differently the a wallbox one does---Might contact "Mr. Grumpy" at CD adaptor.com, or Datasynceng.com , He will know, and probably have a kit--
Ron Rich

Im looking at the way this unit works... http://www.piexx.com/jukemp3/jukemp3_install.pdf

But I am honestly calling on all DIYers and home techies on this one... Here is my break down understanding so far of the way it all works...
The components; we all know that the Coin-op, and Selector work Somewhat in conjunction with each other but most jukes have a been set or can be set to free play, so non issue there; second comes that the selector works correctly and the selector sends the selection to a memory box first then the memory box spits the Command out; now this is where the process varies with devices per jukebox but it is mostly the same the selection is sent to the real and the real spins til it finds selection and then pulls it and plays it; to me this seems like a very simple routine to mimic and to make a fake out board should be super easy, what I need to figure out is the Command pulses so that I can make a program to decode them and use that info to select a song from the MP3 play list...

I figure since so many scrap computers are out here I can re-purpose this old laptop for this job since it has both a serial port and a parallel; I could make a a direct wire loom to the parallel port and make a simple program to interrupt/display the signals and send back out the appropriate signals... there is this kit (which is the only kit from Cdadpter that seems fully open source) http://www.cdadapter.com/cross32.htm that I may snag up; or I just might make a cheap analog light up serial type display and then feed it into the serial port something similar to the cdatapers seeburg and rowe unit upgrades...

I feel this is easy and can be done with simple relays to simulate the search and playing actions, the signal interpretation is going to be the interesting part...

You might try this company:

http://www.juketime.com/

Will check it out; I emailed this guys site to see if he has had any progress...
http://jukeboxwiz.com

This Wurlitzer is a 3800 series and has full wallbox control hook ups at the rear so this seems super easy really...
I already gutted all the record player and real selector stuff; just a wire harness is in there; I got a wiring diagram so tracing out wires out for now and labeling them; but the wallbox controls at the rear is a nice touch for this purpose...

As far as I've seen, most of the pre-1978 Wurlitzers were essentially electro-mechanical systems using letters and numbers. If so, it runs along the lines of a project i am considering that would convert a 1957 Seeburg K to operate as a wallbox along with 20 wallboxes at this location.

Some basic issues are:

1) The existing keyboard contacts exhibit too much contact "bounce " to be reliable for keying a digital system directly. The alternate concept I've considered here is to use the pulse generator and credit unit from an existing, junked wallbox, remove the wallbox keyboard and associated wiring and build a new harness to tie it into the K keyboard.

--If your machine is also E-M modifying it with parts from an old Wurlitzer or similar wallbox might be simplest.--

The basic thinking and approach along these lines has been already designed --on paper-- but there remains a new wrinkle -which brings us to issue #2.

2) I have gotten reports from three different sources that in a commercial environment the flash-based player I wanted to use will sometimes freeze or dump selections in the stack. This is reminiscent of what I had dealt with 25 years ago with the early Rowe CD players. There it was a case that spikes in the power line due to commercial refrigeration and AC equipment caused errors and sometimes put the machine out of service. The only solution was a 'power conditioner" or uninterruptible PSU that essentially isolated the juke electronics from the mayhem in the wall power. Back then it was an expensive solution.
I'll get a few of those MP3 units to experiment with early next year but any conversions I would make --must-- be at least as reliable as the existing machines, so for now those projects are on-hold.

Rob-NYC

Update; I just saw your mention of it being a 3800. Those were still E-M and the "wallbox" mode would be most appropriate for conversion. A lot of tedious, but straight forward wiring and you'll need to provide power for it and a method of switching the latchbar solenoid.

Rob