Vintage hi-fi gear has a look and feel all its own. [ThunderOwl] happened to be playing in this space, turning a heavily-modified Technics stereo stack into an awesome neo-retro PC case. Meet the “TechnicsPC!”
You have to hunt across BlueSky for the goodies, but it’s well worth it. The main build concerned throwing a PC into an old Technics receiver, along with a pair of LCD displays and a bunch of buttons for control. If the big screens weren’t enough of a tell that you’re looking at an anachronism, the USB ports just below the power switch will tip you off. A later addition saw a former Technics tuner module stripped out and refitted with card readers and a DVD/CD drive. Perhaps the most era-appropriate addition, though, is the scrolling LED display on top. Stuffed inside another tuner module, it’s a super 90s touch that somehow just works.
These days, off-the-shelf computers are so fancy and glowy that DIY casemodding has fallen away from the public consciousness. And yet, every so often, we see a magnificent build like this one that reminds us just how creative modders can really be. Video after the break.
“Live test”. All more or less as planned, as “cons” – it does not interrupt ongoing scroll cycle with new stuff, it puts new content info with next cycle, so, kinda “info delays”:
— ThunderOwl (@thunderowl.one) 10 March 2025 at 07:39
I’m still running my PC in a Thermaltake DH102 https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/htpc-lcd-touchscreen,2129-6.html – I bought it as it fits perfectly in a rack with my amplifier. No one even guesses it’s a PC. I love what ThunderOwl has done!
It was a bit of a fad for a while, HTPC cases that wouldn’t look out of place in an audio stack. I have an Antec Fusion in storage, there were the Silverstone Grandias etc. Wouldn’t mind getting my hands on one of the OrigenAE boxes, they were too rich for my blood at the time.
Thank You for nice words! When HTPC cases were an actual thing, I never made PC in to one, for two reasons – one being monetary, and second, they did not quite “fit” by design in to existing Hi-Fi racks. But, this above, it is not my first Hi-Fi-PC, it is third actually. Or fourth, if we count original first XboX monted in to Sony SD player case… :-) Or fifth, if we count “AIWAndroid” project. If you look up these things on my Twitter or Bluesky, you’ll see. Yes, I need to organize a web page about all that and more. Most likely I will expand my https://ThunderOwl.One web links place, some day. Stay tuned. :)
Excellent implementation of the concept.
I had the same idea for years, just laziness was trampling (pun intended) the will insofar, AND the average PC board was wee too large to fit into a dis-used stereo.
Regardless, 1970s Pioneer (and Fisher and Onkyo and Yamaha) amps’ shells have excellent designs, shiny metal, glowing dials, analog VU meters, etc. Totally disco : – ]
Thank You! My semi-unrealistic dream on this matter is, some day get one of those Technics amps that has those giant analog VU-meters (amp itself might even me dead) and make all kinds of music-to-light effects mounted behind them. “Color Organs” is my topic since 1980-ies ;-) Search social networks for “PLISC” – “Pretty Lights In Sony Case” that I have made :) (it has lights, but no VU-meters)
Back in 2002 there was the My Special Edition’ SS40G’ made by Mark J. Foster
He put a LCD screen to the front of an Shuttle XPC.
Website content has gone.
Find a picture on the Wayback online archive.
http://web.archive.org/web/20021028205946/http://admin.sudhian.com/images/sssmod/QuarterView.jpg
Cute thing! ;-)
Hello all! It is me, ThunderOwl here :) If interested, there is a folder with various “w.i.p.” pictures of this “TechincsPC” project, g-drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RD5Jke1sqnC6k7r-Lpwj4mEvlbPKqDFZ?usp=sharing