Don’t want to trash your old clunky TV, but it’s taking up too much space? Upcycle it into a monitor and save yourself some bucks, turn it into a bar, or transform it into a cool-looking ’80s-themed clock and get an instant conversation starter.
Check out these ideas and more on repurposing old TVs below, curated by https://www.wolfwinner.net/en/.
Hack an Old TV Into an Audio Visualizer
Want to boost the audio quality of your podcast, audio productions, or YouTube vlogs, but can’t afford to splurge on an audio visualizer? Transform an old TV into one, and save some cash while simultaneously putting that ’70s TV to good use. And because it only involves simulating an oscilloscope, this DIY idea doesn’t require years of experience with electronics (you only need to be careful of cathode-ray tubes that may contain charge).
Besides an analogue TV (preferably black and white), you’ll also need a music player with a headphone jack, electrical tape, male-to-male stereo cable, electrical tape, solder, solder flux and a soldering iron, and a screwdriver to disassemble the TV as illustrated in the guide on Instructables and real money casinos USA.
Transform Old TV Into an ’80s-Themed Clock
Analogue TV technology might be outdated, but it still has a cool retro vibe going on, and the best way to experience this and put that old TV to practical use is by transforming it into the ’80s-themed clock. Once complete, your cool clock will display the time in retro-themed melting digits and in four different colour themes you’ll love. The best part? It’ll be an ’80s-themed clock with a web-based setup.
Other than a CRT-based TV, you’ll also need a micro USB cable, an Adafruit HUZZAH32 Feather, an RCA terminal block, and jumper wires to complete the setup shown in the demo above. Check out the step-by-step guide on Instructables to complete this project.
Old TV Ambient LED Light With Kodi
Ambilight TVs are all the rage nowadays. They add a beautiful, colourful and immersive edge to TV watching by making even a tiny screen appear bigger while reducing glare. But they are pretty expensive too. Luckily, you don’t have to blow your budget on one as you can always equip a standard TV model with an LED array to achieve the same effect.
You will need a power source, either 5V or 12V, 5A step-down converter, Banana Pi M3 or Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, and an LED strip (use WS2811 if using a 12V power source, or WS2812B if using 5V). Glue the LED strip to the back of the TV and note the direction as you’ll need to make six connections, as shown in the step-by-step guide on Instructables. Next, prepare the Banana Pi or Raspberry Pi, wire everything together, set up the software, and connect an app to control Kodi remotely.
Make Light Panel Out of Old CCFL Backlight TV
If your old TV is already broken, put its still-functional components to good use. In this case, to be precise, retrieve its CCFL backlight to make a light panel. Unscrew the backplate and carefully remove the internal parts until the old screen is exposed.
Next, remove the metal border securing the backlight panel and obtain the CCFL panel with the board it’s mounted on, connect it to its driver, and then plug the former into your socket, and voilà! You’ll have a functional CCFL light panel. For more DIY lighting ideas, you can check out the best Arduino LED projects.
