Materials: Besta Shelf/Vassbo doors
Description: I came home about a month ago and my wife had re-arranged our bedroom furniture after 7 years in the same spot. Of course, it made for a rather uncomfortable viewing angle for the television. She wanted me to mount something to the wall, to hide the cords (power and network), and she wanted glass doors. (She's a woman who knows what she wants!)
I picked up a Besta shelving unit and Vassbo doors to match our existing decor. I put an extra power outlet inside of the cabinet on one side and the network cable on the other, making ports in the cabinet for each and the cables to the TV. I put in the PS3 and Xbox and closed the doors for the finish. An hour later, the PS3 overheated.
I took the cabinet down and installed two 120mm computer fans and covers (Silenx) and made a port between the two sides of the Besta, along with taking an arc out of the back of each shelf for ventilation. The fans have an independent control system. The one on the left draws fresh air into the cabinet and the one on the right pushes air out.
~ Mark Mobley, Georgia, United States
why didn't you center it?
ReplyDeleteActually, I did, but you can't tell from the photos. In fact, I had to move the light switch for the closet inside and ended up having to paint the entire wall just so I could center it.
DeleteI did something similar, but all my components are on a shelf in the closet. I was able to do this b/c my components use RF for the remotes instead of LOS. Nice hack, tho. I love it!
ReplyDeleteThanks. I actually use the Xbox 360 for watching live TV and recorded TV through our network and Windows Media Extender. We have an outdoor antenna. It's been a great cost saver. I think the PS3 is RF (or Bluetooth) but the remote for the Xbox is IR. Plus I play a lot of games, so it is easier to load them up when they are right in front of me.
DeleteHah. OCD much, first commenter?
ReplyDeleteNice hack. Are the fans quiet? I have an old media cabinet I've been meaning to add some vent fans to but have been concerned with the noise.
If you use high-quality 120mm fans or bigger, you won't hear the noise over the sound from the tv.
DeleteThey are quiet, because they are 120mm high-end fans, like the previous commenter mentioned. The controller has a speed dial so that you can vary the speed to control the sound/venting combination. I turn it all the way up when I am playing some demanding games but only run it about half speed when we are watching TV. From the bed, it is barely noticeable.
DeleteI think hanging this lower would have made a better presentation.Great idea tho...
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you have a closet right behind that wall. I would've just mounted the TV to the wall and built a rack in the closet for all your gear. Even if you need LOS for the remotes you can get an IR repeater for a decent price. That's exactly what I did in my bedroom...
ReplyDeleteI don't know...the closet is pretty full of my wife's clothes...Kidding. Good idea, but I wanted to be able to put the games in easily.
DeleteUgh, SilenX fans suck. Use Noctua or Yate-Loon.
ReplyDeleteSeems im the only one who read the post and started laughing at the fact that the PS3 was the one to over heat lol
ReplyDeleteTech-geek pickiness aside, awesome hack; number one goal was to please the wife and maintain gameplay; love this idea.
ReplyDeleteI'm more impressed that your wife lets you play games in the bedroom :P
ReplyDeleteThat was the first thing I noticed too.
DeleteWhen I had my fat 360 in a cabinet I had to leave the door open while it was running (even just to watch Netflix), and it still sounded like a jet airplane about to take off.
I just bought a 52" LED and have been searching everywhere for a decent shelf to go underneath. I had a shelf above my old rear projection that was only 10.25" deep, and therefore wouldn't hold my PS3 or cable box (after you add the depth caused by the cables coming out of the back). According to the website the Besta cabinet line is 15+ inches. I would be setting components on top of this unit and using the interior for storage.
ReplyDeleteMy question is: would my PS3 fit comfortably on top with an HDMI and power cord plugged in, without hanging over the front edge? This seems to be exactly what I need, and I love your idea of putting the outlet in the cabinet; I wanted to put it behind my TV, but it's so flush to the wall, there's no room. Any help is appreciated and great idea with the fans.