Coffee Table PC

sorn21

sorn21

sorn21

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hey guys, I've recently got my hands on an old pc, and I was thinking about turning it into a coffee table machine... Having scoured the internet for abit I've turned up very slim results. I was wondering has anyone made one on here before??

here
here
And Here

are the only results worth considering!

I think i will stick it in either this
Table
Or this One

As for display, is there any methods of adding a touch screen on top of an existing monitor? or perhaps some sort of track pad? Thanks :)
 
thanks erik, that's a wealth of information right there! i've had a look at some of the projects other people of have done on that site... very interesting!
I've got uni exams this week, but hopefully next week I'll begin the build.
 
Part of that technology was used in my girlfriend's bachelor of art & technology graduation project:
http://lizzywanders.wordpress.com/2008/10/05/fonn-video-clip/
I did all the Flash ActionScript programming for that project :)

The biggest issue we faced was the calibration of the camera under different lighting conditions, but if you don't plan on traveling with your setup you'll probably be ok.
Otherwise you can look at using infrared light strips around the glass plate like for instance is used by TouchKit (I think the MS Surface uses the same concept):
http://touchkit.nortd.com/
 
How technical do you want to get, n1blo? If you want to go all-out you might consider making your own touch screen with a grid of fine wires on the surface. It's be a fun electronics and programming challenge if that's your bag.
 
erik, the calibration shouldnt be much of an issue as it won't be moving around much, although at different times of day the lighting will vary.
There are methods using a Wiimote using an IR pen
Here
and Here

Thinking I could position the Mote above the screen on a stand, still need to use a pesky pen to control it.

The rear projection using IR LEDs in a grid would most likely be the ideal method, however fitting a projector into a coffee table is never going to work!

BillytheImpaler, as for technicality I'm quite interested in this so I could go for that, however coding is not my strong point! I used to do abit actionscript, HTML and javascript back in the day when I designed webpages but apart from that I'm a complete novice! That was also many moons ago, and I have forgotten all but HTML
 
the wii-mote and IR pen is a fun project but its not exactly the greatest form of user-input to use on a PC lol

I made one my self, ran the IR pen off a USB port and had a small tactile switch on the pen to turn the IR LED on and off. positioning the wii-mote can be annoying and it isnt hugely accurate. I guess using it on win XP didn't help matters as its not exactly designed with touch screens in mind (i.e. large easy to press buttons etc) but it could be more fun with Windows 7 and Surface?

If i were you I'd go for a setup that utilizes a camera like in the first few links :)
 
Perhaps you are right!
Tbh its going to be a case of trial and error, to see what setup will work the best for me.
Its not going to be used as a main PC or anything mainly a kind of "LOOK AT ME" piece to complement the rest of the room.

johnsonctpc.jpg

I plan on basing the design on this one here, apart from the empty space, mounting a monitor in there...

Then there is the issue of camera/mote mounting, but I have something in mind for that!

namely this for the wii
L10828428.jpg
 
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