The Crosberry Pi Upcycles a "Mediocre Record Player" Into a Portable Raspberry Pi-Powered Media Box

Maker Jack Nelson has upcycled a portable record player into an all-in-one cyberdeck, powered by — what else? — a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B single-board computer linked to a compact keyboard and trackball pairing for inputs.

"This cyberdeck started as a renovation of a mediocre record player into a housing for a Raspberry Pi," Nelson explains of their project. "It also became a functional set of computer speakers, and it turned into my work computer for script supervision. The Crosberry Pi is a media machine, in that it does a great job of playing lofi hip hop and radio broadcasts at a decent volume and with that classic Crosley sound."

The framework for the build is, as Nelson says, a Crosley CR40 portable record player which includes two integrated speakers and a volume control system. Having been dissatisfied with its performance, Nelson set about converting it — gutting the case bar the original speakers and amplifier and fitting a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B single-board computer, a Thinlerain portable monitor, and a powered USB hub.

For input, the build uses a Drop+Olkb Preonic ortholinear keyboard with LED lighting, offering a certain aesthetic appeal, and a Logitech Marble Mouse trackball removed from its original housing and installed as a permanent addition. "Yes, the buttons are hard to press," Nelson admits, "but, with practice, hitting those little red switches became second nature for me."

"Making use of the speakers in the case was my brilliant wife's idea," Nelson adds. "We used a donor 3.5mm audio cable and soldered it to the existing board, which is easily accessible once you remove the plastic turntable top. I removed the RCA outputs and used the hole in the case for the USB hub's power cable, which powers the entire deck."

The full project write-up, with a complete list of parts used, is available on Nelson's Hackaday.io page.