THE JOOKBOX IS A POST-MODERN JUKEBOX

The family of [Chris Patty] decided that their holiday gifts would have to be handmade. So, he decided to make something new for his father: a jukebox with a twist. Instead of a touchscreen or web interface, his jukebox uses swipe cards. To play a track, you find the card for the song you want to hear, swipe it, and the jukebox plays the requested track. The whole thing is built into a wooden box that hides its digital nature, which is built using a Raspberry Pi and a credit card stripe reader.

This is a lovely, clean build that shows how you don’t always have to use the standard ways to control a device. With a bit of thought and planning it is possible to make technology easier to use for those who are intimidated by screens and blinking lights, by creating different ways of controlling them. We’ve looked at many jukebox builds that use interesting interfaces, including QR codes and this awesome build that replaces the guts of a 1969 Wurlitzer 3100 with an Arduino.

[Chris] has decided that he is going to write up the plans for the device soon, and possibly run a Kickstarter to sell it. If you are interested in getting more details of this impressive and clean build, you can sign up at Getjook.com.