Making My Retro CRT Gaming Cart

Hey again! It's been a while~

In this video, I wanted show off my Retro CRT Gaming Cart, a small little project I've been working on for the past couple months.

I was inspired by some other videos here on YT of other retro gamers and CRT enthusiasts making their own retro A/V carts, basically a CRT & gaming platform on wheels! I thought the idea was really neat, and wanted to make my own.

The hardest part of the entire process was finding the actual rolling cart I needed. Actual AV carts (like the ones used in classrooms) are really expensive- too much for my budget. I settled for a Vevor 9U Open Server Rack (a unit like this is used for IT equipment) 'cause it was more in my price range. Its a bit shorter than ideal, but considering the limited space in my room, the cart turned out to be perfect for my use. Its the perfect for size for my CRT, and holds just enough of my consoles and games that I need. If you're thinking of building your own retro AV cart, you can use practically any mobile platform on wheels, as long as its sturdy enough to carry the CRT you have on hand.

Speaking of CRTs, I was extremely lucky that I was able to find this working TV (with built in VCR!) stored away in the barn. If you're still looking for a CRT, consider looking on Facebook Marketplace or Craig's List, sites like that. You may be able to find people in your neighbourhood just wanting to offload their old TV's.

Since the filming of this video, I've been using my retro CRT cart quite extensively. It feels great just rolling the cart around to wherever I need it, to play my PS2 or just put on an old movie on VHS. Gaming from bed truly is bliss. I've noticed however, that sometimes when watching movies with the VCR, the TV audio will just cut out randomly. It only happens a bit into the movie, not right when I start the movie. Its like the TV gets tired of outputting the audio, and then just gives up randomly. Sometimes I mess with the volume buttons and it'll go back to normal, other times, the audio issue just corrects itself. This will happen a few times during every tape I watch. I'm just chalking it up to the internal circuits/machinery/technology wearing down from old age. I do have another CRT (17" Symphonic) sitting in my room that I use for my Wii that I could possibly use on the retro cart, but a big reason why I brought in this older 13" Sanyo CRT from the barn was for the built-in VHS player. For now, I'll enjoy it as much as I can. I'll look into maybe finding another standalone VCR unit somewhere, when this CRT fully dies.

Anyways, thanks so much for watching! I'll try to upload more frequently, but I've been busier lately with other IRL things going on, being sick, and sometimes just plain laziness (sometimes, I just have one of those days where I don't wanna do anything, yknow?).

I appreciate you stopping by. Take it easy this holiday season!
Cheers!

-- Jem