Update:
Classic Consoles (This post)
Networking
Ceiling/Lighting
Desk Build
PC Gaming Setup
Custom Shelving
With little ones running around, my gaming area in the family room was getting destroyed. I love my kids, but sometimes having a door to close them out is the only way to keep my stuff, well, mine.
We have a room in the basement that would make the perfect man cave. We used it as storage and the previous owners used it as a wood shop. It has no ceiling, no flooring, basic lighting, but it does have walls and is painted gray.
Because it's in the basement, my first thought was to do a typical drop ceiling and create a bulk head over the duct work that hangs low just above the door. One other problem is that the previous owners put the light switch on the wrong side of the door. You had to walk in and around the door to turn the lights on. It can't be fished to the other side easily because above the wall is where all the duct work runs.
I thought about fishing further down and busting out the drywall to get it in the right spot or picking up a door that opened the other way. In the end the switch problem is what gave me the idea for how to finish the room. I'm going the industrial route.
I fished some conduit between the duct work and down next to the door. I'm going to leave the duct work exposed instead of covering it up and the drop ceiling is out. My first major project in the room though is a console wall.
I had an extra older 32" LCD in storage that wasn't being used. It would fit perfect in the spot next to the door. And although I'm going the industrial route for the look of everything it still needs to be tidy. Six consoles make for a lot of wiring...
I bought two sets of shelves, 3 shelves each. My first step was to lay everything out, then mount a piece of plywood centered on the wall between two studs. The piece will hold all the wiring, surge protector and TV. I also ran an outlet next to the plywood.
Here's the plywood up and the start of some of the cabling runs:
Progress was slow, but I kept at it. Surge protector, AV switch and more cabling added:
Even more cabling and one of the shelves put up:
Here's both of the shelves mounted:
The cabling behind the consoles is cleaned up and I worked on tidying the area behind the TV so it will all fit:
TV up:
Side view where the AV switch is mounted:
Finished with all the consoles connected. All I need to do is hit the appropriate button on the switch so no swapping of cables. Everything is run in the walls, but all of the AC adapters are mounted behind the TV.
It's mostly Nintendo consoles, but I do have the odd one out with the Dreamcast. You can also see what I did with the light switch on the wall. I'll continue that theme throughout.
Classic Consoles (This post)
Networking
Ceiling/Lighting
Desk Build
PC Gaming Setup
Custom Shelving
With little ones running around, my gaming area in the family room was getting destroyed. I love my kids, but sometimes having a door to close them out is the only way to keep my stuff, well, mine.
We have a room in the basement that would make the perfect man cave. We used it as storage and the previous owners used it as a wood shop. It has no ceiling, no flooring, basic lighting, but it does have walls and is painted gray.
Because it's in the basement, my first thought was to do a typical drop ceiling and create a bulk head over the duct work that hangs low just above the door. One other problem is that the previous owners put the light switch on the wrong side of the door. You had to walk in and around the door to turn the lights on. It can't be fished to the other side easily because above the wall is where all the duct work runs.
I thought about fishing further down and busting out the drywall to get it in the right spot or picking up a door that opened the other way. In the end the switch problem is what gave me the idea for how to finish the room. I'm going the industrial route.
I fished some conduit between the duct work and down next to the door. I'm going to leave the duct work exposed instead of covering it up and the drop ceiling is out. My first major project in the room though is a console wall.
I had an extra older 32" LCD in storage that wasn't being used. It would fit perfect in the spot next to the door. And although I'm going the industrial route for the look of everything it still needs to be tidy. Six consoles make for a lot of wiring...
I bought two sets of shelves, 3 shelves each. My first step was to lay everything out, then mount a piece of plywood centered on the wall between two studs. The piece will hold all the wiring, surge protector and TV. I also ran an outlet next to the plywood.
Here's the plywood up and the start of some of the cabling runs:
Progress was slow, but I kept at it. Surge protector, AV switch and more cabling added:
Even more cabling and one of the shelves put up:
Here's both of the shelves mounted:
The cabling behind the consoles is cleaned up and I worked on tidying the area behind the TV so it will all fit:
TV up:
Side view where the AV switch is mounted:
Finished with all the consoles connected. All I need to do is hit the appropriate button on the switch so no swapping of cables. Everything is run in the walls, but all of the AC adapters are mounted behind the TV.
It's mostly Nintendo consoles, but I do have the odd one out with the Dreamcast. You can also see what I did with the light switch on the wall. I'll continue that theme throughout.
Last edited:
