TV Lift cabinet project
Just finished the last of the big interior remodel projects on our 2000' U320 - replaced the desk behind the passenger seat with a TV lift cabinet and moved the desk cabinet to where the old TV cabinet above the drivers seat is - I was grateful that it fit so nicely up there... so much easier than building another cabinet from scratch!
Choosing the lift was the most challenging part to find as most lift mechanisms are much taller when lowered and I did not want it coming above the window sill. While a lot more expensive than some others, this was the most economical one I could find that had the range of motion we needed. The 50" TV ends up clearing the top of the lift cabinet by less than 1/2 inch when fully raised and 1/4 inch from top of the cabinet when fully lowered ... could not have fit a larger TV in the cabinet, though this is the largest we've ever owned and were afraid it would be way too big ... it's not 　
Amazon.com: Touchstone Valueline 30003 Motorized TV Lift with Remote Control...
The lift is mounted to the floor and wall (with 2x4's spanning the area between it and the wall) using 10 - 3" architectural lag screws, so I don't think it's going anywhere.
I used a Kregg Pocket jig to build the cabinet frame with poplar (1x2 & 1x3 pieces) around the lift mechanism, overlaid it with some laminate flooring we had from an earlier project (which is also in the bedroom, lining a few cupboards and covering a hole next to the old TV cabinet)
The top is butcher block we found at Lowes in the damaged goods section (it had a crack 3/4 of the way thru the piece - but the crack didn't interfere with what we needed.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/The-Baltic-Butcher-Block-Birch-6-ft-Unfinished-Natural-Straight-Butcher-Block-Birch-Kitchen-Countertop/1001390008
The cabinet top is 62" wide and 15" deep, notched to slide under the window sill and mounted with cabinet screws to the window sill and floor.
Moved the center channel speaker from up front to above the new TV cabinet and ran network, HDMI and Audio cables to the front built in Bose unit - I believe this is the original Stereo that came with the coach, it's analog, but still sounds quite good even though it derives it's surround sound from a simple stereo jack. - All cables were run up thru the window valance, under the floors of the overhead cabinets and up to the "Media" center in the front of the coach.
I also put a USB charge port on the front next to the lift remote on the front left side of the cabinet and will eventually add a power outlet on the outside as I moved the existing one inside the cabinet where I mounted a UPS, network switch and a NUC that hosts all our media.
That's the basics of it - I did not have a plan to follow, though I did base it loosely on one done by "RVing with Tito" on YouTube.
Hope that helps explain some of it - been a fun and challenging project! - Grateful for all the inspiration I've found reading projects folks here have done.
Aloha, Tim
P.S. We named our rig "Na Honu Huaka'i" (The migrating Sea Turtle) - thus the sea turtles/Honu decorating the front of the cabinet (we brought them with us when we moved to the mainland from Hawaii after 38 years living there)
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Topic: TV Lift cabinet project