By now, you’ve probably heard the news: Next February, television will be broadcast only in digital. If you have cable, you’re already covered. If you have an old analog set—anything that pulls in signals over rabbit ears—you can buy a converter box to receive digital signals. But what about that really old TV with the fuzzy screen that takes forever to warm up? Most sets like that can’t receive cable or satellite service and don’t even have any A/V inputs, so a converter may not be an option.

Before you call Antiques Roadshow, however, you should know that with a transmitter kit, a cable and some solder, you can turn it into a monitor for an iPod video, a security-camera feed or an external display for a PC. Not too shabby for a piece of equipment that used to only be good for watching The Jeffersons.