3D-Printed Speakers

Upgrade your desk with these modular 3D-printed speakers! While the rest of the office jams with their plain black and silver sound cubes, you'll be listening in style from your very own custom set. With only a handful of simple parts, you'll be able assemble or tear down these speakers in minutes. There's no need for a fancy, high-end 3D printer to make these, just a simple desktop model and a handful of dowel rods and you're nearly there.

Step 1: Parts and Materials

(2x) speaker (RadioShack #: 55076557) web only and sold in pairs

amplifier (RadioShack #: 55065111) web only

stereo to dual phono cable (RadioShack #: 42-494)

3D printer filament (RadioShack #: 277-237)

20' x 1/4" square dowel rod

(16x) M3 x 20mm screw

(16x) M3 lock nut

Step 2: Design Overview

Like many of my hardware projects, I created a reasonably detailed 3D model to help work out my design. I wanted the case to work for multiple speaker sizes, so I settled on a modular design vaguely inspired by space frame supports. After measuring and modeling the speaker I had chosen, I began to sketch out different joints that could accommodate different speakers. Using dowel rods as the support structure, I was able to create a design that could easily be extended. I'm satisfied with the "hollow" design, despite it lacking the resonance that enclosed speaker cases use to naturally amplify sound.

Step 3: Assembly: Print Parts

Each speaker consists of 21 individual printed parts. These are as follows:

(8x) corner sockets

(5x) cross brace sockets

(4x) speaker clip bases

(4x) speaker clip tops

We'll need a set for each speaker, so send it on over to your 3D printer before bed and you should have a set by the time you wake up!

Step 4: Assembly: Prepare Dowels

For each speaker we'll also need to cut the dowels for the frame. This particular design is based around quarter inch square rods. Measure and cut the following per speaker:

(12x) 3.375 inch edge rods

(20x) 3.125 inch cross rods

(4x) 1 inch speaker clip rods

Step 5: Assembly: Building the Frame

Grab the 3D joints and your bundle of cut down dowel rods and lay them on a flat surface.

Lay out four 3D corners and with four edge pieces, four cross brace pieces, and a 3D cross brace in the middle.

Slide two edge pieces and a cross brace piece into the bottom slots of two 3D printed corners.

Slide two more cross brace pieces into the 3D cross brace.

Slide the two remaining 3D corners into the assemblies to complete the back face.

Stick four edge pieces into the the vertical holes of the 3D corners.

Create four cross brace assemblies with the remaining 3D cross brace pieces and rods.

Pop the the cross brace assemblies into the 45° holes in the back face assembly. You'll need to bend the rods slightly to make them fit.

Create a square face assembly with the remaining 3D corners and edge rods.

Place the square assembly onto the previous assembly one corner at a time, this will require more bending, but everything should snap into place.

Pop the four mini rods into the 45° holes in the open face.

Slide the bottom clip pieces onto the mini rods.

Step 6: Assembly: Mount Speaker

Lay the speaker over the clips along the edge.

Take the clip tops and slide the machine screws through each.

Slide the clip tops over the speaker and tighten until the speaker is snugly fastened.

Step 7: Assembly: Wire Electronics

Slide the quick connect clips of the amplifier onto the proper tabs of the speakers.

Pop the speaker connection (Green and Grey wires) into the amplifier.

Clip and strip the power connector from the wall power supply.

Solder the red and orange (control wire) to the positive output of the power supply.

Solder the amplifier black wire to the negative output of the power supply.

Plug in the dual phono to stereo cable to the amplifier.

Step 8: Enjoy

Your speakers are all ready to go! Plug in to your music player of choice and relax in satisfaction with your new 3D-printed speakers.