Boomcase Mimic

Hey everyone.  I just wanted to share my version of the popular Boomcase.  I didn't want to drop over 500 dollars for one so I made my own.  Materials cost me about 50 bucks, and labor was two weeks, mainly waiting for parts to arrive. Majority of the items are reused from a thrift store or I harnessed it from old electronics.   It's still a work in progress since I am still working up a way to add a battery and charging option to it.  Happy Viewing!!!

Step 1: Parts and Tools List

Parts:
Lepai 2020A+ Amplifier
1960 American Tourista Tiara suitcase
2 used panasonic 4ohm, 3watt, 6 inch speakers
2 used RCA 1.3 ohm, 1.5watt, 5 inch speakers
1 philmore DC panel mount jack
1 3.5mm panel mount jack
1 retractable 3.5mm male to male audio jack

Tools:
12v-18v drill
1/2" Drill bit
1/4" Drill bit
hand saw or in my case a stainless steel kitchen knife ( router is faster)
solder, soldering iron
electrical tape
voltmeter
Dremel, sanding bits
Plastic masking
3M or similar masking tape
pencil
ruler

MR BARTENDER APP  LOVE IT. 

ANDROID:   https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.LEO.Mr_Bartender&hl=en
APPLE:   https://itunes.apple.com/ag/app/mr-bartender-mixed-drink-bartending/id505867992?mt=8

Comments

[jm31181]

Thanks for all your suggestions, I am still finding a charging solution and I'll def look into speaker covers and barrier/ fill separators for it. Love all the ideas!

[jm31181]

Battery section update.

[johnthat]

Which battery option IS better? A 3-cell 5000 mah li-ion pack or the Astro 3? Why?

[jm31181]

Astro 3 stated at 10,000 mah. a 3 cell 11.2v lipo is at 5000mah. so would guess the run time is 50% of the astro. For the output power needed on the amp I don't see an issue running the case for over 6 hours at good volume on a 5000mah LIPO.

[qwertydude]

You know if you're looking for a good charger battery solution, I find the best for my boombox projects is a 3 cell 5000 mah li-ion RC car pack. This will offer plenty of power and adds very little weight unlike the more popular lead acid setup I always see.

Plus these also have a balance jack that can be used for a charger. So my setup uses a 3 cell lithium balance charger and 3 cell lithium battery. What's really nice is the charger automatically charges the battery and can even do so while you're using it. Plus it takes either the supplied adapter or you can make a car adapter so it can charge in your car too.

And the best part is the price. You can get the charger and battery usually for less than $40 online.

[jm31181]

Do you have this battery in a firebag? One thing i've heard of charging lithiums is that overcharging will set them on fire.

[qwertydude]

Well then don't over charge them. I've measured the charger when it charges, mine shuts off charging at 4.18 volts so there's not danger of overcharging. I have never had one overcharge for the 4 years I've been using lipo.

I have had some cheap chargers that came with some RC helicopters that did charge to 4.21 volts still under the 4.25 volt threshold but I threw those away. But basically if you're not an idiot with charging you'll be safe.

There's always a danger with a hydrogen explosion with lead acid because of charging in an enclosed area, but how paranoid are people of that risk?

[joshvonnieda]

do you have a link for this battery and charger? i'd like to upgrade my setup.

[qwertydude]

No real link because supplies are always changing.

But ebay is a great place to search. Look for these two items. Be sure to filter US only so it doesn't take a month to get your equipment. Here are some pre filtered links to look through.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sop=15&_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=3s+5000+mah+lipo&LH_PrefLoc=1&rt=nc&LH_BIN=1

And for the charger.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Balancer-Charger-Balancer-For-7-4-11-V-2-3S-Cells-RC-Li-PO-lithium-AEG-Battery-/271054525554?pt=Battery_Chargers&hash=item3f1c1bd472

This doesn't come with an adapter to plug into the wall but a simple 12 volt adapter that fits the socket works just fine. You can also make one that plugs into a cigarette socket in a car.

[joshvonnieda]

I made a similar project. Pelican case 1400, rockford fosgate punch 30 amp, mb quart speaker and a 17aH sla. Heavy little sucker but it kicks all night a loud volumes. Recently added a second pelican case and speaker to utilize the second channel.

[jm31181]

AWESOME!

[Phoghat]

I saw these on Etsy and with all the T-amps available on eBay and other sites, built my own using a s2 speaker enclosure. Not as elegant as yours, but it does the job. I'm using a 12V 8 ah battery for power and a motorcycle battery charger . Works

[jm31181]

I realized I never responded to you. sorry. I would love to see your creation....!

[rcarswell2]

Finished up a drum case speakerbox for my wife this Christmas. It was her old snare drum case from high school. I found Pyle waterproof speakers on Amazon for $15/pair and they had built in louvre covers that had a nice retro look to them. I got the same Lepai 20W amp and picked up the Anker battery too. It all works amazingly well. I fabricated some wire extensions to connect the amp to external jacks (3.5mm stereo jack, RCA plugs and an external AC adapter jack). And then cleaned it all up with flexible wiring loom (think chinese finger trap). I also added a drawer pull to the front just above the amp's knobs to protect them from getting banged up. [**trying to post photos here in this thread, but instructables is being difficult.**]

[jm31181]

Excellent......! I just finished another one, I'll post it soon on here. Keep up the great work!

[1montana77]

Hi, I've recently built one and live it. Using a leipie amp, but with a Bluetooth receiver it works great wirelessly. The problemi have is with e battery supply. I'm using this which I bought from eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/High-Power-New-DC-12V-Portable-9800mAh-Li-ion-Super-Rechargeable-Battery-Pack-/270974399623?pt=UK_ConsumerElectronics_Batteries_SM&hash=item3f17553487 which works great, lasts for hours but I have to jump start it from the mains. Can anyone tell me why this might be the case?
Thanks

[rcarswell2]

What size is the Philmore panel mount DC power jack?...2.1 or 2.5?

[jm31181]

2.1mm

http://www.frys.com/product/1922653

[poofrabbit]

Congratulations on being a finalist in the DIY Audio Contest!! Good luck to you!

[terry bailey]

I am pretty right brained. What are the dc jack and the 3.5mm jacks used for? Do they connect something on the inside to something on the outside? I can't get it straight in my head. Hope you can help.

[jm31181]

Sorry for the delayed response I was on vacation. The DC jack is just an external panel mount as an extension of the DC jack to power the AMP. And the 3.5mm is a audio jack to input your ipod or MP3 player into.

[boyrock375]

i am working on something simular and was lucky enough to find the same amp on amazon for 13 bucks with free shipping

[jm31181]

thats great...... send me some pics when your done. My one suggestion is to get a 12V 3 to 5a switchable power plug. Since the one it comes with is a relabeled 1.2A one.

[Adinkracom]

That is sweet! Very nice! Keep us posted on the charging part please.

[jm31181]

absolutely.

[wiredcav]

I'd strongly recommend a 7AH sealed lead acid battery (you can get them for about $20), and a charger such as this one: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Power-Sonic/PSC-12800A-C/?qs=XATL%2FJQ9g1zerdAMdrMzKQ%3D%3D

You really want a charger that goes into float mode (not trickle mode) for the lead acid batteries.

[pellepeloton]

I am in the process of making couple of these myself.
I just got an idea how to place the speakers.
1 Use a flatbed scanner to scan the picture of speakers you have.
2. Print the speaker pictures you just scanned.
3. Cut out the speaker pics
4. Glue the pictures on to a thin cardboard.
5. Now place the speaker templates to the suitcase using glue tack.
6. vary the location of the speakers until you are happy with the layout.
7. Mark the holes and cut as per this instructable.
Cheers
Henry

[jm31181]

I would love to see your final project!

[pellepeloton]

For the battery you could use one from a rechargeable battery drill.
I have seen plenty of used battery drill at the local recycling centre here in Nelson, New Zealand.
Even the cheapest new battery drills are cheap enough to use in this project.

[doctressjulia]

I love this! What kind of music do you play out of it?

[jm31181]

A little bit of everything usually. Right now I'm on the dubstep kick....

[mosterland]

How is the sound quality? Especially the resonance of the suitcase interests me very much!
Anyway a great idea, I'm thinking about doing this with a briefcase!

[jm31181]

i posted a video of the sound quality...

[Clickhouse]

One thing - I would look into a cover for the speakers to keep them safe.

[redsunmtm]

Nice, but... It would sound better if you would put a separator between the left and right chanel ! Because as you didn't make holes for the air to get out, each speaker is influencing on others by the air pressure ( as it looks completely closed because of the Hot glue)... And then the right is acting on the left and vice versa... Your way, it must sound like monophonic ! (a lot of people never think on that fact !)
I did one of these about 20 years ago, with a moto battery to power it, and encounter this problem... Then i separed each channel ( even bass and treble) and it sounded great !
I used to use it for guitar playing in the streets ... ;P

[spacecakes]

Nice idea. A wee tip that could improve the sound would be to fill the case with some BAF (bonded acetate fibre) but not too much, as you don't want to compress the fibres. Other than that, great job.

[iceng]

Nice ible.
Where do I get a Lepai 2020A+ Amplifier
and how much does it cost ?

[jm31181]

I got that from amazon, it was $21.99 shipped.

[iceng]

Thanks.

[Spy1440]

I am making one right now as well out of old car stereo parts. Hardest part for me was finding a suitcase that I liked.