Super Small Credit Card Speakers - Entry for the pocket-sized speed challenge!!!

I wanted speakers that were pretty loud (for metallica), were pretty small (for my shirt pocket, yes I am sort of a nerd, jealous?), and pretty cool (like me). So I decided to throw something together that was durable enough that I could do anything to it and not destroy it! Basically, I made the Instructable after I made the thing, but it's pretty straightforward. Enjoy!

NOTE: I made this for my friend Chamon from PE who keeps nagging me to make an -ible, I decided to oblige him...

Step 1 Gathering your supplies.

Alrighty, this was completely made from salvaged parts. You will need:
1) Gift card (make sure it's already used, I didn't)
2) Hot glue + gun (it's pretty useless without the gun)
3) Thing to make holes with (I used a 2x4 and a nail)
4) Wire (I get mine from behind transformers in my neighberhood, thank you wasteful electricians!)
5) Soldering gun + solder ( you could use hot glue, but that's not the Instructables spirit)
6) Headphones (preferably with the jack intact and functioning)
7) Wire stripper, snips, pliers, whatever you can think of...

Comments

[draesynrei]

From a distance...and close up...that looks like a tampon.

[recon506]

If it does, it must look like a BIG tampon that got run over by a semi-truck a couple hundred times. I think the illusion is from the flash getting absorbed into the hot-glue which somehow manages to keep some residual light inside and gives it off a split-second later. (Or my camera's flash is turning on too late).

[cornflaker]

haha someone's loose XD

[draesynrei]

I'm not sure if that was directed at me... However, I've asked several people if it looks like a tampon and many agree. Lol.

[cornflaker]

Yeah I do agree lol

[cornflaker]

Btw by "haha someone's loose XD" I ment as in they are really loose "down under" cause they need a massive tampon

[dombeef]

huh? where are the pictures

[Sgt.Waffles]

I have that same card....

[recon506]

what are the odds of that????

[Sgt.Waffles]

About 736,153.74:1. Why do you ask?

[Azn Hitman]

nice Instructable!!!!! you really need a back on it though, it will look alot neater.

[gmjhowe]

good concept. but i feel that more work could of gone into creating a better final thing. Eg heat shrink on the wires etc.

[recon506]

yes true, i'm still thinkning of putting some heat shrink tubing on the cord, however that would go towards making the cord stiff, which i really dont like for my purposes. That was actually my second attempt. on my first attempt i tried to make a mould for the glue to come out rectangular and uniform on the back. it didnt work out for many reasons, reason one being the hot glue was cooling for way too long and melted the backs of my speakers (stupid chinese plastic). i still might wrap the jack in black tape, but it doesn't seem that big of a deal with me. besides, i'm a hot glue type person anyways

[gmjhowe]

i guess, it would be best to mount it on an altoids tin really. but that ible has been done already.

[recon506]

yeah you're right... Altoids tins have been used so much that they've become somewhat of a cliche (they're still really awesome though). for a common instructable, i tried to get as far from the beaten path as my project and supplies allowed me to.

[gmjhowe]

i agree! altoids are fun and all. but metal tins arnt the best for things like this (have u ever sat on a metal tin b4?) they bend easily. a better enclosure would be a nice small electrical plastic box.

[drummonkey92]

wouldn't it be easier and just as loud to just put headphones in your pocket. i may have missed something but you havnt amplified them at all have you?

[recon506]

well, i haven't amplified them at all, but i found that an effect of placing both speakers on one plane is a more focused sound wave...As for the sticking in your pocket thing, you try sticking headphones in your pocket (and i'm not talking about EARPHONES here). this makes it a much neater, tidier, and better looking package.

[DELETED_spoonty]

(removed by author or community request)

[GorillazMiko]

I was thinking the same thing!

[dchall8]

Certainly I was thinking that at first, but you have to admit, your Instructable with nearly the same title is much cleaner and elegant. I actually hope he was not inspired by yours. When you get to making smaller speakers, many of them are going to look similar. This one looks more like a rip from the Altoids speaker to me...with your title, of course.

[recon506]

wowsers, didn't even see that there.... i'm sorry if it looks that way but i didn't take any inspiration from that -ible, despite the fact that it looks pretty good. one problem with it - it uses piezos, and i hate piezos. but other than that our projects look the same. odd......... oh well, i just hope people won't think i just ripped the other guy off.

[cprocjr]

it doesn't seem like this would work because it's just headphones, not loud speakers.

[recon506]

on full volume it's very loud for up to two feet, and then in the mid-range its pretty decent for up to 5 feet. i just stick it in my shirt pocket for when i'm listening to music, and it gets very loud sometimes. it all depends on what kind of headphones you happen to have lying around.