Introduction: 5.00 Ipod Amplifier
5.00 IPOD (portable audio whatever) Amplifier.
I found these at Big lots and picked up a couple, they are 5.00 and you can remove the portable battery powered amplifier to use on whatever you choose.
It runs off 4 AAA Batteries and you can make the lil battery powered speakers sound like a lil boom box.
Step 1:
Inside there is a lil amp ran to a single speaker. Its screwed in from behind.
Step 2:
Remove the amp:
Carefully cut around the amp, once you can get your hand behind it you can unscrew it.
You also need to cut the wire going to the speaker.
The 1st time I did this I really over cut, you can just go around the amp and then have a descent carry case left over.
Be careful not to cut the wire closer then you want to, it runs up in the case. (up and left)
Step 3:
I used a 3.5mm Stereo Plug and ran the wire the formally went to the speaker and soldered it to a 3.5mm Stereo Plug to run to portable speakers.
I also just rolled up the other wire that will run to the IPOD, it has the green shrink wrap on it.
There is a "share port" but it is not amplified.
The unit runs off 4 AAA Batteries.
Step 4:
I have a lil case that holds my IPOD and the amp together, I have the speaker out so I can run it where its needed.
On my bicycle I hang it from the mirror and its a great lil wanna be boombox.
Step 5:
Ive made 2 now, the 2nd just to clean it up and for 5.00 figured a back up is good. I saw similar units at Frys starting at 50.00. And I think Frys is usually the cheaper option.
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23 Comments
12 years ago on Introduction
Hey there! I bought the same item at Big Lots and made it into an amplifier. Works great when cutting the grass listening to my mp3 player!
13 years ago on Introduction
i can buy 5.00 $ amplifier in the internet ????
13 years ago on Introduction
I tried using a microphone as an input to be amped and it didn't work. Anyone know why?
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Microphones only push a few milivolts, these amps expect at least 300mV from what is essentially a line or headphone output.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
This amplifier is meant to boost a signal thats already somewhat strong. A microphone provides absolutely no signal at all. You need to connect it to a preamp to make a signal, then connect it to another amp to make it loud.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Not sure that Ill explain correct or even am correct ... I think something would need to "push" that initial sound from the Mic, for what Im doing the IPOD is powered and its pushing the sound. This is added inline to boost what is already there. If there is no initial push I think it cant power the mic.
13 years ago on Step 5
how loud would this amp being if I hooked it up to a car speaker?
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
It depends on the speaker's specifications (particularly the sensitivity, or SPL). 95dB SPL is twice as loud as 85dB SPL. Most car speakers I've seen don't specify their sensitivity.
13 years ago on Introduction
How many speakers can u plug in?
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
As many as you want, but that won't make it give you more sound (maybe the illusion of it), and if you load the amp down too much with too many speakers (dropping the load impedance too far), you could damage the amplifier if it doesn't have overload protection (usually shutdown).
For more sound, you need to push more power (higher output amp) or more sensitive speakers. Pushing 1W of power into a 93 dB 1W/1m SPL (sound pressure level)speaker would sound about the same as pushing 10W of power into a 83 dB 1W/1m SPL speaker (of the same physical cone size).
I have noticed that a smaller speaker will sound louder when it really isn't, due to the harsher sound it makes compared to a larger speaker which would be heard better in a greater area without actually sounding loud
13 years ago on Step 5
when you hook up the male to male to the speaker, couldn't you just strip the wires of a headphone or male to male and just solder the wires directly to the speaker?
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
i hope my auto teacher didnt read this, he made a hilarious comment about male to male adapters
13 years ago on Introduction
+10 i never thought of using my ipod speaker thing as an amp...i was needing an amp so bad thx for idea
13 years ago on Introduction
Very nice mate this seems so much easier than making one for my book bag, my buddie had one and it sounded pretty good with just that one speaker, but i want to hook this up to 3 speakers for my bookbag (easy to wire them up), But do u think that whis would give them all decent sound
Also do u need a special cord to go from Ipod to the Amp couse i never saw how my buddies was plugged in
13 years ago on Introduction
could u possibly take this amp and connect it directly to a larger speaker instead of a speaker plug?
13 years ago on Introduction
would it be possible to link two amps together, and play the same ipod on two different speaker sets? just to make it louder? Or would this present some sort of problem?
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
I would think that you could split as many times as needed/wanted and amp each line, the sound would remain consistent.
13 years ago on Introduction
Loudness when riding my bike was what I was after, and similar units at Frys start at like 50.00 At Frys I tried the amp with cheap speakers and at home too and they sound the same, may be with good speakers I might hear the 50.00 difference, but since right now I cant Im thinking 5.00 is a great work around to the expensive unit.
13 years ago on Step 5
i have the same little oval shaped black speakers as you do, so whats the point of the other amp if your running it into those black speakers which are an amp in themselves, just to make it louder? by the way, even though the black speakers have 2 speakers, it is actually only mono, not stereo, i've taken one apart before. just thought you might want to know this is basically wat the inside looked like
13 years ago on Step 5
I got one today on the circuitry there are holes for right speaker since they only had it wired for left speaker