Introduction: DIY BEST Bluetooth Speakers
In this tutorial I document the process I used to make the coolest and loudest Bluetooth speaker ever! With that said, it is NOT the most portable Bluetooth speaker as it is a bit heavy and bulky but it looks cool and sounds awesome!
This Speaker box is fully wireless and self contained. I used some reclaimed wood that I had in my wood bin to make the speaker cabinet and some JL component speakers that I pulled out of my old car. I also purchased some other parts from Amazon to complete this build such as an amplifier, battery pack, and some connectors.
COMPONENTS USED IN THIS BUILD:
Bluetooth 100 watt Amplifier Board
TOOLS USED IN THIS VIDEO:
Enjoy!
P.S.It seems that when viewing this page from a mobile device, the embedded video doesn't work. So here is a link to my YouTube video for your reference.
Step 1: Cutting the Wood for the Cabinet
The size of your cabinet will depend on the type of speakers you use for your project. You will need to get the specifications from the speaker manufacturer on size and volume needed for your speakers. In my case, the cabinet size I built was 18" L x 10" W x 10" D, which was just a bit over 1 cubic foot in volume.
The Style of which you construct your cabinet can also vary depending on desired appearance and the tools you have at your disposal. I went with mitered corners with the front and back panels inset flush by creating rabbets the same thickness as the front and back panels.
Step 2: Assembling the Cabinet
In this step, I simply apply some wood glue to the mitered corners making sure to spread it evenly with a small brush. I secure the corners together by pressing the glued ends together and holding in place with a few 1 1/4" 18ga brad nails. The glue is what provides most of the strength and the nails are really just to hold everything together while the glue dries.
Step 3: Marking Front Panel for Speaker Cutouts
An easy way to find a center point of a board is to draw intersecting lines. To do this I use a speed square with the pivot aligned in each corner of panel and traced a 45 degree line towards the center til I was left with 4 diagonal lines that intersect in the center of the board.
Once you have your center lines marked, measure the diameter of your speaker and divide that by 2 to get the radius. Next measure the size of the lip of the speaker which in my case was 1/2". Subtract this value from the radius measured earlier and that will be the value you set your compass at.
Place the pin of your compass in the center point of the intersecting lines and proceed to draw your circles. If done correctly, your speakers will sit nice and snug it the holes you cut out in the next step.
Step 4: Making the Speaker Cutouts
I got lucky with my tweeters because all I had to do for the cutout was use a 1 1/4" Forstner drill bit and the fit perfect. For the woofers, I used a 3/8" drill bit to make a pilot hole large enough for the blade of my jigsaw to fit. I then proceeded cutting very slowly making sure to cut along the drawn circle as accurate as possible.
Once you have your holes cut out, test to see how you did, your speakers should fit snug with little wiggle room. It is better to error on the small side because you can always remove more material if needed but if you cut the holes a little too large, you may have to start on a new front panel.
Step 5: SANDING.....
Not much to say here. This step is usually always necessary for any wood working project however the finish is completely up to you. In my case since I wanted to keep some of the character of the reclaimed wood, I went with only light sanding.
Step 6: Attaching the Back Panel
This step is as simple as applying wood glue to the rabbet grooves of the cabinet and placing the back panel in the cavity. If you have taken your time measuring and cutting, this should fit nice and flush. I used some more 1 1/4' 18ga brad nails shot in from the sides of the cabinet to securely fasten the panel while the glue dries. Finally finish up with a little sanding as needed.
Step 7: Front Panel and Wiring
The last part of the build is the front panel and on my speaker box, all of the components are mounted on it. I added bracing on the sides because the large cutouts for the speakers took away a lot of the front panel's strength. I built a bracket out of some scrap 3/4" plywood to house the battery pack and to mount the amplifier then glued it to the center of the front panel.
The amplifier that I chose for this project is the SMAKN® Wireless Digital Bluetooth 4.0 Audio Receiver Amplifier Board TDA7492P 50W+50W. This little gem is the star of this speaker box because of its low price, power output, size , and built in Bluetooth connectivity. This amplifier has plenty of power to drive pretty much any speakers you want to use and with the Bluetooth chip already installed, it eliminates the need to buy a separate voltage regulator and Bluetooth adapter.
The powerhouse inside this speaker box is the TalentCell Rechargeable 12V 6000mAh/5V 12000mAh DC Output Lithium Ion Battery Pack. This battery pack provides the 12v DC to the amplifier and is light weight and compact.
Once you have everything mounted, wired, and secured, it is time to fasten the front panel to the cabinet the same way we mounted the back panel. Speaking of the back panel, I should mention that I drilled and installed both a power port for charging the battery and a rocker switch to turn off the amplifier on the back panel.
Step 8: Connect Your Mobile Device and Jam Out
All that is left to do now is turn the speaker system on, wait for a few beeps, and scan for new Bluetooth devices from your mobile device. Once you have paired with the receiver you are ready to Jam out to a seriously loud and great sounding portable speaker system. I guarantee you that if you make one of these, it will out perform any overpriced store bought Bluetooth speaker.
I apologize if I wasn't very through in all aspects of this build but every speaker box will be different so if you have specific questions, please feel free to comment below and I will do my best to answer them in a timely manor.
Thank you so much if you made it this far.
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Runner Up in the
Digital Life 101 Challenge
