Introduction: IPhone Portable Speaker

Need a way to make your music louder without spending tons of money on a Bluetooth speaker? Don't have a speaker that can go with you anywhere? This portable iPhone speaker is cheap, easy, and fun to make!

The intended audience for this project is college students with iPhones. The goal of these technical instructions is to teach groups of college students to create a portable speaker for their phones using crafting materials and creativity. It is recommended to have some prior experience crafting and/or using craft materials, but the absence of experience should also be fine. The resources required to complete this project are listed below:

ATTENTION: PLEASE COMPLETE THE PRE-TEST SURVEY QUESTIONS BEFORE STARTING THE PROJECT.

SAFETY: This project involves the use of scissors. Children should follow these instructions under parental supervision. Please use scissors with caution.

PRECAUTION: Please be sure to accurately measure the poster board when cutting. Incorrect measurements may result in erroneous results that could hinder the completion of your project. Regularly refer to the images provided, as these will help you establish if you are at the right point in the project. It is best to use solid-colored duct tape. Patterned duct tape may make it difficult to differentiate between pieces.

Please read the entire Instructable before you begin!

Time to Complete: 25-35 Minutes

Supplies

  • 11x14 Poster board sheet
  • Duct tape
  • Marker
  • Scissors
  • Ruler
  • Pencil

Step 1: Cutting the Pieces

1. Cut the poster board into two individual rectangles 5 by 4 inches. Label each of these A with the marker provided. Piece A should be taller than it it is wide.

2. Cut a very thin rectangle 5 by ½ inches and label this one B.

Tip: Cut your lines as straight as you can, it will make your final product much better!

Step 2: Making the Base

1. Rip off or cut a piece of duct tape that is roughly 6 inches long and place the duct tape sticky side up.

2. Put the rectangle labeled B directly in the middle.

3. Put the two rectangles labeled A on each side of rectangle B with one-third inch space in between. Turn over the base so that it is duct tape side up and cover the whole backside with duct tape.

4. Flip it back over and either cut the excess duct tape or fold it over and make it flush with the rectangles.

Tip: Be careful when you are using the duct tape, it may be extremely sticky! Use precision when you are taping these pieces together.

Step 3: Making the Amplifier

Cut out a rectangle that is 5 ½ inches long and 5 inches high. Label this C.

Step 4:

Measure ½ inch in from each side, both the left and the right side. Mark this line with the marker as a guideline for attaching C

Step 5:

Going back to C, measure ½ an inch in from each side just like you did before this with the A pieces. After you’ve marked these lines, mark a line ½ inch high. Fold in half and cut along the lines. The result is a small rectangular opening that is 4 ½ inches by ½ inch.

Step 6:

Fold the thin edges in half upwards to create a fold to tape to the A pieces. The material of your posterboard may make it difficult to fold. It also may take a few folding attempts to get it to bend completely correctly! If the fold rips, don’t worry about it! You will be taping this down anyways.

Step 7:

Place piece C on the edges of the black line that you marked. Make sure it is completely flat, and not propped up as it is in the shown image. When piece C is flat, tape the edges as close to the black lines as possible. It does not have to be exactly on the line, but get as close as you can!

Step 8:

Take a strip of tape that is roughly 6 inches long. Do your best to measure out closely to this length. Take this strip and tape down piece C. To do this, you will put the tape on the half-fold you have created. Fold over any excess tape hanging off of the edge. It should look like this, the final product!

Step 9:

The last thing you will do is use your marker to make it a little personal. Draw or write whatever you’d like, maybe some song lyrics or your a few doodles. After you have done this, play your favorite song and fold it up when you finish!

Step 10: Use Your Speaker!

Finally, pick your favorite song and put your phone in the bottom opening. Take this speaker anywhere and enjoy louder music on the go!