Firstly I would like to thank Tony from 8audio.com.au for providing the plans to make this Bluetooth speaker. This is the first time the V2 plans has been tested and therefore this will be a reflection on how it went during the build. We will add things that we found were easier to do and we will make our recommendations to Tony at 8audio so that he can make changes if he feels it needs it to the plans.

There is an extensive list of supplies and hardware needed to make this Bluetooth speaker. I understand that not everyone is going to have access to laser cnc but there are different services that can outsource these parts so that you dont need one.

Let's get on with the shopping list.

Supplies

1 x Plywood Bamboo 1.5mm (1200mm x 600mm x 1.5mm grain direction along 600mm)LINK
1 x Poplar Plywood 6mm (1200mm x 600mm x 6mm) LINK
1 x Echo Dot (Alexa) (Amazon Echo Dot 2nd Generation) anywhere that is a good price
1 x ZOUDIO Amplifier Board (ZOUDIO AIO4CH Bluetooth, DSP 2.1 Amplifier Board)LINK
1 x 4 Inch Subwoofer (GHXAMP Speaker 4.5 inch Bass Subwoofer Loudspeaker) LINK
6 x 32mm Mini Speaker (Dayton Audio CE Series CE32A-4 1-1/4”) American Supplier or Australian Supplier
1 x USB Type-C 20V trigger interface (“ZYPDS” USB Type-C Poll Detector 20V trigger) LINK
1 x Power Adaptor (65W TYPE-C USB-C Power Adapter) LINK
1 x Micro USB Cable (RIGHT ANGLE) (30cm USB 2.0 A Male to Left Right 90 Degree Micro USB Cable.) LINK
1 x24V to 5V Step Down Converter (Mini DC-DC 12-24V To 5V 3A Step Down Power Supply Module Buck Converter) LINK
2 x 8 Pin Power Supply Cable Male to Female PCI HarnessLINK
1 x 2.54 Wire Dupont Line male to female (NOTE: Choose 10cm & 6P. you will receive 10 pieces) LINK
2 x 6 Pin Headers (6 PIN Single Row Right Angle FEMALE PIN HEADER 2.54MM PITCH) LINK
1 x Volume Knob (40mm Aluminum Volume Control Knob) LINK
1 x pk Screws (Long-thread Hinge Screws (tapered) 5G x 16mm (50 pack) LINK
1 x 40mm Round Felt Feet (8pcs Self Adhesive Square Felt Pads) LINK
1 x PVA Wood Glue

Step 1: Turning Your PDF in to a DXF

Firstly when you download your plans from https://www.8audio.com.au/ottopod ($10) you are presented with PDF design files like the ones in the pictures shown here.

As our laser software uses DXF files to cut, we converted them to DXF using the online tool zamzar. This website is an easy and useful tool to create any PDF, JPG in to a usable DXF.

It took a matter of minutes to do and best of all its completely free.

Step 2: Cutting Out the 6mm Board Using a CNC Laser.

In order to cut the DXF sheet out in one piece of ply, you will need a laser with a cutting bed about 600x800mm. We are lucky enough to have one that is also 100w so it has plenty of power to do the job. Having said that if you dont have a laser big enough for the whole sheet you can also just split the file up in to individual parts and use a smaller laser. The required size of the material however is 6 mm for the main body parts and 1.5 mm for the speaker housing and the skin to wrap the Ottopod.

Instead of using the prescribed 6 mm ply stated in the parts list, we opted for 6 mm MDF. The reason for this was it was readily available at Bunnings and we wanted to start cutting now, rather than wait. But the 1.5mm could not be bought locally here so that is on order.

The speed and power for the laser at 100w for the 6mm MDF was

Speed - 20mm/s

Power - 95%

This cut through the material so that it just kissed the other side. That way we were able to move the whole sheet with out any parts falling out.

You will have to experiment with your speeds and power as every laser is different depending on age and tube wattage.