This is how to build a tiny pair of speakers that simply clips onto your ipod/mp3 player, and are surprisingly loud.
Word of caution: If I were you, i would not use these with mp3 players that use hard disk drives (as opposed to flash memory, like many newer ones) because there is a chance that the magnets in the speakers could mess up the data on the disk, and brick your player.

So i built this, not knowing how well it would work, and when I finished, I realized that I should have taken photos so I could make an instructable about it. So I have whipped out my trusty tablet, and recreated all the steps by drawing them out in painter 6. If anything is confusing, please tell me so i can clarify.

Step 1: Materials

2 smalll rectangular speakers. I got mine from an old and broken dell latitude cp that was about 10 years old

8mm male audio jack

Sheet aluminum. I just used aluminum flashing, which is extremely thin, and can be cut with scissors

Aluminum tape

Step 2: Wiring

Cut the audio cable about two inches from the end, and strip off the plastic around the bundle of wires. There will be 3 wires inside: a ground wire, a wire to the left speaker, and a wire to the right speaker. The ground wire probably will not be coated in plastic, or it will be black. Strip the plastic off the wires to the left and right speaker, and twist the two wires together. This will make the signal to the speakers only one channel, and it will make it a little bit louder. Connect one wire from each speaker to the joined signal wire, and the other wire on each speaker to the ground wire on the jack. Once you have done this, go ahead and plug it into your music player to see if it works.

Step 3: Laying It All Out

Cut a strip of aluminum a little bit wider than the speakers are tall, and about three times as wide as the two speakers and the jack combined. Trace around the assembly, so you will know where to drill holes.

Step 4: Drilling and Gluing

Once you have marked around the speakers, drill 1/8 inch holes in the part of the aluminum where the speakers are. I just made straight rows and columns, but you can do any pattern you like. Once you have drilled the holes, roll the sheet of metal with a rolling pin, or something similar to flatten barbs from the drilling. Put the speaker assembly back onto the aluminum, and hot glue it in place. Try not to put glue on the fronts or backs of the speakers, as it will dampen the sound.

Step 5: Finishing Up

Fold the aluminum around the speakers, so they are fully enclosed. On the back, where the metal overlaps, cut a small piece of aluminum tape, and tape the two together. If you want, you can cut an aluminum piece the same shape as the bottom, and glue it in, so the speakers don't show.

Step 6: Version 2.0

I was unhappy with the way it looked so I redid the outside. While I was at it, I rewired the inside so that I do not mix channels, as some readers were concerned with that. Also, I made a video of it playing.

This project, along with other, can be viewed on my blog, which can be found here:

http://build-its.blogspot.com/