Barry_L

Superb!

Wonderful looking speaker! To everyone commenting on the humming noise: That's caused by ground loop. What you need is a ground loop isolator. There are some modules that have it built in. For example, the CSR8645. Note that it has to be the 12v version. The bluetooth adapter idea used in this speaker build will not work. The ground loop will always be present unfortunately. Great build though!

Brilliant tutorial! Thanks for sharing :)

Hey Muhamed, instead of this bluetooth + amp board, use the PAM8406 instead. And step the voltage up to 5v instead of 6.5v. That's all :)

Really neat! Keep it up!

Brilliant!

Brilliant project! And loving your light bulb design!

Hey Corbin, I didn't mean to offend you at all and I'm sorry if I did. I do speak from experience regarding these drivers though, I have seen several videos of this exact speaker before (maybe under a different brand name), and even a teardown. I know this setup reasonably well and I know what it sounds like. But I haven't actually tried these drivers in person. I have tried that passive radiator before. And fyi, the type of passive radiator used is very very important if you're looking for good quality sound, it's just as important as having the correct sized enclosure. The wire that I'm using is definitely too thick, but it's all I had handy at the time. (I don't have a workshop or anything even close, so correct tools and supplies are tight!). But the most important thing really is m...

Hey Corbin, I didn't mean to offend you at all and I'm sorry if I did. I do speak from experience regarding these drivers though, I have seen several videos of this exact speaker before (maybe under a different brand name), and even a teardown. I know this setup reasonably well and I know what it sounds like. But I haven't actually tried these drivers in person. I have tried that passive radiator before. And fyi, the type of passive radiator used is very very important if you're looking for good quality sound, it's just as important as having the correct sized enclosure. The wire that I'm using is definitely too thick, but it's all I had handy at the time. (I don't have a workshop or anything even close, so correct tools and supplies are tight!). But the most important thing really is making sure that the wires are tinned, and a dab of solder already on the connectors (Of course using flux as well), and then making the actual contact between wire and board is very very quick, and cannot damage the board (at least using the soldering irons that I have ever used).In regards to parts not being as good quality, I know that for a fact. Your speaker uses bluetooth 2.1, whereas mine uses bluetooth 4.0 with aptX. My design also puts out 10W whereas your speaker only puts out 4w. I can't comment on battery life but I doubt that your speaker is better. I must agree that having everything on a single board is a huge benefit though, makes life a lot easier.I do appreciate your contribution though, as I said before I do think that it is a very good alternative, I was just commenting that the quality wouldn't match it. No hard feelings :)

Another thing to keep in mind is that depending on which option you go for, you'd need a different sized enclosure. For something of this size, the general opinion is that passive radiators work best, but if size wasn't an issue, I personally would definitely go for a bass reflex port :)

Definitely a brilliant alternative if you'd rather not solder! But I must say, the parts in this build wouldn't be near the quality in my design above (but then again it's a lot cheaper). The drivers and passive look similar but they're actually completely different. Haven't tried those drivers before but I know from experience that that passive radiator isn't good. But nonetheless a good alternative :)

I bulk buy directly from a factory in China. But they are available on my Etsy. (As far as I can see I'm the only one online that sells these passive radiators?) They're brilliant.

The best way to describe it would be to have a listen for yourself! In step 1, there are 2 videos. Second one is a sound test. I'd say give it a listen first :)

Apology accepted, no hard feelings. You just happened to comment just as several parts went out of stock.. Anything I don't have for the moment has been replaced with links for other sites that have the same/similar parts that I know will work. The goal of my Instructable is to help others recreate the same sounding speaker/at least inspire people. The parts list is very specific and every part is chosen for a very particular reason. The only part that I can't provide alternative links for is the passive radiator, as no other online shops have the same model as I do (and in this case this model trumps literally all other passives of its size), so in that case I can't offer an alternative until mine come in next week. Fyi, I hardly make any money at the price/way I go about selling items...

Apology accepted, no hard feelings. You just happened to comment just as several parts went out of stock.. Anything I don't have for the moment has been replaced with links for other sites that have the same/similar parts that I know will work. The goal of my Instructable is to help others recreate the same sounding speaker/at least inspire people. The parts list is very specific and every part is chosen for a very particular reason. The only part that I can't provide alternative links for is the passive radiator, as no other online shops have the same model as I do (and in this case this model trumps literally all other passives of its size), so in that case I can't offer an alternative until mine come in next week. Fyi, I hardly make any money at the price/way I go about selling items. The main purpose of my store is to try and help others within the speaker building community. The unity that it brings is priceless. And in cases like this, when I cannot provide the best solution, I simply give links to other stores that can. This is in no way some sort of major money making scheme :)

Well first of all for safety you'll need a battery protection board: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Battery-BMS-Protection-PCB...And then secondly you'll need a charger to go with it. You can go for a simple 12.6v charger like this which will cut off the voltage once it reaches 12.6v (4.2v per cell): https://www.etsy.com/listing/291186659/126v-3s-bat...

Well using just a capacitor will cut off the low end of the tweeter, which is fine. But it won't stop the high end sounds coming from the woofer. So a 2 way crossover works a lot better than simply a capacitor :)

Thanks for your useful input into the Instructables community. Now how about you read the article again for what it's worth, and see all the good advice/information, hidden amongst the 2-3 times that my speaker store/etsy page were mentioned. If you read through the comments you will also notice other links to the parts elsewhere that both I and other members of the community have been posting. I sincerely apologise for annoying you by posting my designs.

Hey Cosmic, thanks for providing the links, but just some things I'd change on that.. I'd recommend using the 5v charger without protection, as they're simpler and generally speaking you will need to use a different protection circuit anyway since all 18650 models have different discharge/overcharge cut off points. I would recommend this instead: http://www.ebay.com/itm/5PCS-5V-Mini-USB-1A-Lithiu... and then buy the 1S protection board separately (find one suitable for the 18650 cell that you're using).I definitely would not recommend the drivers you linked, they're tweeters, not full range drivers.. I've tested about 15-20 different types, and the ones I use are definitely the best 50mm 5w drivers you can get. Same goes for the passive radiator. The one you linked is simply too heavy, ...

Hey Cosmic, thanks for providing the links, but just some things I'd change on that.. I'd recommend using the 5v charger without protection, as they're simpler and generally speaking you will need to use a different protection circuit anyway since all 18650 models have different discharge/overcharge cut off points. I would recommend this instead: http://www.ebay.com/itm/5PCS-5V-Mini-USB-1A-Lithiu... and then buy the 1S protection board separately (find one suitable for the 18650 cell that you're using).I definitely would not recommend the drivers you linked, they're tweeters, not full range drivers.. I've tested about 15-20 different types, and the ones I use are definitely the best 50mm 5w drivers you can get. Same goes for the passive radiator. The one you linked is simply too heavy, and would not allow enough excursion. I would recommend again the one that I have linked above, as it's simply the best passive radiator of its size available online. (You can't get them on eBay so I can't provide alternative links for you..) For the battery, I have already linked a supplier in the Instructable that is cheaper, European, and guaranteed genuine. Again, here's a link: http://www.nkon.nl/ (take your pick out of their wide selection of 18650 batteries). (Panasonics generally last for more cycles than Samsung/LG)In regards to the BT and Amp board, Ondrej just linked one that will work perfectly for the project.Hope that helps :)

I've used Banggood several times. I'm really digging their European warehouse! Brilliant if I need something fast! :)

Thanks! The capacitor acts a little like a battery, it stores energy, but short term. The amp and bt module require a lot of energy whenever there's a heavy bass beat, so it draws the extra energy from the capacitor. The capacitor then recharges and the process repeats. That's it put in simple terms :)

Thank you! :)

Thanks! I painted water colours over the laser cut design. Works like a charm! :)

Thanks! :) Will be keeping an eye on your projects in the future too!

If you'd like the files, just shoot me an email at: barryllewellyndesign@gmail.com and I'll be happy to send you my files :)

Long time no hear :) Thanks!

Because it has a passive radiator. The passive radiator uses the air pressure created by the drivers to push itself. If the enclosure has leaks, then there will be no changing air pressure in the enclosure to make the passive radiator move

Thanks! I really appreciate your kind words! :) And for me the store is more of a way of helping people. I don't make a whole lot off it (for the moment anyway), but it really seems to help unite fellow makers, and together I think we collectoively learn from sharing our ideas :)

Because it has a passive radiator. The passive radiator uses the air pressure created by the drivers to push itself. If the enclosure has leaks, then there will be no changing air pressure in the enclosure to make the passive radiator move

Great project! :)

Great project! :)

Wow this is a brilliant idea! Keep it up! :)