Introduction: UmbrelAudio: Sound Dome Umbrella

By
About: "Almost Toast"
aka the Dome of Silence, umbrelAmp, Decibrella, and Uni-Directional Umbrella Speaker

Hey Instructabrarians!

Well it's the start of the rainy season again in Vancouver, ugh, which means I get to bust out my brand new, globular Dome Umbrella!  I absolutely love umbrellas (they're awesome! They make a nice fashion statement and they are incredibly useful, not just for rain) and will use any opportunity to take mine out!  

But you know, for as awesomely useful as umbrellas are, I don't think they've quite reached their full creative potential.  Don't get me wrong, there are some amazing LED and Flashlight Umbrella Instructables here, but I still think there's more creativity that can be done with these things.  That's why I decided to take a tip from Brown Innovations and start off the season with my latest Mattraption™, the umbrelAudio™: Unidirectional Umbrella Speaker!  

Note: Mattraption and umbrelAudio are registered trademarks of Matt Co. This build is dedicated to tm36usa for showing me how combining two everyday objects, when fused together can become an  infinitesimally useful device.

Step 1: Abstract

If you've ever been to a music store or library, then you've probably seen one of these things hanging from the ceiling.  Devised by Brown Innovations, the Localizer Sound Dome speaker is a parabolic unidirectional speaker that's able to direct audio such as music to one specific location.  This, in turn, creates a localized sound area for the listener, creating an incredibly enjoying atmosphere.

My build is pretty much the same, except I'm using a Dome Umbrella instead of a plastic bowl because the double function of an umbrella makes it so much more useful.  Plus it's just cooler.

Step 2: Materials and Parts

OK, so most of the parts I used came from two places: Target and Home Depot.  The rest of them came from spare things around my household that were either broken or unwanted anymore.

Materials
1. Dome/Bubble Umbrella (has to be this kind)
2. Battery Operated Speaker (IMPORTANT: must have a flat side, where you can attach the Copper Wire to).
3. Small length of Copper Wiring (around 1 cm thick)
4. a 3/8''-1'' Direct Burial Ground Clamp
5.  Optional: Assorted lengths of Earphone/ Speaker Wire
6. Nylon thread
7. Hooks (also optional)
8. Heat Shrink

Tools
1. Hot Glue
2. Metal Hammer
3. Pliers 

Step 3: Drill a Hole

Before we start anything, drill a hole beneath the Ferrule (end cap) of the umbrella.  This will be of the utmost importance when we hang it up later on.


Step 4: Preparing the Speaker Mount

Alright so the first major part in this project, after you've accumulated all of your materials, is to begin creating the mount for your speaker.  The way this is going to be connected to the umbrella is using the Copper Wire and Brass Ground Clamp.  We will first be constructing the Copper Wire mount.

First, using your pliers, bend the Copper Wire into a zigzag shape, with at least 3 curves.  This will be used to attach to the flat side of your batter operated speaker (mine was conveniently located on the batter pack). Next using your metal hammer, pound the bent copper wire until metal can be placed flat down. 

Finally, hot glue it to the speaker.

Step 5: Soldering the Wires

OK, so in this next step we can begin on rewiring and soldering the speaker wire itself.

Now considering how long your speaker wire was originally you may not need to do this step- a good length should be around 1-2 feet long.  My speaker's input wire was only 5 inches and certainly not long enough, so I extended it to around 4 feet long.

Using your Soldering Iron and Broken/Spare Earphone Wires, cut off the earphone parts and connect a long strand of earphone wires together, leading from the speaker and to the banana jack at the end.  Remember to use the Heat Shrink for protecting your solders.

Note: The reason I made my strand so long was because I planned to hang up my umbrelAudio and wanted to be able to use it from any point in my dorm room.  You do not have to make it this long.

Step 6: Connecting It Together

So now that you've finished creating the parts and soldering the wires, it's time to put it together!  Now, if you've done the previous steps correctly, this step shouldn't be difficult in the slightest. 

First, attach the Brass Clamp to the Thick Copper Wire, using a screwdriver to tighten the screw bolt.  Next, attach the Brass Clamp to the metal umbrella rod, but hand tighten the clamps together as you do not want to bend the umbrella rod.  Make sure that the speaker is placed at least 5'' away from the top of the umbrella, to maximize the Sound Space of the umbrelAudio.

Step 7: Optional: Hanging It Up

Finally, in order to get that true Cone Of Silence feel, find a suitable place to hang up your umbrelAudio to the ceiling.  Using rubberized metal hooks, I was able to hang mine on my dorm room's lighting fixture.  

Step 8: Finished!

Alright, you are now finished with creating Matt Co's electronic umbrella speaker, the umbrelAudio!  You now have the coolest, most waterproof speaker apparatus available!

Now go  give it a test listen in the rain.

So until next time, See You, Space Cowboy!

Step 9: References

For more information about Sound Domes and how these devices work, please visit Brown Innovation's website for their complete line of unidirectional speakers.  For the Sound Dome Manual, from which I based my research on, you can visit it here: [1]

For another glimpse at musical umbrellas feel free to take a look at the Oto-Shigrue, devised by Yusuke Kamiyama and Mai Tanaka.  They are currently sold at a hefty price of $100 each.