HOW TO - make folding speakers

Foldingspeakers
Here's an Instructables HOW TO related to this post by Bre on Fold-Up Speakers that Rick Harris pointed us to. Now you can make your own with a cardboard box. Link.



Recent Entries

Comments

Oldest comments listed first.

Posted by: BrK on August 31, 2006 at 4:15 PM

Whats the point? Any increased sound quality by adding the enclosure is going to be outweighed by the sound of the flappy bits vibrating around. Also, I doubt they would stand up to be ing collapsed and reassembled more than once or twice. Overall this just seems a completely pointless thing.


Posted by: blip on August 31, 2006 at 9:29 PM

I've got to agree on with BrK on this one. While it is clever how the box fits together,(props on that) I can't imagine that the box adds much to the sound.

The point of a sealed box speaker is, well, that it is sealed. There is no way that this thing can be anywhere near airtight meaning that you will have all sorts of untuned microports creating a response graph that looks like an amusement park ride. Plus the cardboard is going to create odd resonances... not to mention the strange things that I'm sure will happen with a card based grill. This seems like a formula for a speaker that will sound worse than those dreadful Bose cubes. (Which means those cheap speakers you got with your last computer will probably kick it to the curb in terms of sound quality.)

A better idea would be to take some wood, plastic or other sturdier material and operate the speaker as a very small open baffle. The bass will be lacking (not that you are going to get that much out the cardboard box either), but the frequency response should level out some and if you construct it right it shouldn't take up anymore space. (Though maybe a bit more weight)

What I'm in-visioning (in case anyone cares) would be a solid piece of wood around 12" x 6" with some sort of a collapsable support. Use like a cheap Fostex full spectrum (an 83 IIRC) and you might have something that sounds a little better than this. Feel free to tweak from that point with expandable wings or any of those other things that open baffle enthusists seem to go for.


Posted by: MrH on September 1, 2006 at 2:51 AM

Just to point out that a 66mm speaker is not the front edge of hi-fi anyway!.
I only offered the design as a DIY response to a product I see and quite expensive to buy.

I am sure all the technical issues above are correct except for:

As far as I can tell the box makes a difference if only because it separates the front/back of the speaker - I should note that all speaker enclosures have an open port to the rear of the speaker otherwise pressure in the sealed box would limit the cone movement.

the Parts vibrate - Not as far as i can tell at any reasonable sound level. The crash lock closure is a very tight fit if made correctly to the pattern. there is little or no movement and the structure is very rigid when assembled.

The product will not stand much folding flat, on the contrary if made in Polypropylene it will withstand millions of flexures - I made the prototype in card because it was what I had to hand to demonstrate the principle and the originals were card.

Pointless - perhaps.


Posted by: getaya on September 3, 2006 at 5:10 AM

Nothing new, I did it in the fifties when my mother didn't trust her 9 year old to not cut his fingers off with a saw. But I had a soldering iron and a room full of hot chassis AC/DC radios and phonographs and speakers that needed new homes. My favorite was a 5 inch speaker (they hadn't figured out how to make millimeters yet) mounted on the end of the round cardboard tube that Tinkertoys came in (still do!). I suppose it was a bit one note, but I hear lots of cars one-note booming along, too. (what ever happened to oval speakers?)


Leave a comment


Subscribe to MAKE!Subscribe to MAKE Magazine!

Subscribe today, save 42% and get web access to MAKE free. MAKE Digital Edition is available only to subscribers.

$34.95 / 1 year
(4 Quarterly Issues)

Subscribe now


Void your warranty, violate a user agreement, fry a circuit, blow a fuse, poke an eye out. Make: The risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things... Welcome to Make: Online!


CRAFT Maker Shed Maker Faire MAKE television
MAKE: en EspaƱol MAKE: Japan


Check out all of the episodes of Make: television

Make: Science Room

Connect with MAKE

Be a MAKE fan on Facebook MAKE on Facebook
Visit our Facebook page and become a fan of MAKE!
MAKE on Twitter MAKE on Twitter
Follow our MAKE tweets!
MAKE Flickr Pool MAKE on Flickr
Join our MAKE Flickr Pool!
    make_tips on Twitter

    MAKE's RSS feed is here.
    Add MAKE to iGoogle - GoogleGoogle.
    How to add MAKE to your RSS reader - Real simple.
    Add MAKE on FriendFeed




    Maker SHED

    Advertise here with FM.

    Why advertise on MAKE?
    Read what folks are saying about us!

    Click here to advertise on MAKE!



    Subscribe to MAKE Magazine!

    Make: Online authors!

    Gareth BranwynGareth Branwyn
    Senior Editor


    Phillip TorronePhillip Torrone
    Senior Editor
    | AIM | Twitter


    Becky SternBecky Stern
    Associate Editor
    | AIM | Twitter


    Marc de VinckMarc de Vinck
    Contributing Writer
    | AIM | Twitter


    John ParkJohn Park
    Contributing Writer
    | Twitter


    Sean RaganSean Ragan
    Contributing Writer
    | Twitter


    Matt MetsMatt Mets
    Contributing Writer
    | AIM | Twitter


    Dale DoughertyDale Dougherty
    Editor & Publisher
    | Twitter


    Shawn ConnallyShawn Connally
    Managing Editor
    | Twitter


    Goli MohammadiGoli Mohammadi
    Associate Managing Editor

    Kip KayKip Kay
    Weekend Projects
    | AIM | Twitter


    Collin CunninghamCollin Cunningham
    Contributing Writer
    | AIM | Twitter

    Adam FlahertyAdam Flaherty
    Contributing Writer
    | AIM | Twitter



    More contributors: Mark Frauenfelder (Editor-in-Chief, MAKE magazine), Kipp Bradford (Technical Consultant/Writer), Chris Connors (Education), Diana Eng (Guest Author), Peter Horvath (Intern), Brian Jepson (O'Reilly Media), Robert Bruce Thompson (Science Room)

    Suggest a Site!

    Current Podcast

    itunesdl.gif Weekend Project: Making Char Cloth Learn how to make a cheap and effective fire starter made from an old t-shirt. To download The Char Cloth video click here and subscribe in iTunes. See Char Cloth in action with the Fire Piston from William Gurstelle.... More...

    Get the Make: Online sent via email
    Enter your email to receive Make: Online each day:



    MAKE Fascination video series brought to you by Dow

    Make: Education

    Important please read


    Subscribe to MAKE Magazine!

    Recent Posts from the Craft: Blog