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First prototype of a 3D printed driver:
10/12/2023 at 15:24 • 0 commentsI started work on a replacement for the regular speaker driver with a completely DIY driver.
At the moment I am testing out the voice coil design and then once that has been finalised I will move on to the magnet housing.
First tests of the voice coil sounded very promising but I will need to alter the design in order to fit more windings as they are currently only 2ohms and I don't want to decrease the wire gauge to keep assembly for children easier.
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Audio & Voltage Demo
10/10/2023 at 13:40 • 0 comments -
A Possible New Path For This Project
07/16/2023 at 12:59 • 0 commentsMy next step for this project is to design a speaker driver that can be 3D printed, this will enable me to produce kits with the electronic components along with STL files for all the components needed to build your own battery-less portable speaker.
Not only would this be a way to easily get the tech out there as shipping would be a lot easier and more affordable but I also believe this to be a great STEM project for students as it combines so many different learning elements.
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Unintentional Advantage
07/16/2023 at 12:43 • 0 commentsYesterday whilst searching for a new shipping company to use I realized another great benefit of using supercapacitors instead of the industry standard li-ion batteries is that there are no restrictions with shipping as with li-ion.
Additionally as the device would be shipped with no charge in the capacitors there is no hazards with sparks or shorts.
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After 9 Months Of Use
07/04/2023 at 15:04 • 0 commentsI've been using the speaker for more than 9 months at my desk during the day and am pleased to say that so far there has been absolutely zero issues.
As unbelievable as it sounds I have only charged the speaker twice, the first time when I finished building it and the second time I accidently forgot it on through the night and completely drained it.
Other than that it has been running solely on the stored power from the tiny solar panel.
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Bluetooth
07/04/2023 at 14:55 • 0 commentsWith the runtime of the speaker far exceeding my expectations I decided to see if adding a Bluetooth receiver would be viable.
Because the USB-C charging port on the speaker is also wired to receive analogue signal input we can use the port to both power a Bluetooth module as well as receive the signal.
Using a spare USB-C cable as a donor for a plug and a Bluetooth 5.0 MH-M18 module we can create a simple dongle.
The stereo output of the Bluetooth module is made mono by using two 150ohm resistors, the output is then soldered onto the DP1/2 and DN1/2 pins of the USB-C plug, VCC and GND have dedicated pads on most connectors.
The board is then simply placed in a simple 3D printed cover.