BUILD YOUR OWN DIY SPEAKERS OUT OF THEIR CARDBOARD BOX
You can build our DIY Speakers Kit using the box it comes in, here’s how!
Step 1: Everything you need
You will need:
1. DIY Speaker Kit (You can buy this from our shop)
2. The cardboard box the kit came in
3. Scissors
4. Scalpel or craft knive
5. Ruler
6. Felt pen
7. A4 paper (a bit heavier like 120gsm)
8. Double sided tape
9. Double sided sticky pads
2. The cardboard box the kit came in
3. Scissors
4. Scalpel or craft knive
5. Ruler
6. Felt pen
7. A4 paper (a bit heavier like 120gsm)
8. Double sided tape
9. Double sided sticky pads
Step 2: Cutting an opening for the speaker
The first thing you need to do is cut an opening where the speaker will sit.
Use your roll of double sided tape to mark a circle on the inside of the box.Make sure to position the opening to the right side of the box to leave enough space for our controls and amplifier.Don’t throw away the cardboard circle you just cut out, you will need it later!
Step 3: Make the speaker membrane
The special thing about the DIY Speaker is that it is an exciter, rather than a traditional speaker. The exciter can be attached to any surface, which turning that material into a resonating surface and producing sounds.
Use a sheet of A4 paper mounted behind the opening in the box as shown above.1. Measure the size of the opening, adding another 30 millimetres to its radius.
2. Cut out a square from the sheet of paper using the dimensions as measured (10cm in this case).
3. Attach the square piece of paper with double sided tape to the inside of the box, covering the entire opening.
2. Cut out a square from the sheet of paper using the dimensions as measured (10cm in this case).
3. Attach the square piece of paper with double sided tape to the inside of the box, covering the entire opening.
Step Four: Assembling the exciter
To improve the sound quality you need to add a buffer between the paper membrane and the actual exciter. This is where the cardboard circle that you cut out and kept earlier comes in handy.1. What you need to do now is to make the cardboard disc a bit smaller by cutting off enough material to give the exciter enough space to sit on. You can play with the radius of the cardboard disc to see how this changes the sound quality. We found that having the cardboard disc with a slightly larger radius than the exciter itself proved to be the best option.2. The exciter comes with tape on one side which you can use to attach it to the cardboard disc.3. Once the exciter is secured on the cardboard disc, use two strips of double sided tape to secure the exciter with the cardboard disc to the inside of the box. Make sure that it sits square in the middle of the paper membrane. If you can’t make out the centre of the opening just hold the box against a light source, to reveal the size of the opening.
Step 5: Securing the amplifier
With the speaker unit assembled, you need to attach the amplifier to the inside of the box.1. Cut off the left side flap of the box’s lid leaving about 5mm
2. Using double sided sticky pads attach the amplifier with the battery facing the left side of the box and control facing the lid (as shown in the pictures)Make sure to keep the flap you cut off!
2. Using double sided sticky pads attach the amplifier with the battery facing the left side of the box and control facing the lid (as shown in the pictures)Make sure to keep the flap you cut off!
Step 6: Cutting openings for control and input
Now you need to cut some opening for the controls and the 3.5mm jack.1. Close the lid of the box and gently press the cardboard against each control to get a slight indentation on the cardboard.
2. You are going to use these indentations to mark where the holes will go.
3. Using a scalpel or craft knife, cut three openings (one for the volume control, one for power switch and one for the input).
4. Once that is done you can close the box and if everything has been done correctly, the holes should line up with our controls.
2. You are going to use these indentations to mark where the holes will go.
3. Using a scalpel or craft knife, cut three openings (one for the volume control, one for power switch and one for the input).
4. Once that is done you can close the box and if everything has been done correctly, the holes should line up with our controls.
Step 7: Attaching the stand
When you place the speaker on its bottom edge, the speaker becomes a bit unsteady. You can easily fix this by adding a little stand using the flap you cut off and kept, from Step 5. Stick the flap on with some double sided tape.
Once this is done we just need to wire everything up and turn on the music!
Step 8: Done!
Now that you are rocking your own DIY speakers how about decorating it? We kept us minimal by highlighting the controls with a black felt pen.This is only one way to make something cool with our DIY Speaker Kit! There are a lot of different ways to make a speaker using any kind of material as a resonator. Why don’t you try it yourself and share your Speaker with us? We would love to hear about your project!