{"id":2753,"date":"2015-02-28T06:20:55","date_gmt":"2015-02-28T11:20:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/?p=2753"},"modified":"2015-03-01T16:48:55","modified_gmt":"2015-03-01T21:48:55","slug":"diy-speaker-build","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.plastibots.com\/index.php\/2015\/02\/28\/diy-speaker-build\/","title":{"rendered":"DIY Speaker Build"},"content":{"rendered":"

The ShapeOko has been sitting idle for a while, so I decided to take a stab at making my own speakers.\"\"<\/a>\u00a0 I wanted to do something small that I bring outside and hang on my pergola when entertaining guests on our new patio. \u00a0After perusing the web and checking out some speakers and online enclosure calculators<\/a>, \u00a0I landed on a set of HiVi B3N’s (3″) and tweeters. \u00a0Given that they won’t be permanently mounted outside, I wasn’t too concerned about waterproofing the speakers. \u00a0Instead, the design is along the lines of water resistance. \u00a0After doing some calculations on the enclosure size, I threw logic and math out the door and bent the rules by going with a design I had in mind. \u00a0The volume of this design is not far off from the ideal size, so I expect some sound issues. \u00a0However, I am counteracting that by using ABS which is strong, and only 9mm thick (so I gain back some lost volume). \u00a0I also went with a sealed design which I understand is better for when you want to achieve a smaller enclosure…<\/p>\n

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Speaker Enclosure:<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was toying around with different ideas including using MDF. \u00a0I wanted to try something different and take advantage of my CNC mill and materials I had laying around. \u00a0 I had some sheets of 9mm ABS that I figured would be worth a try. \u00a0The thickness makes it rigid enough for an enclosure of this size. \u00a0 If you look at the gallery, you can see the design calls for some angles and rounded corners. \u00a0I did not want to have to cut individual side pieces to fit each angled edge. \u00a0Instead, I came up with the idea to form 2 sides for each speaker and join them together later. \u00a0This required using controlled heat and careful bends for each angle.<\/p>\n

I also needed way to ensure that the bends followed the outline of the speaker based on the design. \u00a0I did this by cutting slots on both the inside faces of the front and back plates. \u00a0Using a heat gun I applied heat, while bending an angle inserting the speaker along the slot path as I went along. \u00a0To make sure it worked, I did some test cuts to see if it would work (below). \u00a0 I was pretty happy with the result.<\/p>\n

\"Test<\/a>
Test Fitting The Side Plate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Crossover:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since the B3N’s are full range speakers, I used a 1st order crossover to cut off highs from the driver so the tweeter could do it’s part. \u00a0Based on some calculations, a 0.18mH inductor was used for the driver and a 3.9 mfd for the tweeter.<\/p>\n

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End Result:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\u00a0\"speaker6\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"speaker5\"<\/a><\/td>\n\u00a0\u00a0\"speaker4\"<\/a><\/td>\n\u00a0\"speaker3\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Build Pics:<\/strong><\/p>\n