I am a fan of portable Bluetooth speakers. I have about a half-dozen of them. Different types for different situations. I’ve got a water-proof one for poolside entertainment, a rugged one for camping trips, and a high-quality one for parties. Whether they are cheaply made or audiophile quality, external speakers are almost always better than what comes with your smartphone.
One clever do-it-yourselfer figured out a way to make a Bluetooth mini speaker out of a PVC T Valve. His total cost was about $14, including the electronics, speakers, amplifiers, and rechargeable lithium battery.
You’ll need a Bluetooth stereo audio module, a micro USB charger module, a 3.7V lithium battery, a set of mini speakers, a 100µF capacitor, and some electrical wiring. You will also need the proper tools for soldering and cutting wires.
Following the electronics diagram, you can connect the audio module, USB module, batteries, and speaker together.
Then, glue one speaker to each side of the T-valve and place the USB module in the middle so that you can easily access the charger.
The picture shows an on-off switch, which would be very useful for avoiding battery drain. However, the Instructable doesn’t mention anything about adding the switch in either the electronics section or the assembly section.
This little project seems like it would be a great way to learn about electronics and audio speakers without having to spend too much money on it if something goes wrong. Plus, if done correctly, you have a pretty unique mini Bluetooth speaker to show off to your friends.
Real small speakers have amplifiers with nonlinear frequency response to compensate for the small speaker and enclosure. More sophisticated small speakers additionally use nonlinear pre-distortion to further compensate and increase maximum output. I doubt you will get good results from the simple setup shown in the instructible. Do yourself a favor and spend at least $25 on a halfway decent small speaker that employs some real engineering.
If wonder whether the point of this DYI project was to build a sophisticated small speaker. Is it possible that the real goal was to learn something by building something with low-cost components?
yeah if they wanted sophisticated, cheap, small, and a real goal to learn they would have looked at the $2 “Transputer like” xcore audio chip or the ready made
xCORE-AUDIO Hi-Res 2 Kit
https://www.xmos.com/support/boards?product=18340&secure=1
and had a root around the industry standard ETHERNET AVB chips and boards or the DIY versions on their https://www.xcore.com/ community pages
The xCORE-AUDIO married to an efficient Class-D/E amplifier would be an interesting approach to doing this right. But personally I have found the xCORE learning curve to be needlessly steep due to poor documentation and a tool-chain with a user-hostile interface. But that’s just my opinion. Others seem to take to the parts OK.
Regardless of cost, if you build something that just can’t work well, then what’s the point?
Is there such a thing as an audiophile Bluetooth speaker?
There are so many things that can be made from PVC pipe. I’m guessing this idea came about when the inventor realized the diameter of the speakers matched that of the pipe. (not a valve)
My question too. I don’t always need a battery and want a bookshelf set. I guess I will just buy one of the Bluetooth adapters and connect it to an existing pair
You have a very brilliant idea.. Very interested.
It’s a fitting, not a valve.
Valves control flow while flittings, uh…fit.
😉