heh it might work just better , how would you expect to hear it without amplification ? get a 2-speaker system (cheap , maybe you already got it) , and use the headphone jack (amplified signal comes out of there)
hi, this is a great project and am very impressed with the sound quality coming from it. i am wondering if there is a step by step tutorial on how to make this speaker?
@coolie121 Well either the magnets weren't strong enough, or I didn't have a large enough voice coil. I tried to play Lil' Jon's bass terror through it but all that could be heard was the sound of silence:P I don't know what happened to it afterwards, but it sure smelt nice. It was made from a daz box but I think I threw it away.
thats alot of bass that things putting off, for NOT MOVING AT ALL. please explain to me how that is possible, since speakers reproduce sound by vibrating.
Vibration isn't everything, cone size plays a big role in bass output as well. You can have a small cone, vibrating furiously, or you can have a large cone (like the plate) vibrating very little. Also, the camera is pretty shitty, so you can't really see what little vibration there actually is
vibration is everything actually. to put out the low end of the spectrum, the speaker has to be able to displace air, a much higher amount then a tweeter or -most- midranges can do. to displace air, it requires vibration. to displace the amount of air that your recording is making it -seem- like it is doing, it would require visible vibration. especially seeing as that plate is what, 8"? with a mass that is almost non existent. the idea is right, but this is obviously fake.
Nice argument. The only problem is that it's a load of horseshit. I'm not going to bother telling you why though, because you probably won't listen anyways (seeing as my video is obviously fake). I'm perfectly happy to just let you go through life sounding like a moron. I just hope that you don't plan on studying any sort of engineering, because with the kinds of asinine assumptions you're making, you're doomed to fail. Miserably.
im building one in my class now just like these. How did you build the suspension?
and i suggest using like a guitar amp and more coils. Im building a coil with 32 gauge and im trying 200. you should try to suspend the coils at the same height as the donut magnet also.
the bass probly sucks, but liek you said, for 10 bucks.......but i got some pioneers (worth about 300 bucks) 2- 6x9's adn 2 6.5's for FREE!!!! nice work man. the legos are the best part!
@dbskjaejaeforever got both at the same place. try hobby shops and electronics stores. If all else fails, search online for enamel coated 32 gauge wire
Try a local hobby shop or a store specializing in electrical components. If you're in the Toronto area, I'd suggest looking up a place called Active Surplus.
REAL Free energy technology exists!But the Oil coporations life depends on covering this up,Go to LT-MAGNET-MOTORdotCOM and get the blueprints for a genuine magnet motor ,Big change is comming soon!
anywho! just a few questions. the power from a portable player like an ipod wouldn't be able to a speaker of this size very loud right? (assuming from the loudness of your cellphone to your pc)... if that's the case, is there a way you can attach a power cable to this?
hey nice job buut i was wondering how many neodynium disc magnets you used and why was there a larger magnet under the coil i understood that that would not be nessecary
ive seen a few videos on how to make speakers like this and i dont get how to get the speakers hooked up to the source like a cell phone... any help????
@Nbarleyfarmer read through some of the older comments, I'm sure i've given an answer about the same thing before. It's just kinda buried in 7 pages...
Some of you are either very ignorant or just plain stupid. This was a physics project for a high school class. This is not intended to be a replacement for a commercial speaker, let alone an entire home theater system. Use your common sense. Jesus Christ.
lol...I made one, too, almost identical, but I tried the plate, and I didn't like it too mouch, so I replaced it with an 8" paper bowl...it gets more of a bassy responce...I tried to make it with a spider, and it was a complete waiste of time...
I don't do vids, tried twice a couple of years ago, but I failed miserably...besides that, my camera is in Popular Bluff, Missuri...like 600 miles away from my hiuse...
so can u help me make this by looking AT IT I KNOW LITTLE BIT OF MAKING IT BCUZ I HAVE A EXPERIANCE WITH SPEAKERS AND AMPS AND SUBS BUT I STILL NEED A LIL HELP WITH BUILDING IT
I think what you mean is you want to power the speaker's amp using batteries. You can't really power a speaker directly using batteries because you need an A/C source (such as an mp3 player) to actually create sound. Batteries provide D/C, so they wouldn't really cause vibrations in the voice coil. What you'd want to do is find a small amp to match your portable speakers, and just connect the amp's power supply to the batteries
Yea, so what you need to do is hook your ipod to a portable amp and connect the amp to your speakers. I'm not sure how easy it's gonna be to find an amp though..
At 1:44 its hooked up to the amp from my pc speakers, which is why it starts to play louder. At the very beginning its not hooked up to an amp. I have no idea how to build an amplifier... lol
it really depends on the strength of the magnets ur using. in general, less loops = quieter, more loops = louder. However, if you make so many loops that your coil becomes heavy, and the magnet cant move it easily, you'll actually end up making your speaker quieter. I found for the magnets i used, 50 loops was a good number
i made one and it worked, but my copper coil over heated, and melted the glue. Does your coil ever got hot?. and one more thing, where did you get your neodeduim magnet?
Check out my video of my home made speaker - the reason your wires get hot and melt the glue is because they arent held down well enough, and when they vibrate too much, they cause friction, and friction = heat!
but I am still fuzzy on the specifics, example, how does the number of turns or gauge of wire affect sound,quality, volume?-I still have yet to figure that part out, most of my homemade speakers were fairly quiet, but My ear buds were perfect!, I suspect it probably has to do with having an amp circuit and a power source, eh? Sorry I had to post in 2 comments, Good Work though :)
Ah, i see. Well, the primary factor that determines the strength of a speaker is the strength of the magnets used. Neodymium magnets (like the ones used in the video) are pretty much the strongest you can easily get (without blowing alot of money). The second magnet is the voice coil, which acts as a solenoid (a type of electromagnet), alternating its polarity according to the signal. The strength of a solenoid is determined by the equation B = µ x I x (N/L)
where N is the number of turns of wire L is the length of the solenoid, I is the current being applied and µ= 4π x 10^-7. This is derived from Ampere's Law. It essentially just means that a higher applied current, more loops, and a shorter overall solenoid will make a stronger electromagnet, which in turn will make for a louder speaker. The easiest way to increase the applied current is to hook the speaker up to an amplifier
The easiest way to maximize the number of loops while keeping the solenoid height at a minimum is to use thin gauge wire. With thinner gauge wire you can fit more loops into a shorter space, keeping the height low, and the number of loops high. As for sound quality, the strength of the voice coil definitely plays a role, but so does the material used for the cone. I'd say try a bunch of different materials, and see which one gives the best result. We used a Styrofoam plate! Good luck =)
Oh yes, I have built several of these homemade style speakers, started out trying to make a homemade mic to use on my computer-It worked too! both ways as a speaker and microphone, I have also made VERY comfortable ear buds using neodymium magnets and thin gauge wire, I have small ear canals and the Ipod ear buds kill my ears, I will make a how to if enough people are interested, anyways, Very nice setup,
the Neodymium magnets were 2.5 - 3.0 cm in diameter, and the ring magnet was 5.0-6.0 cm in diameter. You don't really need the ring magnet, so don't worry if you cant find it.
ok thanks and one more question, how would you connect the coil wire to the 3.5mm audio connector? (This is a really cool speaker, im making it for a science fair project)
On the connector there should be a 2 metal strips, each with a hole. Put one end of the wire in the first hole and solder (or twist) it together, and put the other end in the second hole. Make sure the two ends don't touch
I was thinking about doing something like this, but instead of using magnets, i was thinking of using a coil of enamel wire to act as the magnet, so id just need to get a AC to DC converter for the coil and presto. done. Nice job btw.
I am doing this myself on a grand scale. Where do you get those magnets for that cheap? I might just use iron so I can go HUGE but with half the efficiency. I have a video that shows the voice coil will act off ANY metal, not just a permanent magnet.
you can get the magnets from any hobby shop, they're pretty common. And yea, you don't necessarily need a permanent magnet; anything that creates a force attracting the voice coil will do the job. As long as you can find a way to make the coil move back and forth, you can create sound. Magnets are just the easiest way to do that.
cool. i was/am planning on buiding something serious. Not just a little "oh cool look neat-o listen to it play. oh cool it's actually working" school science project. I am making something over the top cause I'm sick of being limited by a;; the known stats and limitations of a massed produced shit corporate stooge product. Will all that copper that's on the yoke (control grid) of a TV tube work for the voice coil wire. It MUST be insul;ated the same way, right?
yea, if it isnt insulated it won't work. I'm not sure about the yoke of a tv network since ive never taken one apart, but as long as you have a coil of tightly wound insulated copper wire, it should be able to generate a magnetic field, which should do the job. What are you planning on using for a cone?
Haven't thought of that. It doesn't have to be that light since this will by no means be dfficient. What is the impedance of like yours? How is it- or ANY speaker for that matter; being a strand of COPPER wire; not less than 1 ohm; i heard these home made gigs are really low impedance; how do they make them so they are not?
To be honest, ive never thought about the impedence. The project was for a grade 12 physics class, so I didn't take it that seriously or go into so much detail with the design and testing. For your purposes I would reccomend sticking with copper for 3 reasons. 1. It's cheap, 2. It's easily accessible (unless you have easy access to gold wire or something), and 3. It's a pretty good conductor. I'm not sure how to raise the impedence, although I have a feeling a quick google search may help
Dude, if you've no fucking idea whatsoever you shouldn't even be talking about making a "hyper ultra speaker 'cause sick of the limitations of mass produced blablabla".
Also, what limitations? Go to a big concert. Still feel limited? You want more than that? And yes, u guessed, it's mass produced megaspeakers.
you arnt getting much vibrations by the look of it. mine is more like a sub. my box is ghetto though so i love the look of an actuall enclosure. how is the plate taped to the box?
Yea, it doesn't vibrate much, unless you hook it up to a more powerful amp
Um, the plate isn't taped to the box. It's hot glued to the black foam u see at 0:07, and that foam is hot glued to the box. The foam helps dampen the rattling that the plate would cause, and creates a better sound.
oh thats cool. ive seen some that use a crapload of tape and form this lip around the speaker that connects to the box like on a real speaker and thats what it kinda looked like. if you look at my video you can see that i just used an old t-shirt allthough i have tried plastic wrap cling wrap and wax-paper. but those all tear to easily.
oh. my coil is freaking huge, we hooked it up to a radio with an amp at my friends house and maxxed out the volume while watching this video that had nothing but a bass and it was bouncing about 2 inches. i was like WOA S***!!!!
No, as long as you have some sort of device which puts out a varying electrical signal (which is essentially all that music signals are), you'll hear sound. The sound is way louder with an amp though.
be careful if you're using hot glue though, because the hot droplets will melt the styrofoam, i suggest to lay a piece of duct tape on the area to be glued, then apply the glue on top of that.
The connectors we used were blank 3.5mm audio jacks. The black part you see at 0:52 actually screws off to reveal a pair of metal plates underneath, to which each wire is soldered. I recommend going to a hobby shop or even radio shack, they shouldn't be too hard to find, or too expensive. We bought 4 for a dollar.
If you decide to use a jack from an old pair of headphones, just cut the jack off, leaving some wire attached, and solder your speaker's wires to each wire on the jack (or twist them)
We wrapped a copper coil about 50 times and we attached it to a battery to see if it attracts or repels a magnet. We got the magnets to attract to the coil but it won't repel... so basically, it won't cause the vibration that we need. and also, when we use an audio jack and attach it to the coils, it won't cause the magnets to repel or attract. so.. I don't know if it's something wrong with the audio cable or what. btw, are the magnets in the 50 loops of coil that you made?
Yes, the neodymium magnets are resting inside of the 50 loop coil. Hm, so you said you managed to get the coil attracted to the magnet. Is it moving downwards, but not upwards? It could have something to do with the actual weight of your coil. Maybe the paper you wrapped it around is too heavy, or there could be something weighing down the coil.
Another thing to try is to make sure the inner circumference of the coil is as close as possible to the stack of magnets
Hey wait, my bad I just re read your post, you say you attached it to a battery? That's normal then, since the battery is only giving out one type of current. As long as it attracts with the battery it will vibrate when attached to an mp3 player. mp3 players use a varying current to transmit electrical signals to speakers, which causes attraction AND repulsion.
Hey, thanks for the help. We got our speakers to work! Yeah, it seemed like our coil was too heavy and the audio jack wasn't so hot either. Thanks for the comments and help though, it really helped!
a few questions; how big is the ceramic magnet, how many and how big are the neodymium magnets, and is the tin cover on the ceramic magnet needed? Thanks alot
1. Ceramic magnet is roughly 5 inches in total diameter
2. The neodymium magnets are the diameter of a quarter, and about a 5/8 of an inch in diameter. However, we stacked them to make them around 2 inches tall.
3. Yes, the tin cover is needed. It's necessary because it allows you to use the power of the large magnet to keep the neodymium magnets in place, and also contributes to the overall magnetic strength of the driver.
heh it might work just better , how would you expect to hear it without amplification ? get a 2-speaker system (cheap , maybe you already got it) , and use the headphone jack (amplified signal comes out of there)
TheKaos90 3 months ago
@TheKaos90 oops , i commented to early , just ahd to wait 5 seconds ... disregard my comment please ^^
TheKaos90 3 months ago
@TheKaos90
That sounds like a pretty smart idea, I would have loved to try it. I don't have the speaker anymore unfortunately :(
coolie121 3 months ago
Nice :D
cekpi7 4 months ago
Comment removed
cekpi7 4 months ago
Sweet man, where did you get the Magnet wire? or w/e it's called..
I SOOO want to build my own speaker, but I cant find that wire, anywhere.. D:
ThePunkfisk 4 months ago
Step by step tutorial! Please create one. Why all the people dissing this anyway? I think it's frikin cool as shit.
kaxtorplose 4 months ago
hi, this is a great project and am very impressed with the sound quality coming from it. i am wondering if there is a step by step tutorial on how to make this speaker?
lazlo696969 4 months ago
fucking magnets, how do they work?
kaynedavis 6 months ago
Does it play bass well? My attempt epicly failed (I don't think I had enough coil).
tlaroche38 6 months ago
@tlaroche38
it plays bass pretty well. Nothing spectacular, but when hooked up to the pc you can definitely hear the lower end clearly.
What happened with your attempt?
coolie121 6 months ago
@coolie121 Well either the magnets weren't strong enough, or I didn't have a large enough voice coil. I tried to play Lil' Jon's bass terror through it but all that could be heard was the sound of silence:P I don't know what happened to it afterwards, but it sure smelt nice. It was made from a daz box but I think I threw it away.
tlaroche38 6 months ago
@coolie121 Hey great job on the speakers...but do they sound good..and is there a fire hazard?
goodmediaproductions 3 months ago
@tlaroche38 the bass speaker or sub takes a different kind of suspension haha i had the same problem to begin with
DrDinkk 4 months ago
what is the max wattage???
Ki6465 6 months ago
what are neo magnets.
drewgabriel50 7 months ago
Stupid newfag.Fucking learn to build nice things? this is pice of fuckless shit.
TechLaine 7 months ago
@TechLaine
Check the nice suggestion I left on your channel.
And if you have the balls, leave it up. Although I doubt you will.
Pussy.
coolie121 7 months ago 23
@TechLaine keep the term "newfag" on /b/ please (sup /b/ro), and shut the fuck up. pussy.
scr34m1ng 6 months ago
where you find neodimiun magnets?
nirajahowen 7 months ago
@nirajahowen
if you don't mind waiting a month for shipping, try dealextreme. google them, you'll find it.
coolie121 7 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@coolie121
shipping? i don't understand... you'll send me one of those? or you mean what?
when i read shipping I did excite.... you really gonna send me one? if are well then thanks so much. my msn is nirajahowen@hotmail.com
nirajahowen 7 months ago
thumbs up if u use the microfone as an speaker (P.S. realy works :p)
danutzy1993 8 months ago
thats alot of bass that things putting off, for NOT MOVING AT ALL. please explain to me how that is possible, since speakers reproduce sound by vibrating.
Tetradigm 8 months ago
@Tetradigm
Vibration isn't everything, cone size plays a big role in bass output as well. You can have a small cone, vibrating furiously, or you can have a large cone (like the plate) vibrating very little. Also, the camera is pretty shitty, so you can't really see what little vibration there actually is
coolie121 8 months ago
@coolie121
vibration is everything actually. to put out the low end of the spectrum, the speaker has to be able to displace air, a much higher amount then a tweeter or -most- midranges can do. to displace air, it requires vibration. to displace the amount of air that your recording is making it -seem- like it is doing, it would require visible vibration. especially seeing as that plate is what, 8"? with a mass that is almost non existent. the idea is right, but this is obviously fake.
Tetradigm 8 months ago
@Tetradigm
Nice argument. The only problem is that it's a load of horseshit. I'm not going to bother telling you why though, because you probably won't listen anyways (seeing as my video is obviously fake). I'm perfectly happy to just let you go through life sounding like a moron. I just hope that you don't plan on studying any sort of engineering, because with the kinds of asinine assumptions you're making, you're doomed to fail. Miserably.
And by the way:
Get the fuck off my channel.
coolie121 8 months ago 9
@Tetradigm
i hope you know what is fake.. lol!
you did one Speaker?
i did several Speakers.... and i know this videos isn't fake.... poor fool >.<
nirajahowen 7 months ago 2
@willemjr09
Congratulations frend, yu iz retards
-1 internets from you
coolie121 9 months ago 6
im building one in my class now just like these. How did you build the suspension?
and i suggest using like a guitar amp and more coils. Im building a coil with 32 gauge and im trying 200. you should try to suspend the coils at the same height as the donut magnet also.
JASp72oductions 10 months ago
they are working great, better then my radio xD
PojeMetal 11 months ago
whats the performance difference between a weak magnet and a strong magnet? more bass, volume, high's low's?
russianpegs 11 months ago
the bass probly sucks, but liek you said, for 10 bucks.......but i got some pioneers (worth about 300 bucks) 2- 6x9's adn 2 6.5's for FREE!!!! nice work man. the legos are the best part!
kainhall 1 year ago
@kainhall
Nobody cares
coolie121 1 year ago 26
lol legos
TreFlipCrazied 1 year ago
Comment removed
dbskjaejaeforever 1 year ago
where did you get the copper wire?
i've been to home depot, canadian tire.. they dont sell it there
please... i have the same project
and where di you get the neodymium magnets?
dbskjaejaeforever 1 year ago
@dbskjaejaeforever got both at the same place. try hobby shops and electronics stores. If all else fails, search online for enamel coated 32 gauge wire
coolie121 1 year ago
@coolie121 when u take apart the speaker there is a loop of copper wire ontop of the magnet so no use buying any
perry244 10 months ago
This is a real nice speak you have here.
Standard Ceramic Magnet?
Where can i get some if i dont have speakers.
BenZelo 1 year ago
@BenZelo
Try a local hobby shop or a store specializing in electrical components. If you're in the Toronto area, I'd suggest looking up a place called Active Surplus.
coolie121 1 year ago
Nice work.
quintvondergraf 1 year ago
you have the same keyboard as me! lol
sparroestar22 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
REAL Free energy technology exists!But the Oil coporations life depends on covering this up,Go to LT-MAGNET-MOTORdotCOM and get the blueprints for a genuine magnet motor ,Big change is comming soon!
cloudburstlenepmhq 1 year ago
why would you need a huge box for that small speaker?
shigalbigal 1 year ago
hey ..i wana no how much does d neodymium magnets cost?n is der ne alt magnet v can use oder dan neodymium....?
reply soon over here..or my id amyrulz_1690@yahoo.com
aamay12345 1 year ago
hey ..i wana no how much does d neodymium magnets cost?n is der ne alt magnet v can use oder dan neodymium....?
aamay12345 1 year ago
show us how to make one
moron726 1 year ago
Thank you for putting it in an enclosure to get some low end out of it, lol all the other projects sound tiny due to the lack of bass...congrats
irishpimp1001 1 year ago
heyyya, love the indian music ^.^
anywho! just a few questions. the power from a portable player like an ipod wouldn't be able to a speaker of this size very loud right? (assuming from the loudness of your cellphone to your pc)... if that's the case, is there a way you can attach a power cable to this?
thanks!
SmoothlyLethal 1 year ago
how do u bild it
mason10able 1 year ago
is that true?
ecas3d 1 year ago
tokyo drift by terriyaki boys legos lol
undeadgamer2471 1 year ago
This guy did not just use legos to build his speaker. Nice
TMPJR 1 year ago
Man your impedance is way to low with that little of wire. your going to burn out your amp.
rbeez2004 1 year ago
no bass???
Zack1024CpX 1 year ago
XD good work
mragw 1 year ago
i thought the negative and positive terminals on your headphone jacke arent supposed to be touching?
jfo420 1 year ago
must be cool to say "i can build a loudspeaker out of a cardboard plate, tape, wire, lego bricks and plywood.
Well done macgyver :)
Madsovic999 1 year ago
hey im making a speaker for my physics project, how did you make the surround?
1993carmelo1993 1 year ago
hey nice job buut i was wondering how many neodynium disc magnets you used and why was there a larger magnet under the coil i understood that that would not be nessecary
jsoneff94 1 year ago
Look at that new speaker. its got high and lego stands in is it too
Diablo12369510 1 year ago
Dude, that's not an amp, you're still playing it out of a headphone socket. If you plugged that thing into a normal speaker plug, it'd bump.
LeviMan2001 1 year ago
Heej, looking good! I'm planning to make one too, but how did you make the foam to keep the conus (plate) in place?
Thanx!
134kj134 1 year ago
Do you know about how high (or low) the watts are?
LettersToTheNumbers 1 year ago
ive seen a few videos on how to make speakers like this and i dont get how to get the speakers hooked up to the source like a cell phone... any help????
Nbarleyfarmer 1 year ago
@Nbarleyfarmer read through some of the older comments, I'm sure i've given an answer about the same thing before. It's just kinda buried in 7 pages...
coolie121 1 year ago
Legos? This speaker already kicks ass!!
Zockblin172 1 year ago
the plug you used to connect to cp were do you make connection i need to know plz!!!
lilpopler2 1 year ago
wow not bad considering how cheap it was made
rubberbawlz 1 year ago
how are those wires connected to the magnet?
rishabbh07 1 year ago
What size were your Neodymium Disc Magnets?
grizlislt 1 year ago
about the same diameter as a quarter
coolie121 1 year ago
lol lego xD
TheJhonny5555 1 year ago 3
good project! i hope you got an A cause its definitely worthy of one!
go up to your URL bar, put a Q between the words you and tube and then press enter or click go
460EFI 1 year ago
nice i got smaller with lights look at my channel
vuurwerk091 1 year ago
very nice, good job
coolie121 1 year ago
good job
lsjfheartcmm629 1 year ago
yea thats pretty cool bro
cjbears90 1 year ago
Some of you are either very ignorant or just plain stupid. This was a physics project for a high school class. This is not intended to be a replacement for a commercial speaker, let alone an entire home theater system. Use your common sense. Jesus Christ.
coolie121 1 year ago
now put it on a basket, with a spider, tinsel leads and terminals :)
TylerTron21 2 years ago
lego!
jks2 2 years ago
lol...I made one, too, almost identical, but I tried the plate, and I didn't like it too mouch, so I replaced it with an 8" paper bowl...it gets more of a bassy responce...I tried to make it with a spider, and it was a complete waiste of time...
lolley1100 2 years ago
that sounds interesting. Upload a video, im curious to see what it would be like with a bowl instead
coolie121 2 years ago
I don't do vids, tried twice a couple of years ago, but I failed miserably...besides that, my camera is in Popular Bluff, Missuri...like 600 miles away from my hiuse...
lolley1100 2 years ago
@lolley1100,
walk over and get it xD
ExpertOfSound 2 years ago 7
where did u get those neodymium magnets ?
yoohoosk8r 2 years ago
nice job man, like the legos holding up the magnet =) lol
illegalalien07 2 years ago 18
does it have alot of bass cuz i need that to piss my parents off
howdo222 2 years ago
it wont cause the paper plate can't really move.
jeremya5 2 years ago
@howdo222 haha i'll try that with a thunder bolt 1000 siren
ZFMN 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
get a home theater system with a subwoofer
chickenpoper 2 years ago
very good sound quality from a homemade speaker
arunsilva97 2 years ago 4
was tht song 2 step bhangra??
dalbir122 2 years ago 2
so can u help me make this by looking AT IT I KNOW LITTLE BIT OF MAKING IT BCUZ I HAVE A EXPERIANCE WITH SPEAKERS AND AMPS AND SUBS BUT I STILL NEED A LIL HELP WITH BUILDING IT
howdo222 2 years ago
-suggests google-
110main 2 years ago
lol
coolie121 2 years ago
hey would you know how to power speakers by batteries?
i have these little speakers and i want to power them by batteries like portable speakers
can u help?
heytisazn 2 years ago
I think what you mean is you want to power the speaker's amp using batteries. You can't really power a speaker directly using batteries because you need an A/C source (such as an mp3 player) to actually create sound. Batteries provide D/C, so they wouldn't really cause vibrations in the voice coil. What you'd want to do is find a small amp to match your portable speakers, and just connect the amp's power supply to the batteries
coolie121 2 years ago
i suppose that is what i meant
i wanted to play music from my ipod or w/e on these speakers i took out of a radio
i connected a plug to the speaker and it obviously wasnt loud at all
so i wanted to try and power them using batteries
heytisazn 2 years ago
Yea, so what you need to do is hook your ipod to a portable amp and connect the amp to your speakers. I'm not sure how easy it's gonna be to find an amp though..
coolie121 2 years ago
i wanted to figure out how to make an amplifier that uses batteries
and for your speaker u dont have an amp?
heytisazn 2 years ago
At 1:44 its hooked up to the amp from my pc speakers, which is why it starts to play louder. At the very beginning its not hooked up to an amp. I have no idea how to build an amplifier... lol
coolie121 2 years ago
man you really know what you are talking about and what you are doing nice job :)
RydazBass1 2 years ago
LEGO blocks :D
UnderC0verFilmerz 2 years ago
how much watt is it?
draagt11kswiss 2 years ago
I used to have a phone like yours.
Except mine was a Z3.
KwasimotoTV 2 years ago
oh yeah, when you wrap your coil, do you wrap it evenly or messy? like, do i wrap it lots of times or wrap it everywhere?
Mik3m6232 2 years ago
50 to 80 loops, one after the other, in the same direction. Don't wrap in opposite directions, it causes the magnetic fields to cancel
coolie121 2 years ago
so what will it sound like if you have more loops? and if you have less?
L00peey 2 years ago
it really depends on the strength of the magnets ur using. in general, less loops = quieter, more loops = louder. However, if you make so many loops that your coil becomes heavy, and the magnet cant move it easily, you'll actually end up making your speaker quieter. I found for the magnets i used, 50 loops was a good number
coolie121 2 years ago
oh ok thanks
L00peey 2 years ago
ok thanks!
Mik3m6232 2 years ago
i made one and it worked, but my copper coil over heated, and melted the glue. Does your coil ever got hot?. and one more thing, where did you get your neodeduim magnet?
Mik3m6232 2 years ago
Hey,
Check out my video of my home made speaker - the reason your wires get hot and melt the glue is because they arent held down well enough, and when they vibrate too much, they cause friction, and friction = heat!
ExpertOfSound 2 years ago
Actually, his wires are getting hot because he's using too small of a gauge of wire.
Re-wrap the voice coil with 18 or 20 gauge wire. That should eliminate most of the heat.
grimthingcom 2 years ago
hey what class was this for, i know u say physics but what area?
faucho69 2 years ago
but I am still fuzzy on the specifics, example, how does the number of turns or gauge of wire affect sound,quality, volume?-I still have yet to figure that part out, most of my homemade speakers were fairly quiet, but My ear buds were perfect!, I suspect it probably has to do with having an amp circuit and a power source, eh? Sorry I had to post in 2 comments, Good Work though :)
TeslasRinger 2 years ago
Ah, i see. Well, the primary factor that determines the strength of a speaker is the strength of the magnets used. Neodymium magnets (like the ones used in the video) are pretty much the strongest you can easily get (without blowing alot of money). The second magnet is the voice coil, which acts as a solenoid (a type of electromagnet), alternating its polarity according to the signal. The strength of a solenoid is determined by the equation B = µ x I x (N/L)
coolie121 2 years ago
where N is the number of turns of wire L is the length of the solenoid, I is the current being applied and µ= 4π x 10^-7. This is derived from Ampere's Law. It essentially just means that a higher applied current, more loops, and a shorter overall solenoid will make a stronger electromagnet, which in turn will make for a louder speaker. The easiest way to increase the applied current is to hook the speaker up to an amplifier
coolie121 2 years ago
The easiest way to maximize the number of loops while keeping the solenoid height at a minimum is to use thin gauge wire. With thinner gauge wire you can fit more loops into a shorter space, keeping the height low, and the number of loops high. As for sound quality, the strength of the voice coil definitely plays a role, but so does the material used for the cone. I'd say try a bunch of different materials, and see which one gives the best result. We used a Styrofoam plate! Good luck =)
coolie121 2 years ago
Oh yes, I have built several of these homemade style speakers, started out trying to make a homemade mic to use on my computer-It worked too! both ways as a speaker and microphone, I have also made VERY comfortable ear buds using neodymium magnets and thin gauge wire, I have small ear canals and the Ipod ear buds kill my ears, I will make a how to if enough people are interested, anyways, Very nice setup,
TeslasRinger 2 years ago
I have another question (sorry) what is the diameter of the neodymium magnets you used and what are the measurements for the ring magnet you used?
hoodiebros 2 years ago
the Neodymium magnets were 2.5 - 3.0 cm in diameter, and the ring magnet was 5.0-6.0 cm in diameter. You don't really need the ring magnet, so don't worry if you cant find it.
coolie121 2 years ago
k thanks a lot
hoodiebros 2 years ago
Comment removed
hoodiebros 2 years ago
yea that should work. I used a 3.5mm audio connector, u should be able to get them at a hobby shop
coolie121 2 years ago
ok thanks and one more question, how would you connect the coil wire to the 3.5mm audio connector? (This is a really cool speaker, im making it for a science fair project)
hoodiebros 2 years ago
On the connector there should be a 2 metal strips, each with a hole. Put one end of the wire in the first hole and solder (or twist) it together, and put the other end in the second hole. Make sure the two ends don't touch
coolie121 2 years ago
Wow, good job guys!
beachflight 2 years ago
dude 2 step bhangra!!! haha you're brown like me
danialsaab 2 years ago
lol make a car system using that lol lol allrite
fastodie 2 years ago
What amplifier is that? I'm doing the same kinda stuff you're doing but I need a good amplifier.
ansonx10 2 years ago
its the headphone-in jack from my logitech z-5300 speakers
coolie121 2 years ago
I was thinking about doing something like this, but instead of using magnets, i was thinking of using a coil of enamel wire to act as the magnet, so id just need to get a AC to DC converter for the coil and presto. done. Nice job btw.
110main 2 years ago
I am doing this myself on a grand scale. Where do you get those magnets for that cheap? I might just use iron so I can go HUGE but with half the efficiency. I have a video that shows the voice coil will act off ANY metal, not just a permanent magnet.
1DanielChristensen 2 years ago
you can get the magnets from any hobby shop, they're pretty common. And yea, you don't necessarily need a permanent magnet; anything that creates a force attracting the voice coil will do the job. As long as you can find a way to make the coil move back and forth, you can create sound. Magnets are just the easiest way to do that.
coolie121 2 years ago
cool. i was/am planning on buiding something serious. Not just a little "oh cool look neat-o listen to it play. oh cool it's actually working" school science project. I am making something over the top cause I'm sick of being limited by a;; the known stats and limitations of a massed produced shit corporate stooge product. Will all that copper that's on the yoke (control grid) of a TV tube work for the voice coil wire. It MUST be insul;ated the same way, right?
1DanielChristensen 2 years ago
yea, if it isnt insulated it won't work. I'm not sure about the yoke of a tv network since ive never taken one apart, but as long as you have a coil of tightly wound insulated copper wire, it should be able to generate a magnetic field, which should do the job. What are you planning on using for a cone?
coolie121 2 years ago
Haven't thought of that. It doesn't have to be that light since this will by no means be dfficient. What is the impedance of like yours? How is it- or ANY speaker for that matter; being a strand of COPPER wire; not less than 1 ohm; i heard these home made gigs are really low impedance; how do they make them so they are not?
1DanielChristensen 2 years ago
To be honest, ive never thought about the impedence. The project was for a grade 12 physics class, so I didn't take it that seriously or go into so much detail with the design and testing. For your purposes I would reccomend sticking with copper for 3 reasons. 1. It's cheap, 2. It's easily accessible (unless you have easy access to gold wire or something), and 3. It's a pretty good conductor. I'm not sure how to raise the impedence, although I have a feeling a quick google search may help
coolie121 2 years ago
protip: impedance is a function of the frequency
jeolmmum 2 years ago
Dude, if you've no fucking idea whatsoever you shouldn't even be talking about making a "hyper ultra speaker 'cause sick of the limitations of mass produced blablabla".
Also, what limitations? Go to a big concert. Still feel limited? You want more than that? And yes, u guessed, it's mass produced megaspeakers.
jeolmmum 2 years ago
can you please post a video on how to make this?
1978buickman 2 years ago
That things sick!!!
freakybeast112 2 years ago
wow !!! good work !!
I can actually fell the bass from my subwoofer :P
keep it up !!
calfss031106 2 years ago 2
one song u played is in hindii right ..lol
desiputtar 2 years ago
Lol, punjabi i think, its called the 2 step bhangra
coolie121 2 years ago
legos bitch
gagelamie1997 2 years ago
haha that is soo freakin awesome!
111LSU111 2 years ago
hey dude what happens if u wrap some aluminum foil around it ? and does the bass sound good?
boresome 2 years ago
hm..thats a good question, i have no idea...
The bass is prety good, although at higher volumes things get pretty distorted
coolie121 2 years ago
u think u can try? and put it as a response to this vid. ?
boresome 2 years ago
I really would, but i dont have the speaker anymore, threw it out after sitting there for 2 years :P
coolie121 2 years ago
Lego stand lol
bassmetropolis 2 years ago
HAHA wasn MÜLL xD
BPeingebreck666 2 years ago
coool
dikateuj 2 years ago
you arnt getting much vibrations by the look of it. mine is more like a sub. my box is ghetto though so i love the look of an actuall enclosure. how is the plate taped to the box?
austinpetemo 2 years ago
Yea, it doesn't vibrate much, unless you hook it up to a more powerful amp
Um, the plate isn't taped to the box. It's hot glued to the black foam u see at 0:07, and that foam is hot glued to the box. The foam helps dampen the rattling that the plate would cause, and creates a better sound.
coolie121 2 years ago
oh thats cool. ive seen some that use a crapload of tape and form this lip around the speaker that connects to the box like on a real speaker and thats what it kinda looked like. if you look at my video you can see that i just used an old t-shirt allthough i have tried plastic wrap cling wrap and wax-paper. but those all tear to easily.
austinpetemo 2 years ago
The reason it's not moving is because the coil is VERY small! Making the coil longer will improve the excursion of it! Nice speaker!
Xtrmn8r123321 2 years ago
oh. my coil is freaking huge, we hooked it up to a radio with an amp at my friends house and maxxed out the volume while watching this video that had nothing but a bass and it was bouncing about 2 inches. i was like WOA S***!!!!
austinpetemo 2 years ago
question dont u need an amplifier to play it through the cell phone?
thelilhacker 2 years ago
No, as long as you have some sort of device which puts out a varying electrical signal (which is essentially all that music signals are), you'll hear sound. The sound is way louder with an amp though.
coolie121 2 years ago
did you glue the paper that is surrounding the smaller magnets to the paper plate?
korrrr333 2 years ago
yes, we did
be careful if you're using hot glue though, because the hot droplets will melt the styrofoam, i suggest to lay a piece of duct tape on the area to be glued, then apply the glue on top of that.
coolie121 2 years ago
1 question, the mini jack going into ur computer how do u hook that up, is it just a headset stripped connected to the wire?
Robsie2300 2 years ago
The connectors we used were blank 3.5mm audio jacks. The black part you see at 0:52 actually screws off to reveal a pair of metal plates underneath, to which each wire is soldered. I recommend going to a hobby shop or even radio shack, they shouldn't be too hard to find, or too expensive. We bought 4 for a dollar.
If you decide to use a jack from an old pair of headphones, just cut the jack off, leaving some wire attached, and solder your speaker's wires to each wire on the jack (or twist them)
coolie121 2 years ago
Can we buy this from you for our project?
kkimuts11 2 years ago
Lol, sorry, my physics teacher decided to keep it after i handed it in. Don't worry, it's really simple to make, if you need help msg me
coolie121 2 years ago
We wrapped a copper coil about 50 times and we attached it to a battery to see if it attracts or repels a magnet. We got the magnets to attract to the coil but it won't repel... so basically, it won't cause the vibration that we need. and also, when we use an audio jack and attach it to the coils, it won't cause the magnets to repel or attract. so.. I don't know if it's something wrong with the audio cable or what. btw, are the magnets in the 50 loops of coil that you made?
kkimuts11 2 years ago
Yes, the neodymium magnets are resting inside of the 50 loop coil. Hm, so you said you managed to get the coil attracted to the magnet. Is it moving downwards, but not upwards? It could have something to do with the actual weight of your coil. Maybe the paper you wrapped it around is too heavy, or there could be something weighing down the coil.
Another thing to try is to make sure the inner circumference of the coil is as close as possible to the stack of magnets
coolie121 2 years ago
Hey wait, my bad I just re read your post, you say you attached it to a battery? That's normal then, since the battery is only giving out one type of current. As long as it attracts with the battery it will vibrate when attached to an mp3 player. mp3 players use a varying current to transmit electrical signals to speakers, which causes attraction AND repulsion.
coolie121 2 years ago
Hey, thanks for the help. We got our speakers to work! Yeah, it seemed like our coil was too heavy and the audio jack wasn't so hot either. Thanks for the comments and help though, it really helped!
kkimuts11 2 years ago
i have a couple of questions....
1. how did you make the jack?
2. where did you get the neodymium magnets and how much for them?
3. where did you get a ceramic magnet that big?
gtlc666 2 years ago
hoe do you make a speaker
jdm19942 2 years ago
LMAO @ THE LEGO'S
Vrry Cool Though
Skye606 2 years ago
u should hook it up to a little amp to get more volume from it
NathanTheOne 2 years ago
a few questions; how big is the ceramic magnet, how many and how big are the neodymium magnets, and is the tin cover on the ceramic magnet needed? Thanks alot
agb4z3 2 years ago
1. Ceramic magnet is roughly 5 inches in total diameter
2. The neodymium magnets are the diameter of a quarter, and about a 5/8 of an inch in diameter. However, we stacked them to make them around 2 inches tall.
3. Yes, the tin cover is needed. It's necessary because it allows you to use the power of the large magnet to keep the neodymium magnets in place, and also contributes to the overall magnetic strength of the driver.
Cheers
coolie121 2 years ago