Post by LastDM2adminDJP on Mar 16, 2008 16:27:37 GMT -5
heres how i did it
So I started off with some Craig 9431 floor speakers which were made in 1977. These speakers didn't work to start and had a 8 inch speaker and a 1 inch tweeter inside the cabinet. So I thought for a little while about where to mount the speakers in these cabinets and decided to use the back of the speaker. Which is where I will start my some-what of a broad how to build a ghetto blaster floor speaker guide. Here we go and sorry if a few steps in the process are missing pictures I'm A.D.D and forgot during those times. Also a notable factor was build time per speaker. For my first one it was 1 and 1/2 hours tops including breaks and figuring how I wanted to do it. I was able to build the second speaker in 30 minutes so i figure everyone else should be able to do each speaker at 1.5 hours each.
when doing projects like this you should always wear eye protection.
* disclaimer * the person who wrote this guide is not responsible if you or anyone else is hurt and or causes damage to property during this instructable. When using this Instructable we urge you to always use proper safety equipment. and please this build is not intended for immature children. So children do not attempt this without proper super vision thank you.
skill level- Novice to Intermediate depending how cool and well made you want to get. Any 7th grader who's had a wood shop class can do the basics on this one. Plus its 90 percent hand tools.
materials used
*note on materials*-you can use any front and rears like a 4x6 and 6x9s 5"and 6x9s or just 2 6x9s in the speakers.
-1 set (2) Craig 9431 speakers $$free
-1 set (2) jvc 6" mid range speakers 60 watt RMS 100 watt peak $$ free
-1 set (2) Pyle p69.5 5 way 6x9 180 watt RMS 360 watt peak $$ 20 dollars buy.com came with grills mounting hardware and 15 feet speaker wire.
- 1 set (2) 180Hz bass blocker $$ 6 dollars ebay
- 12 inches 12 gauge left+right speaker wire. 6" per speaker 5" on positive side 1" being the bass blocker. $$ free had it lying around
- solder and flux $$ 10 dollars and came with soldering gun
- 1 piece of 1/2" Plexiglas 11"s squared x 2 pieces $$ free i had it lying around but a 1/4 inch piece will do and that costs 8 dollars and can be cut at the place you buy it usually like a home depot or hobby lobby.
- 1 bottle of Elmer's blue wood glue
- box of dry wall screws or any screw not to long $$ FREE ONCE AGAIN I HAD IT LYING AROUND YAYYYY! NOW THAT I HAVE IT ALL WE CAN START HERES THE TOOLS YOU NEED
tools i used
- flathead screwdriver
- Phillips head screwdriver
- a hammer
- a drill
- 5/32 drill bit
- 5/16Th's drill bit
- soldering gun flux and solder
- and a swiss army pocket knife (used it for the great fold out saws)
- pliers
- wire stripping tool
- safety glasses (for soldering and when drilling and when busting the edge)
picture of tools needed
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178455531
step 1
OK so to start
I ripped the foam off the front that was covering the speaker so I could see the layout. After a little while I realized that the front will now have to become the back. As now the back will be the front and a fresh canvas for us to start our masterpiece on. So to start you need to split about a 1/4" of the edging with a hammer and flat head screwdriver or chisel if you have one *refer to examples 1.1 and 1.2*. do this on all 4 edges, *note there is a lip underneath the board so when your done you can glue the board back down firmly. My first speaker looks worst then my 2nd cause my brother didn't listen to me to, so do it good. Some speakers you can unscrew the back, but in most cases you will have to end up splitting them open such as I had to do. *trick is not to pry too hard, so go all the way around make sure the the panel broke free of the glue with a hammer and screw driver*
example 1.1
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454586
example 1.2
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454561
step 2. Now that I split the back open and I proceeded to remove the speakers inside. Making note to save the 8000Hz bass blocker connected to the tweeter. Which I can use if I wanted to add a tweeter later on. With the back off and the speakers out you can start the longest part. As I said it had a 8" speaker in it originally. So thats a big hole we need to close. This is to help better the acoustics in our speaker's cabinet. So how to do this you ask, you take the 11" piece of squared Plexiglas. I cut mine with my pocket knife scoring it with the old school can opener and snapping it carefully. I then took my bottle of glue went 3 times around the circle leaving about a 1 inch gap from the inside *refer to example 2.1*. I pushed the Plexiglas down held it for 10 minutes. I then drilled with the 5/32Nd's bit 1 hole at a time. Making sure to put the screw in before drilling the next of the 4 corners. When you drill the holes, make sure after you drill a hole in the Plexiglas you drive the screw in right away. This is important or else you take the risk of your screw holes not aligning when your done. If the alignment is not done correctly it could cause gaps that will make a rattling noise. Make sure you leave the screws a little loose loose. Then with all 4 of them in you can tighten them all the way down.*refer to example 2.2*. Now when its done the back will have a interesting look, but it will have increased the acoustics 10 fold *refer to example 2.3*.
*NOTE ON STEP 2* when putting the screws in the Plexiglas DO NOT USE a drill to drive them through the Plexiglas and in the wood. Unless you absolutely have to. As a hand screw driver should be easy enough with a pilot hole started. This is because of the torq and the force of a drill when driving the screw in. If not done it will cause the corners to lift then compress. Which will cause it to crack and or break the piece.
example 2.1
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454803
example 2.2
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454862
example 2.3
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454779
step 3
Now you take the back panel that should be in great condition. I went on-line to google and searched for the templates. I needed a 6" and 6x9 speaker template to draw on the wood. So I printed them off and then outlined them on the board with a perm marker. I then drilled 4 holes in a + pattern on the board for both speakers as turning points for my saw. Remember you want to drill to the inside of your circle and or ovals you drew. If not done correctly your speakers will fall through and the build will be lost. Now you can cut the holes. Yes i cut them by hand using a swiss army knife, it was actually easy and its a great saw to my surprise. It was probably the most used tool of the build. Now then on the templates it has the screw holes to drill, this is for your mounting hardware. I drilled all the screw holes and decided to mount the speakers *refer to example 3.1*. This part is tricky and is better if you have a extra set of hands. So I have the holes all cut out and the speakers mounted on the board, which all will rest back inside the speaker. Now you can mock your wires up before soldering them so you can triple check its correct.*refer to example 3.2*. Now start with soldering the 6x9 first with the wire that you will hook up to the receiver. Then solder the wire that goes from the 6x9 to the mid range (daisy chain basically)*refer to example 3.3*. Also remember that a bass blocker goes on the positive connector of the midrange *refer to example 3.4*. Kay so its wired up and all screwed down tight and bolted in looks beautiful *refer to example 3.5*.
example 3.1
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454974
example 3.2
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454509
example 3.3
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454514
example 3.4
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454796
example 3.5
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454974
step 4
We are almost done now. Start by running the wire through the tweeter hole *refer to example 4.1*. Now you can stand the hollow cabinet up and insert the front panel of the speaker. Next to do is decide wether or not you want the grills on or off *refer to examples 4.2 and 4.3*. Now hook them up to your receiver make sure everything sounds right. Then open them back up quadruple check the connections you soldered. Now the speaker is done and you can use the same glue you used on the Plexiglas to glue the panel back in. Just glue all around the ledge it sits on, put it in, then glue on the front panel the inside of the lip on the speaker side. You will get a beautiful speaker now that sounds great. Then if you have any parts that chipped you can wood putty it and spray paint it all whatever color you would like on the front / top / bottom and sides. So they can look and sound great.
example 4.1
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178455056
example 4.2
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178455010
example 4.3
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454963
Total cost for me was about 40 dollars on this build.
which was the 20$ 6x9s from buy.com and 4$ for a bottle of elmers blue wood glue and 10$ for a soldering gun w/flux n solder and 6$ for the bass blockers...
For the record this guide is to be used as a basic reference for how you can spend a little cash and have some great sounding speakers any kid in middle school can do this for very little. believe me these speakers blow away the 40 dollar system at walmart so don't ask me to compare them again. id say to anyone with a old speaker to upgrade and a little cash, have fun! or you can buy some 6x9 boxes on ebay. and mount them inside the box and use them for monitors. good luck and as always this is another guide that has been brought to you by -DJ PROTOJEEX
need help explaining a part or you see a error in this guide please send me a MSG or email on aim at DJPROTOJEEX
So I started off with some Craig 9431 floor speakers which were made in 1977. These speakers didn't work to start and had a 8 inch speaker and a 1 inch tweeter inside the cabinet. So I thought for a little while about where to mount the speakers in these cabinets and decided to use the back of the speaker. Which is where I will start my some-what of a broad how to build a ghetto blaster floor speaker guide. Here we go and sorry if a few steps in the process are missing pictures I'm A.D.D and forgot during those times. Also a notable factor was build time per speaker. For my first one it was 1 and 1/2 hours tops including breaks and figuring how I wanted to do it. I was able to build the second speaker in 30 minutes so i figure everyone else should be able to do each speaker at 1.5 hours each.
when doing projects like this you should always wear eye protection.
* disclaimer * the person who wrote this guide is not responsible if you or anyone else is hurt and or causes damage to property during this instructable. When using this Instructable we urge you to always use proper safety equipment. and please this build is not intended for immature children. So children do not attempt this without proper super vision thank you.
skill level- Novice to Intermediate depending how cool and well made you want to get. Any 7th grader who's had a wood shop class can do the basics on this one. Plus its 90 percent hand tools.
materials used
*note on materials*-you can use any front and rears like a 4x6 and 6x9s 5"and 6x9s or just 2 6x9s in the speakers.
-1 set (2) Craig 9431 speakers $$free
-1 set (2) jvc 6" mid range speakers 60 watt RMS 100 watt peak $$ free
-1 set (2) Pyle p69.5 5 way 6x9 180 watt RMS 360 watt peak $$ 20 dollars buy.com came with grills mounting hardware and 15 feet speaker wire.
- 1 set (2) 180Hz bass blocker $$ 6 dollars ebay
- 12 inches 12 gauge left+right speaker wire. 6" per speaker 5" on positive side 1" being the bass blocker. $$ free had it lying around
- solder and flux $$ 10 dollars and came with soldering gun
- 1 piece of 1/2" Plexiglas 11"s squared x 2 pieces $$ free i had it lying around but a 1/4 inch piece will do and that costs 8 dollars and can be cut at the place you buy it usually like a home depot or hobby lobby.
- 1 bottle of Elmer's blue wood glue
- box of dry wall screws or any screw not to long $$ FREE ONCE AGAIN I HAD IT LYING AROUND YAYYYY! NOW THAT I HAVE IT ALL WE CAN START HERES THE TOOLS YOU NEED
tools i used
- flathead screwdriver
- Phillips head screwdriver
- a hammer
- a drill
- 5/32 drill bit
- 5/16Th's drill bit
- soldering gun flux and solder
- and a swiss army pocket knife (used it for the great fold out saws)
- pliers
- wire stripping tool
- safety glasses (for soldering and when drilling and when busting the edge)
picture of tools needed
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178455531
step 1
OK so to start
I ripped the foam off the front that was covering the speaker so I could see the layout. After a little while I realized that the front will now have to become the back. As now the back will be the front and a fresh canvas for us to start our masterpiece on. So to start you need to split about a 1/4" of the edging with a hammer and flat head screwdriver or chisel if you have one *refer to examples 1.1 and 1.2*. do this on all 4 edges, *note there is a lip underneath the board so when your done you can glue the board back down firmly. My first speaker looks worst then my 2nd cause my brother didn't listen to me to, so do it good. Some speakers you can unscrew the back, but in most cases you will have to end up splitting them open such as I had to do. *trick is not to pry too hard, so go all the way around make sure the the panel broke free of the glue with a hammer and screw driver*
example 1.1
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454586
example 1.2
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454561
step 2. Now that I split the back open and I proceeded to remove the speakers inside. Making note to save the 8000Hz bass blocker connected to the tweeter. Which I can use if I wanted to add a tweeter later on. With the back off and the speakers out you can start the longest part. As I said it had a 8" speaker in it originally. So thats a big hole we need to close. This is to help better the acoustics in our speaker's cabinet. So how to do this you ask, you take the 11" piece of squared Plexiglas. I cut mine with my pocket knife scoring it with the old school can opener and snapping it carefully. I then took my bottle of glue went 3 times around the circle leaving about a 1 inch gap from the inside *refer to example 2.1*. I pushed the Plexiglas down held it for 10 minutes. I then drilled with the 5/32Nd's bit 1 hole at a time. Making sure to put the screw in before drilling the next of the 4 corners. When you drill the holes, make sure after you drill a hole in the Plexiglas you drive the screw in right away. This is important or else you take the risk of your screw holes not aligning when your done. If the alignment is not done correctly it could cause gaps that will make a rattling noise. Make sure you leave the screws a little loose loose. Then with all 4 of them in you can tighten them all the way down.*refer to example 2.2*. Now when its done the back will have a interesting look, but it will have increased the acoustics 10 fold *refer to example 2.3*.
*NOTE ON STEP 2* when putting the screws in the Plexiglas DO NOT USE a drill to drive them through the Plexiglas and in the wood. Unless you absolutely have to. As a hand screw driver should be easy enough with a pilot hole started. This is because of the torq and the force of a drill when driving the screw in. If not done it will cause the corners to lift then compress. Which will cause it to crack and or break the piece.
example 2.1
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454803
example 2.2
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454862
example 2.3
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454779
step 3
Now you take the back panel that should be in great condition. I went on-line to google and searched for the templates. I needed a 6" and 6x9 speaker template to draw on the wood. So I printed them off and then outlined them on the board with a perm marker. I then drilled 4 holes in a + pattern on the board for both speakers as turning points for my saw. Remember you want to drill to the inside of your circle and or ovals you drew. If not done correctly your speakers will fall through and the build will be lost. Now you can cut the holes. Yes i cut them by hand using a swiss army knife, it was actually easy and its a great saw to my surprise. It was probably the most used tool of the build. Now then on the templates it has the screw holes to drill, this is for your mounting hardware. I drilled all the screw holes and decided to mount the speakers *refer to example 3.1*. This part is tricky and is better if you have a extra set of hands. So I have the holes all cut out and the speakers mounted on the board, which all will rest back inside the speaker. Now you can mock your wires up before soldering them so you can triple check its correct.*refer to example 3.2*. Now start with soldering the 6x9 first with the wire that you will hook up to the receiver. Then solder the wire that goes from the 6x9 to the mid range (daisy chain basically)*refer to example 3.3*. Also remember that a bass blocker goes on the positive connector of the midrange *refer to example 3.4*. Kay so its wired up and all screwed down tight and bolted in looks beautiful *refer to example 3.5*.
example 3.1
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454974
example 3.2
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454509
example 3.3
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454514
example 3.4
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454796
example 3.5
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454974
step 4
We are almost done now. Start by running the wire through the tweeter hole *refer to example 4.1*. Now you can stand the hollow cabinet up and insert the front panel of the speaker. Next to do is decide wether or not you want the grills on or off *refer to examples 4.2 and 4.3*. Now hook them up to your receiver make sure everything sounds right. Then open them back up quadruple check the connections you soldered. Now the speaker is done and you can use the same glue you used on the Plexiglas to glue the panel back in. Just glue all around the ledge it sits on, put it in, then glue on the front panel the inside of the lip on the speaker side. You will get a beautiful speaker now that sounds great. Then if you have any parts that chipped you can wood putty it and spray paint it all whatever color you would like on the front / top / bottom and sides. So they can look and sound great.
example 4.1
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178455056
example 4.2
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178455010
example 4.3
www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=178454963
Total cost for me was about 40 dollars on this build.
which was the 20$ 6x9s from buy.com and 4$ for a bottle of elmers blue wood glue and 10$ for a soldering gun w/flux n solder and 6$ for the bass blockers...
For the record this guide is to be used as a basic reference for how you can spend a little cash and have some great sounding speakers any kid in middle school can do this for very little. believe me these speakers blow away the 40 dollar system at walmart so don't ask me to compare them again. id say to anyone with a old speaker to upgrade and a little cash, have fun! or you can buy some 6x9 boxes on ebay. and mount them inside the box and use them for monitors. good luck and as always this is another guide that has been brought to you by -DJ PROTOJEEX
need help explaining a part or you see a error in this guide please send me a MSG or email on aim at DJPROTOJEEX