Diy Boombox

[lemmingzappa 75 1 Cars]

Starting to build a homemade boombox for a laugh, using a Pioneer DEH-5900MP headunit and Pioneer TS-G1721i coaxial speakers attached to a 12v 20Ah deep cycle SLA battery.

 

I'll be buying the wood to start making the box itself this weekend, what type of ply should I use? The wood needs to be strong enough to carry all the internals but light enough to move around. I'm also not too sure about calculating the volume of the box to get a better sound for the full range speakers.

 

I won't be running an external amp as it will add more weight and i'll end up needing a pair of batteries instead.

 

The plan was to run 2 x 15A in-line fuses (one for switched live and one for perm live) and run the ground back to the battery. Will I need to add a switch to the switched live, or will removing the headunit face plate be enough to act as a switch? The headunit has it's own 10A fuse in the back of it.

 

I'll also be adding a telescopic aerial for those FM tunes

 

 

 

 

 

Just tested the headunit on the battery and all seems to be working ok

Edited December 7, 2012 by lemmingzappa

[omega 82]

shouldnt you be useing mdf for the box?

[lemmingzappa 75 1 Cars]

I thought it was a lot heavier?

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

Don't think there is much in the weight but mdf is better for sound. 18mm preferably

[lemmingzappa 75 1 Cars]

Everywhere I look they seem to say Plywood is stronger, much lighter and more resistant to moisture :/

 

It will need to be moved around, so not sure if I should choose MDF for it's acoustic properties?

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

I suppose if its going to be hauled about and you don't need top end sound quality then ply would be fine plus like you say marine ply is better if it gets wet whereas mdf is like a sponge.

 

Still don't think there is much in it weight wise?

 

I would also add a switch as even with the faceplate removed you have a standby voltage being pulled, granted its not much but if its sitting around after a while it will drain the battery.

Having said that you will then need to reset all the sound settings etc as the memory will go if you switch it off

Edited December 7, 2012 by pugpete1108

[lemmingzappa 75 1 Cars]

I'll keep a perm live there so won't lose settings if I switch it off. I will when I take the battery out to charge it though, unless I can charge it in situ?

[S@m 156]

I thought about doing this but i was going to include a ATX power supply from an old PC to either charge the battery or just run the headunit from since ATX PSU's have plenty of 12v outputs. Just a thought.

 

Sam

[lemmingzappa 75 1 Cars]

Only trouble with ATX PSU's is they actually deliver quite 'dirty' power over the rails. Not really a massive problem, but I'd rather not add the weight of it. Would be good if the boombox was always indoors though!

[lemmingzappa 75 1 Cars]

Well I went for marine ply, not the cheapest but should stand up well over time. Here's a few pics of my progress:

Edited December 9, 2012 by lemmingzappa

[lemmingzappa 75 1 Cars]

Progress....

 

 

 

 

Sounds good so far, will sound better with the sides on and the back closed though

[omega 82]

just a thought

if you but a fag lighter socket into then get a lead with 2 male ends you should be able to charge this as you drive.

 

ps

also a handel might be a good idea as it looks to be very heavy

[lemmingzappa 75 1 Cars]

Adding the handle will be one of the last jobs to do, good idea about charging in a car. Could the cig socket used to charge the battery be used for drawing power aswell? For charging iPods from the battery etc..

[omega 82]

Adding the handle will be one of the last jobs to do, good idea about charging in a car. Could the cig socket used to charge the battery be used for drawing power aswell? For charging iPods from the battery etc..

yes of course