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Speaker Box to Amplify Tablet Sound & Vibrations

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The Speaker Box to Amplify Tablet Sound & Vibrations is a Do It Yourself system designed for those individuals with hearing and neurological disabilities to amplify their tablet speakers’ sound and vibration. This fun piece of kit is called the "Darch Resonator" in honor of its creator, Dave Darch. It is a simple hack to make a basic speaker box, to mount and hold a small capsule speaker to use with an iPad to amplify sound. This enhances the iPad as an accessible musical instrument.

Technical Specifications: 

Step One: Gather materials.

Lever arch file/ring binder.

iPad.

X-Mini 2 capsule speaker.

Compass.

Pencil.

Screwdriver - Cross-head.

Scissors.

Ruler.

2 80-centimeter pieces of 10-milliliter Velcro 1 wrap - double-sided to secure to itself.

18 x 30-centimeter piece of non-slip matting.

Optional Materials:

Cutting Mat.

Stanley knife.

Drill.

Drill bit.

60-milliliter hole saw drill bit.

Splitter (which you can use to attach more than one speaker).

Glue.

Elastic.

Step Two: Mark Out User’s Hole.

  • Draw out where the user wants to place the hole in the binder.

BASIC INSTRUCTIONS:

  • The user is going to draw out where they will place the hole on the binder. This is the part where it is good to be precise as the measurements below will give the correct placement for the speaker to be secure and still to leave room for the iPad to be added later.
  • Draw a 60-millimeter circle on the binder, making sure the center is 5.5 centimeters in from the right-hand side and 5 centimeters from the top. Lightly score the circle.

STEP BY STEP:

  • Make a mark for the center of the circle, measuring in 5.5 centimeters from the right-hand side and 5 centimeters from the top.
  • Use the ruler to set your compass at 30 millimeters.
  • Put the compass needle on the center mark and draw a circle, it should measure 60 millimeters across.
  • When it is drawn, use the compass in reverse, with the pencil in the center, and score all around the using the sharp needle to break the paper cover of the folder.
  • NOTE: This product used a very snug fit as this gives the best vibration and is most secure, however this means it is more difficult to remove the speaker later and the Darch Resonator might be damaged in the process. The user could go for a slightly wider hole, but this runs the risk of the speaker not fitting tightly enough.

Step Three: Cut the Hole.

BASIC INSTRUCTIONS:

  • Cut out the 60-millimeter circle at the position the user marked using scissors, a craft knife or hole saw.

STEP-BY-STEP:                                                                                                                 

  • Start cutting out the circle by using the screwdriver to make a hole at the center point. Lay the folder flat on a cutting mat to begin with, then when the hole is nearly made lift it off the mat to make the final push through.
  • Note: the user can also start with a drill instead of a screwdriver. If they have a 60-millimeter hole they can saw you it for this whole section, though they won't have the prongs to hold in the speaker if they do.
  • Using the scissors, cut in a straight line from the center hole to the edge of the circle, it’s important to not cut past it.
  • Make 7 more lines cut to the edge of the circle, in a star shape.
  • Note: If the user is confident with a Stanley knife then they can cut the star shape using that. Cut from the outside edge of the circle to the center, using a metal ruler as a guide.
  • Fold the prongs of the star down, they will hold the user’s speaker in place inside the folder. This is where scoring the circle comes in handy.

Tips:

- Cut carefully to make sure the hole is the right size.

- Is hole too small? Cut a little further (one millimeter on each side) and bend the flaps down more.

Step Four: Fix the Speaker in Place.

  • Here the user will see the Darch Resonator really taking shape.

STEP-BY-STEP:

  • Twist the speaker to open it out to its fullest.
  • Insert it sideways into the hole with a firm push.
  • Make sure the lead is on top - poke it back through if it is underneath.
  • Be careful not to push too hard and make the speaker fall out of the other side. It might feel like the hole is too small, but if it measures 60 millimeters then that is correct. The snug fit gives the user a good connection to feel the vibrations.

Step Five: Add Non-slip Matting.

  • Lay the non-slip matting on the top of the folder. It should measure 18 x 30 centimeters. This will hold the iPad in place.
  • Make sure the lead is out on top of the folder, as in the image.
  • Note: The user can glue this into position for extra security or to make sure they don't lose it. For this product, superglue was used. PVA would probably work just as well too.

Step 6: Strap in the IPad.

  • The last step is to add the iPad itself so the user can start to make music and hear and feel their sounds.
  • Take the 2 pieces of Velcro. These will be straps which will hold the iPad securely in place. They should have 2 which measure 80 centimeters.
  • Note: If the user doesn’t have Velcro on hand they could also use elastic. This will need to be shorter, around 40-45 centimeters to make it tighter, then the two ends would need to be sewn together.
  • Place the iPad onto the non-slip matting flush with the left-hand side of the folder, about 2 centimeters up from the bottom.
  • Make sure the end where the user will plug the wire in is closest to the speaker.
  • Secure it snugly in place with the two pieces of Velcro. Put them at the edges of the iPad to make sure they don't cover the screen.
  • Connect the iPad to the speaker.

Available

Price Check
as of: 
05/01/2019
Additional Pricing Notes: 
Do It Yourself.
Seller(s): 
Speaker Box to Amplify Tablet Sound & Vibrations NOT DONE