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Toolbox Boombox

While I was home for winter vacation, I quickly grew bored without access to my electronic tools and projects. To entertain myself, I took some speakers, and amplifier, and an empty tool case and combined them all into a boombox. 

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One cheap speaker

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One cheap tweeter

I’ve had this set of Pyle speakers lying around since I had a car. It’s two woofers, two tweeters, and two filters. The whole set cost something like $30. 

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One cheap amplifier

The amplifier is an ebay special “Hi-Fi Stereo Amplifier” This also came from my car. it’s got volume, bass, and treble adjustment, along with two inputs. These cost about $10, and no one will bother to steal this from your unlocked car. They come with some kind of annoying color-changing LED in the front, but I changed it to an amber LED the first day I had it. 

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One empty hard tool case

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Inside the tool case

I picked up the Dewalt tool case at a thrift store a few years ago. It probably used to hold a scroll saw, but I never found a use for it. 

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Measuring the template

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Hole cut for speaker

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Making it fit

First, I made a cardboard template for the speaker using an old shoebox. I probably could have downloaded a template online, but this was simple enough. 

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Marking the location

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Dremel and hole cutting tool

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Hole cut

To cut the holes I used a Dremel and a hole cutting tool. It’s a neat design that lets you cut perfect circles. 

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Dremel didn’t go all the way through

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Finishing with the jigsaw

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Hole cut

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With some other cuts, it fits!

However, the cutting bit on the Dremel was not long enough to go all the way though the toolbox, so I finished off with a jigsaw. 

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Both speakers fit!

Then I did the same for the other speaker. 

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Tweeter holes cut

I decided the two tweeters would go in the center above the woofers, because why not. 

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Amp and filters

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Quick peek inside the filter

The two filters are just some passive components, I installed them because I didn’t have anything better to do with them. They still have zip ties on them from the last place they were mounted.

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Filters installed

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Automotive Goop

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Tweeters glued in place

To hold the tweeters in, I kept the car theme running and used some automotive goop. To hold everything else in, I used some short wood screws. 

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Speakers wired up

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Filters wired up

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Filter close-up

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Amplifier wiring complete

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Front of the amplifier

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Finished!

I put the amplifier on the outside so that the volume can be adjusted while the case is closed. I drilled a hole in the case to allow the speaker wires to go through. It is powered with a 12v wall power supply, but a battery could be installed if I had one. 

Now the only question is what to do with it.