From: lancer@banzai.WPI.EDU (Stephe Lewis Foskett)
Newsgroups: rec.audio,alt.hackers
Subject: almost free speakers from household stuff...
Followup-To: rec.audio
Date: 17 Nov 1992 01:17:07 GMT
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: banzai.wpi.edu

People were complaining that there were too many "My stereo is more
expensive than yours" articles and too few "what can a poor college
student do to improve his stereo?" articles on rec.audio.  Here's my
answer.  I threw these together in a few hours yesterday and they
sound pretty good, considering that they're made from 10 year old, 1.5
watt speakers and other stuff I had lying around my room.  Oh, and if
you don't have the speakers, I'd bet the Radio Shack 40-248 3"
speakers would work pretty well, and at $2.99 each you won't break the
bank either...

I use them as sound reinforcement speakers in my room, above my head
when I sit in bed, and they work great.

If you get really wild, you could add a tweeter or something with a
crossover.  And if anyone has any suggestions on improving them,
please email me!  But nothing expensive, please!

My next project:  A subwoofer to go with these for less than $20...
I'll post if/when I do it...

Enjoy!
.s.

-- cut here --
Stephe's Really Cheap Speakers

ingredients:
2 3.25" speakers (I got mine from an old portable radio)
2 1lb coffee cans
a piece of old window screen (I used the speaker grilles from the radio)
6 old plastic grocery store-type bags
2 old speaker terminals (I got mine from an old receiver)
epoxy glue
solder
electrical tape
2 feet of wire
tools:
wire cutter (or nibbling tool)
small sharp knife
soldering iron

First, test the speakers.  Mine are rated to 1.5 watts, but they sound
better when I put 10 or 20 watts through them :).
Use the wire cutter or nibbling tool to cut a hole large enough to
accomodate the speaker terminal in the can near the base.  I cut mine
in the UPC symbol to remove that unsightly blemish.
Solder a 6 inch segment of wire to each speaker terminal.  Solder the
other end of the wires to the appropriate pins on the back of the
speaker terminals.
Tape the terminals to the inside of the can so they protrude from the
holes and epoxy them in place.  Make sure the epoxy covers the holes
entirely.  You may have to let it dry a bit before you can use it to
cover any large gaps.  The point is to make it relatively airtight to
provide a reasonable accoustic suspension.
While the epoxy dries, use the knife to cut a round hole just a bit
smaller than the diameter of the speaker in the lid of the can.  Cut
the screen as shown below and cut slits in the lid for the screen tabs
to fit into.  Fit the lid over the speaker and fold the screen tabs
around the edges to hold it in place as shown below.  It doesn't have
to hold very well, because the plastic bags will hold it in place when
the lid is closed.
When the epoxy is dry, fill the can with crumpled up plastic bags,
packing them in a bit but not really forcing the issue.  About 3 per
can should do it.
Fit the lid with the speaker on the top of the can and you've got a
nice, cheap little sattelite speaker.

Neat-O, way overdone, and probably redundant ASCII pictures:

Lid configuration (pretend these two are round, ok?) Screen
                  ____                          --
lid ----------->/  __  \                    __ |  | __
              /  ------  \                /            \
hole -------/->/        \  \            /                \
           |   |        |   |        _ |                  | _
slits -----|->||        ||  |       |_                      _|
           |   |        |   |          |                  |
            \  \ ______ /  /            \                /
              \    --    /                \ __      __ /
                \ ____ /                       |  |
                                                --

What-the-speaker-looks-like-when-attached-to-the-lid-when-seen-from-the-side:

screen -------------> /------------------------------\
lid ------------> ----|-------------|  |-------------|----
tabs ------------|--->| ____________|__|____________ |    |
                 |____\ \___________|  |___________/ /____|
                        \--\        |--|         /--/ 
                             \                 /
                               \             /
                               __\_________/__
speaker ---------------------> |             |
                               ---------------


-- 
- so spake lancer@wpi.wpi.edu -           - so speak the Posies: -
-            Life's never been a great mystery to me,            -
-             It begins and winds slowly to the end              -