Yet Another Boombox Thread

[aom]

Hi, forum! Me and a couple of friends have had a plan for a while to build a boombox, and this last month I've been researching a lot on this forum and others, and now I thought I'd finally take a big step - post all my unanswered questions here and hope for the best.

We're thinking of doing something similar to the Boominator, but as to which components we should choose, we're quite clueless.

Components

• Amplifier - AMP6-BASIC (preassembled).
• Heatsink - ?
• Speaker - HP-10T ?
• Piezo - QLM-1005 ?
• Battery - ?
• Battery addons - ?
• Resistors - 33 ohm..?
• Extra - 3.5mm input

Is a heatsink neccessary, so as to not overheat the amplifier, or can we do without one?

HP-10T seems like a popular choice, but are there any cheaper ones that's still "okay" (but not car speaker quality)? Otherwise we'll go with these.

QLM-1005 seems to be a good compromise between quality and price, any thoughts? Can I go any cheaper?

Battery, LiFePo4 or VRLA? VRLA seems like the cheaper choice. Is there any specific model I should use, or just any 7,2Ah battery?

Is Battery addons, like "battery protection", neccessary? I'm thinking of getting a battery charger with overcharge protection, at least.

Resistors, to limit the frequencies sent to the piezos. Any particular models of resistors you favor? Should I use capacitors somewhere?

Extra. we're going to use the boombox primarily with an iPod as source, so we need a kind of connector which'll allow 3.5mm input. Should this consist of a separate module you buy and connect to the AMP6 somehow?


This turned out to be quite question-heavy, and for that, I apologise. If someone here would be so kind as to help a confused engineering student riddled with questions, I would be eternally grateful.

[Saturnus]

If it's going to be similar to my Boominator design. Why not just build that? Since as you said you're clueless about design, and I've made the "perfect" design already, why bother doing it differently?

[aom]

I'm sorry if I wasn't very clear. We're going to build a Boominator, maybe with a few tweaks to suit our needs (we'll worry about that later). I just haven't found any direct "blueprints" to follow concerning the electronics department; it seems like most people who clones your design does things differently. (with resistors, charging, input etc.)

It's the choosing of speakers and "additional" components that worries me. I'm sorry if you've answered these questions in the main boominator thread, but it's just so many posts to read through, and I haven't been able to find any clear answers there. I've just found the sketchup drawing to follow, which doesn't feature any electronics.

The thing that worries me the most is buying the wrong components, or neglecting to buy something essential. One thing that I have no idea how to accomplish is sending input to the AMP6, how did you manage that?

I think it's great that you've posted your design publicly and that you're here to answer questions from newbies such as myself, thanks.

[Saturnus]

Every once in a while someone does a recap of what's been discussed in the Boominator thread. The latest recap isn't that old, and in fact still on the last page of that thread. You should find anything you need to know there.

The Boominator - another stab at the ultimate party machine

[Saturnus]

But I've answered your points here.

Originally Posted by aom

Is a heatsink neccessary, so as to not overheat the amplifier, or can we do without one?

Not really needed. Just use an alu-case and use double adhesive thermal pads.

Originally Posted by aom

HP-10T seems like a popular choice, but are there any cheaper ones that's still "okay" (but not car speaker quality)? Otherwise we'll go with these.

No one uses the HP10T but the HP10W. There are not cheaper models that can be used (that are available in Europe).

Originally Posted by aom

QLM-1005 seems to be a good compromise between quality and price, any thoughts? Can I go any cheaper?

They're crap but all other the hard to get recommended ones are so you just go with the cheapest KSN-1001/5 replicas you can find.

Originally Posted by aom

Battery, LiFePo4 or VRLA? VRLA seems like the cheaper choice. Is there any specific model I should use, or just any 7,2Ah battery?

If initial price is a concern then go for SLAs. If lifetime cost, environment and/or weight is a concern then go for the much superior LFPs.

Originally Posted by aom

Is Battery addons, like "battery protection", neccessary? I'm thinking of getting a battery charger with overcharge protection, at least.

Doesn't matter under normal circumstances. Any battery charger will have overcharge protection built in.

Originally Posted by aom

Resistors, to limit the frequencies sent to the piezos. Any particular models of resistors you favor? Should I use capacitors somewhere[/B]?

Doesn't matter. Just don't use wire-wound or power resistors in general.

Originally Posted by aom

Extra. we're going to use the boombox primarily with an iPod as source, so we need a kind of connector which'll allow 3.5mm input. Should this consist of a separate module you buy and connect to the AMP6 somehow?

That's up to you to decide and figure out.