Need help for my first DIY project!

[ZtephaN]

Okay, so i know very little about speakers and such, but want to try to make a little something for my ipod touch. My plan is to make 2 speakers, with an amp, and batteries for the power. However, i need some explanation on some things, and know if different parts will work together and such. Wiring up the circiut itself is very easy tho.

1. im thinking about getting a small 10W amp. Does this mean it can take up to 10W speakers, or that it needs 10W to run?

2. I want to buy 2 5W speakers, with an impedance of 4ohm. What does this mean? That i need a 4ohm resistor?

3. how many / which batteries will i need to run this?

Thanks in advance, any help is much appreciated!

[zayne742]

Start here:

Loudspeaker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What type of system or where do do want to use it?

[ZtephaN]

Thanks!
I want to use it with my ipod touch (aux cable) and i want it to be portable

[DUG]

Search on diy for boombox

Lots of other people are doing the same as you

[ZtephaN]

Thanks DUG i can find a couple of tutorials, but none of them really explains how to know how much power it needs and such :/

[xrk971]

ZtephaN,
You need to do some reading on basics. The power depends on how loud you want it and the drivers need to be matched with the amp power wise and impedence wise. For an ipod boombox for personal listening,something in the 5 watt to 15 watt is more than enough. If you want a party box, 50 watts to 100 watts is more appropriate. Driver efficiency is also related to how loud per given watts you put in. A 88 dB at 1 watt 1 meter driver is twice as loud as a 85 dB rating driver. Make sure driver can handle max watts you want to put in from amp. The efficiency (or loudness per watt) doubles for every 3 dB efficiency rating increase.