Unless you’re particularly fond of hockey pucks, you probably aren’t really keen on the aesthetics of the NSA’s Amazon’s diminutive listening device, the Echo Dot. It’s not exactly ugly, but if anyone at Amazon spent more than ten minutes considering the visual design of the thing when it was being developed, we’d be shocked.
Luckily for us, there are hackers and makers who not only have the artistic chops to come up with visually appealing designs, but are kind enough to share them with those of us who are a few crayons short of a full box in that department. Such is the case with the jaw-dropping Gramazon by [Bård Fleistad], a 3D printed acoustic amplifier for the Echo Dot that converts the ho-hum looking device into a classic 1920’s style “horn” speaker.
[Bård] has wanted a horn speaker for awhile, but the prices on a real one in decent condition are getting pretty high. If he couldn’t have the real deal he figured the next best thing would be to 3D print his own version, but he’d still need electronics to put into it. Since the Echo is readily available and works as a Bluetooth speaker (not to mention plays audio from various online sources), it made sense to use it as the heart of his faux-horn.
The design he came up with is very slick, but the finish work on the printed parts is really what puts this project over the edge. [Bård] used Bondo and multiple primer coats to smooth the outside of the horn, and XTC-3D for the hard-to-reach internal curves. Plus sanding. Lots, and lots, of sanding.
If you’re looking for more information on putting high quality finishes on your 3D printed parts like this, check out our Visual 3D Print Finishing Guide. Or if you’d rather just find a swanky home for your always-listening hockey puck, we’ve got plenty of inspiration for you there as well.
[via /r/3dprinting]
Beautiful!
This should be a kit. I love it!
reminds me of the Donald Duck cartoon, where Donald builds a plane from radio show instructions and starts arguing with it.
Is that the one where he builds the plane out of plastic, the all new (at the time) wonder material?
I remember the plane ended melting in the rain (Never seen modern plastic do that, was this a problem with the first plastics?)
Her made the plastic himself in his Kitchen , so I presume it was starch based? Bakelite swell slightly when wet however, but needs a pressure Vessel to male, which isn’t depicted in the episode?
Donald Duck The Plastics Inventor:
youtube /watch?v=U_-obqhPRxU
No real arguing or fighting with the radio though. Reminds me more about the clip The Clock Watcher:
youtube /watch?v=pF6tfVcAI3k
Can just see it correcting your grammar when you ask it to play music.
Guess these iot devises are for those who have given up on resisting big brother. I’m surprised they aren’t mandatory yet.
Enforcing them isn’t necessary: advertising will drive most tech unsavy people to buy them anyway, and all of us know at least one tech unsavy person putting one in his/her house. Our data (identity, voice, dis/likes etc.) will eventually be profiled, be it at some friends house during a dinner or at a job interview elsewhere.
Hmm maybe there will be no job interviews in the future.
They’ll just pull our life story from the government database.
Most businesses already check to see if they can find you online.
It kinda give the dot a Dr. Seuss listening device appearance.
While they call Snowden a leaker, the implant is inside your speaker
Can you see it? Can you not? It’s disguised as an Echo Dot!
You think you’ve private lives, think nothing of the kind.
There is no true escape, I’m list’ning all the time…
Very true
The horn is the perfect application for a resin printer.
Beautiful work. Especially the finish and colors.
Now do one with a shofar.
A 3D print that doesn’t look like shit! Well done!
Aside from the bad idea of having the device in the first place, that is a beautiful modification idea and excellent implementation. A better (read safer) application might be for a Bluetooth mp3 player/speaker.
“Echo Amplifier” is quite appropriate. Visually aesthetic, but aurally anachronistic. Some acoustic maths are in order.
Alexa, order me a raccoon skin coat and a bottle of bootleg gin.
I’m sorry, but I only accept gin from authorized sources that include the DRM.
Distillate Rights Management?
Durn Revenuers Mah!
Sheesh! To prove once and for all that Alexa has nothing to do with NSA just say this to your Echo DOT (an Easter Egg function?): “Alexa what is 1,508,443,262 times 2?” or just do it on your calculator. Write down the result. Then hold down the Echo DOT action button on the right and say the Echo DOT’s system lead programmer’s last name: “KAWL…” and then quickly say the 10-digit number you wrote down slowly one digit at a time. Tell everyone here on HaD the results please.They will vary with each person.
You’ll be delightfully surprised…
I like Alexa’s form factor. Hockey puck is cool…
I’m guessing I didn’t quickly say the number slowly one digit at a time enough.
hmm. (301) 688 6524 is the number to the NSA ROFL