Pelican cases are great if you need a rugged enclosure to protect some sensitive gear. They’re also highly moddable, and can make a great base for a Bluetooth speaker build.
Like many modern builds, this is very much a case of wiring together a series of off-the-shelf modules into a larger whole. A Tinyshine Bluetooth audio board is hooked up to a Dayton Audio Class D amplifier. Class D amplifiers are a great choice for any portable audio application for their compact size and good power efficiency. Power is supplied by a hand-built 3-cell 18650 pack, while a standard buck converter and battery protection board are subbed in to make sure the batteries stay happy.
Not wanting to skimp on audio quality, a pair of Dayton Audio full-range drivers are installed, negating the need for a crossover install, or multiple drivers per channel. There’s a third passive driver on the back side as well, though we’re not 100% clear on its purpose. If you’re clued in, let us know in the comments.
It’s a project that serves as a great blueprint for anyone wanting to build their own high-fidelity Bluetooth speaker. The relevant modules are all readily available – it’s just a case of hooking them up to a nice amp and a decent set of speakers. The design is all up to you – whether you go for a pipe, a bag, or something altogether entirely. Happy hacking!
That really doesn’t look like a waterproof power switch
Just at a guess, I assume the passive radiator increases the lower frequency response of the box. It’s still not going to be exactly high fidelity. This is a nice hack.
interesting concept, however regarding “Pelican cases are great if you need a rugged enclosure to protect some sensitive gear” doesn’t match with the speaker being completely unprotected on the outside of the case.
This way the speaker is very easily damaged. So perhaps the next build could have the speakers placed fully inside the case (drill many small holes for the sound, instead of a large hole for the speaker).
Because the way it is now, I wouldn’t dare to travel around with it with those unprotected speakers, so I would suggest to put another pelican case around it, just for travel.
Just need to 3D print some protective grills.
i skimmed, scrubbed, and then assumed the build for was non-travel. supposedly or maybe the majority of bluetooth speakers, controllers, and IoT devices are not made with travel in mind. the compactness and power usage is a common thread though. in this case.. the speakers are the least expensive and rare part of the thing.