muel Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 My daughter asked me to look at her science project for school. I like helping when asked and was excited that her project was building a speaker out of a paper cup. She already had the coil made out of magnet wire and had taped it to the bottom of the cup. The leads were connected to some old ear bud wires and plugged into a mp3 player for a source. She would move the little neodymium magnet different distances from the coil and listen to the change in sound. When she found the sweet spot it put out a surprisingly decent tone. Somewhere along the line of the old AM transistor radios I carried around as a kid. She will have to figure out how to fix the magnet in that position. I suggested she try different sizes and materials of cups to hear if there is any difference. The foam coffee cup had a lot better sound but I suggested we give these speakers a little more power. She found that a Dayton t-amp was more than enough to drive her new DIY speaker. In retrospect, I should have shown her how to check the ohms on the coil first. She is going to try some different size magnets and magnet wire to listen for any change. We will see if she can figure out how much coil to get it close to 8 ohms. Of course, the cone material varies the sound quite a bit… Who knows what else she will find around the house to test! She is already talking about making this a 2 channel setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 sounds like alot of fun! excellent choice for a science project and for daughter / dad time. also the T-amp is quite workable, especially if it is the one that can be powered by batteries. nice to have a self contained display with no need for A/C current. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxx Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 All looks well, however... there is some question on the brand and quality of speaker wire used....... LOL... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 All looks well, however... there is some question on the brand and quality of speaker wire used....... LOL... Funny you should mention the wire! Happens to be 3 feet of Belden wire from Blue Jeans Cable that already had some banana jacks. I had this sitting here from when I used it to test some LaScalas I bought a few months ago. She already started asking about woofers and tweeters... next thing you know we will be building a crossover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxx Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 All looks well, however... there is some question on the brand and quality of speaker wire used....... LOL... Funny you should mention the wire! Happens to be 3 feet of Belden wire from Blue Jeans Cable that already had some banana jacks. I had this sitting here from when I used it to test some LaScalas I bought a few months ago. She already started asking about woofers and tweeters... next thing you know we will be building a crossover. Well at least you have not had to deal with bi-wiring or bi-amping up to this point.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongo171 Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 I'm waiting for her to fold the cup over and say they look like the La Scala's. [Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Favog Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Definitly needs some litz wound wiring... [] A couple of years ago I remember seeing a speaker project using a Pringle's can (should av' looked into that just for yuks). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Well, you'll be stunned a the difference a fine quality 100.00/ft speaker wire will make. And make sure it's elevated. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxx Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Well, you'll be stunned a the difference a fine quality 100.00/ft speaker wire will make. And make sure it's elevated. Dave It hasn't been determined yet if she is going tube or SS.... Lot's to consider here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 It hasn't been determined yet if she is going tube or SS.... Lot's to consider here... True, Boxx. A Rockport turntable would certainly reveal nuances an mp3 simply doesn't have, and tubes would certainly take the edge off that rigid styrofoam horn. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxx Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 It hasn't been determined yet if she is going tube or SS.... Lot's to consider here... True, Boxx. A Rockport turntable would certainly reveal nuances an mp3 simply doesn't have, and tubes would certainly take the edge off that rigid styrofoam horn. Dave It does look like we are working with a "mono" set up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Has she pattented the "Dixie Horn" yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 I need a new cup [] I tried the magic rocks but now it's crushed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 a little duct tape will absolutely set off the project! apply it anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 a little duct tape will absolutely set off the project! apply it anywhere. NO WAY, DD! Only Audiophile duct tape! Hand selected for consistency, uniform adhesion, maximum absorption of standing waves, at a low, low, cost of 105.00 per roll. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungkiman Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Cool project! Might not be complete without a pringles can tuned sub-woofer... PWK might ask how many watches she wears! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Dave is right! Spare no expense. I think the Pringles can sounds like a good idea. it could be ported to tune the can so a specific freq. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Sounds like a candidate for speaket kits and later bottleheads... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 Whoops... the teacher won't allow any amplification other than from the headphone jack of a mp3 player or such other player. Guess we won't have to wheel in the Pioneer SX-1250 [] She will probably just use the jack on the cell phone. How many ohms do you think I should have her shoot for on that coil for her to get the most volume ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 How many ohms do you think I should have her shoot for on that coil for her to get the most volume ? 2 ohms. But since it's "...such other player," make it a 24/192 wave file. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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