RonW. Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 Awesome, I wanna build one now.....! RonW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted March 15, 2014 Author Share Posted March 15, 2014 (edited) Finally got time to make some improvements and add Duratex to the boombox. Out came the Lepai or SMSL chip amps, and the Logitech or H/K Bluetooth adapters, all of which were mounted to the outside. In went a Sure TA-2024 2 x 15 watt Class-D chip amp, a Sure Bluetooth receiver and a 12v battery to power everything. The amp and Bluetooth receiver are attached to the rear panel, on either side of the port. The unit can be played and/or recharged when connected to a 12v charger via the external plug by the power switch. I've been really impressed by Sure products. The chip amp is attached to the board on the left in the attached photo, while the Bluetooth receiver is on the other side of the port on the right. The battery can be seen next to the rear panel. EDIT: 12/20/2015 Photos deleted to free up server space. Edited December 20, 2015 by DizRotus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted March 15, 2014 Author Share Posted March 15, 2014 (edited) The Duratex finish is easy to apply, looks great and promises to be durable. Time will tell. EDIT: 12/20/2015 Photos deleted to free up server space. Edited December 20, 2015 by DizRotus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted August 10, 2014 Author Share Posted August 10, 2014 (edited) It's a long story, but suffice it to say the prototype is dead, long live version 2. The need to re-make the unit was an opportunity to re-engineer the internal construction as well as using the router to round-over all of the corners. The interior port opening on this, and each single driver BR enclosure (see: https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/topic/56494-single-driver-experiments/) was covered by black speaker fabric so that you can't look into the port to see raw MDF, wires, etc. It also keeps bugs out. The first and third photos also show an unfinished 25hz tapped horn (see:https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/topic/138019-25hz-tapped-horn/) and one of the unfinished BR enclosures. The photo also shows the single rear facing port shared by the 2 drivers. With rubber feet on the back and the bottom, the unit can be placed on its back firing up (works well in a corner) or with the bottom down and the drivers facing forward. EDIT: 12/20/2015 Photos deleted to free up server space. Edited December 20, 2015 by DizRotus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shodrewken Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Wow, that looks quite impressive! Where do I order mine? =P I can only imagine how much it destroys any other dock at BB or online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted June 16, 2018 Author Share Posted June 16, 2018 Did you ever start a project and then quickly regret it, but it’s too late to stop now? The boombox needed the sealed lead acid (SLA) battery to be replaced. After many charging cycles, it will no longer fully recharge to 12v; ~ 10v is max and it discharges too quickly. The good news is, I just happen to have 4 SLA batteries. The bad news is, the new batteries are slightly taller. I can McGyver it into place, but a trip to a real wooden floor hardware store is needed to get the bits needed to make it work. Replacing the battery requires a complete disassembly. Who designed this damned thing? Oh yea, I did. Never mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1290 Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Have fun with that Neil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted June 17, 2018 Author Share Posted June 17, 2018 I got the battery McGyvered back into place before dark, but the rest of the reassembly must wait until Fathers’ Day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted June 17, 2018 Author Share Posted June 17, 2018 This did not go well. Smoke and flames accompanied the music upon initial testing. That tells me the amp is OK, but the Bluetooth and/or volume control boards could be toast. I removed everything from the enclosure. Fortunately I have extras of all three boards. I will rewire everything and make it better than ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted September 23, 2018 Author Share Posted September 23, 2018 The whole summer shot by before I got around to repairing this thing. It’s alive again and better than ever. The new “12v” battery is delivering 14.5 volts. The components are secured better than before. Everything is connected with coded polarized plugs so there’s no danger of incorrectly hooking things up. Future service can be more easily accomplished. The Bluetooth is working, or input can be by 1/8” TRS cable or RCA inputs. This thing can accommodate any phone, iPad, etc.; anyone and everyone at the party can take a turn being the DJ. Listening to Time Out as I type. I’m continually amazed at how good this thing sounds. The grilles will go on after the Duratex touchup has cured. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasD. Posted September 23, 2018 Share Posted September 23, 2018 Been following this as a 'true' portable sound box is always in demand. Gone through more factory work boxes than I care to remember (Milwaukee, Ryobi, DeWalt etc.). Is an updated material list coming in the near future? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted September 24, 2018 Author Share Posted September 24, 2018 18 minutes ago, ThomasD. said: Been following this as a 'true' portable sound box is always in demand. Gone through more factory work boxes than I care to remember (Milwaukee, Ryobi, DeWalt etc.). Is an updated material list coming in the near future? I’ll put together a BOM, but it’s a lot of work — construction, not compiling a BOM. Every time others hear and see it they ask me how much I would charge to make one for them. If I charged $500 I’d lose money, but it does sound amazing. The Radio Shack (RIP) Fostex drivers, SURE class D chip amp and rear ported bass reflex enclosure are magical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasD. Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 If they sound good enough to replace those terrible old Heresy's you've got, let me know as I could probably take them off your hands. LoL Seriously, I realize you've got a lot of time & effort in this project but whenever there's time to get that BOM posted I'm sure several here would find it invaluable. Thanks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted September 29, 2018 Author Share Posted September 29, 2018 I purchased four of these to possibly power my Texas Instruments TPA3255EVM class-D chip amplifier. When I decided to use a Mean Well power supply instead, these just sat on the shelf for a year. This summer I installed one in my DIY boombox that uses SURE components: class-D chip amp, Bluetooth receiver and stereo solid state volume control. After sitting on a shelf for more than a year, the battery was at 13.7 volts. I decided to run it dead before fully charging it with an SLA battery trickle charger. After three days (72 hours) of continuous operation, the voltage was still above 10 (the boombox will play until the voltage drops below 9). After two more days of being on but no longer playing music the voltage was down to 5.5, so I finally connected the charger. The next morning it was back to 13.5v. I can’t comment on the batteries performance with a high current load, such as a lawnmower, but it’s amazing in this application. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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