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Peapod - A pocket sized mini speaker

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Hemisphere View Drop Down
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    Posted: 19 May 2015 at 4:24pm
Just a little heads up on a project I've been working on :)




Nothing concrete to show right now besides some pretty renderings, I have a rough prototype built that I'm working with now to test driver suitability - it's 2.5" with a shallow profile so the overall depth of the unit should be around 35mm total and the remaining dimensions around the same as an average to large smartphone. I have a little shower radio of around the same dimensions and can confirm it's comfortable to carry around in a jeans pocket if necessary - enough to forget it's there anyway. Jacket pockets no problem.

Total enclosure volume is only about 0.2 litres giving little below 150Hz, but the driver has an unusually high xmax for the size, going right to around 3mm (and on many tracks even at this level it still sounds great), which couples with the psychoacoustic principle of the missing fundamental to give a deceptively powerful bass response. Very hifi too - listening to a prototype now and it is fantastic.

With a TPA3132 amp and a 3 cell (true 12 volts) lipo it could theoretically be run up to 35 'real' (~0.2% THD) Watts with a maximum SPL of 101.5dB at one metre.

The plan is to eventually go fully open source with this, and to be as non commercial as possible, but as there are a lot of custom moulded parts involved and a lot of hard grind design work to do before it's ready, it'll need quite a large Kickstarter campaign if it's going to happen at all. To keep things simple it'll be distributed in kit form (just screw + glue enclosure, no soldering) at first with more or less a costs + handling price point. 

I don't really want to make a business out of this, but I do want to see it happen, and want it to be amazing - I'm experimenting with ways to circumvent the corporate process altogether that would involve some form of decentralised costs + donations based payment system.

Lots still to determine and a long development path ahead. Right now it's just me doing the general design and trying to fumble my way through parts engineering (and praying it's all practically possible in terms of machine tolerances etc as far as it seems to be to me), and a bloke from the DIYAudio forums (who made these very tiny amps http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/class-d/264517-really-really-small-tpa3132-amp-7.html) doing board layout/programming, I've got a lot to learn before this is anywhere near real but also have full commitment to seeing this through as it's been in mind in one way or other since around 2009!


Edited by Hemisphere - 19 May 2015 at 4:47pm
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lutkeveld View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lutkeveld Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 May 2015 at 5:15pm
Renders look cool!

You'll have a difficult time competing pricewise with JBL, Bose, Beats and the like. Custom moulds are expensiveeee. Focus on quality. 

Are those things on the side buttons? What are they for? 

Don't think kitform is a good idea for such small speakers, especially with screws and glue. Yields large returns..
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hemisphere Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 May 2015 at 5:30pm
On the one side it's buttons + other widgets, and on the other side is a logo. On the base is in/out jacks and charging port and the top is an LED that may double as a torch, not sure yet. Each side slots together like lego so they stack - Custom moulds are expensive, but I've costed it out quite extensively and I don't see why it should be too expensive - The target is to achieve serious volume to bring costs down.

Call me a misty eyed idealist when I talk about kits and and non-commercial etc, but I'd very much like to see what can be achieved by following that format with a quality product. If it seems the direction is compromising the potential to deliver the desired result it can always be changed.
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lutkeveld View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lutkeveld Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 May 2015 at 5:40pm
And those buttons will be labeled somehow I assume(?). Can't you reduce the number of buttons (KISS principle).

To get to serious volumes you need to look past the regular DIY'er and see if your product could sell to the general public. I don't see your average Joe putting things together with glue and screws, too much room to it up. It's needs to be much more foolproof in my eyes, but maybe the time/money invested in making it foolproof is better used at just assembling it yourself....


Edited by lutkeveld - 19 May 2015 at 5:41pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote slaz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 May 2015 at 5:44pm
Well if open-sourcing it - mebbe just release kit of parts + 3D printer files ?


REMEMBER....POLITICIANS AND DIAPERS SHOULD BE CHANGED OFTEN AND FOR THE SAME REASON
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hemisphere Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 May 2015 at 5:53pm
Originally posted by lutkeveld lutkeveld wrote:

And those buttons will be labeled somehow I assume(?). Can't you reduce the number of buttons (KISS principle).

To get to serious volumes you need to look past the regular DIY'er and see if your product could sell to the general public. I don't see your average Joe putting things together with glue and screws, too much room to it up. It's needs to be much more foolproof in my eyes, but maybe the time/money invested in making it foolproof is better used at just assembling it yourself....
3 labelled buttons - vol up, vol down and one power/mode cycle (power only when you hold it down) - 3 widgets but they're top secret :D nothing confusing.

You are right though, DIYers probably aren't the place to achieve volume - I put it out here for the feedback more than anything else - The more people say 'just doing kits is a stupid idea' the less chance it'll happen that way! 


Edited by Hemisphere - 19 May 2015 at 6:01pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hemisphere Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 May 2015 at 5:56pm
Originally posted by slaz slaz wrote:

Well if open-sourcing it - mebbe just release kit of parts + 3D printer files ?
Thumbs Up

That's the plan. Well the plan is a bit fluid still, just starting to solidify, but that's usually a part of it. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote amlu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 May 2015 at 7:18pm
maybe... instead of building another plastic thing make the case from hardwood/plywood? get it cnc cut and shaped and refine at home with some sand paper and varnish. will look nice and stand out from the plastic is fantastic crowd.

may be a good idea to stick all electronics on one pcb, get a small batch done in china (they may help soldering smd components), finish off at home with trough-hole pieces and connectors. 

good luck anyway :-)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lutkeveld Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 May 2015 at 7:22pm
Through hole in this form factor is a no-no. It's not difficult at all to do SMD stuff, even down to 0603, with the bare hand. With a rework station and good soldering iron you can do a lot of things.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hemisphere Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 May 2015 at 9:28pm
Originally posted by amlu amlu wrote:

maybe... instead of building another plastic thing make the case from hardwood/plywood? get it cnc cut and shaped and refine at home with some sand paper and varnish. will look nice and stand out from the plastic is fantastic crowd.

may be a good idea to stick all electronics on one pcb, get a small batch done in china (they may help soldering smd components), finish off at home with trough-hole pieces and connectors. 

good luck anyway :-)
I have a project file for an early prototype of this that is almost exactly what you describe - kind of rough 3D file of the parts but shouldn't be too hard to convert - I'll post it up at some stage with a basic parts list - it wouldn't cost much or be hard to DIY, just still hesitating over the best way to approach and schedule open sourcing right now, as all my experience so far says people really don't want to hear about half baked ideas/untested ideas, and if they do nothing comes of them.

The long term aim is to use reconstituted/recycled cellulose or hemp pulp as in www.zeoform.com - assuming they ever release it, that should give sustainability/natural appeal of wood with the mouldability of plastic, in the meantime I'd still rather see any remaining petrochemicals go on something people would love and keep rather than break and chuck.


Edited by Hemisphere - 20 May 2015 at 9:31pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote djkrusada Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 May 2015 at 1:11pm
kickstarter project?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote darkmatter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 May 2015 at 1:40pm
Nice :) When I first say the renderings, I assumed the buttons were neodymium magnets, so multiple speakers could be joined to make a mini array.

Are you doing anything fancy in terms of processing e.g. dynamic eq that adds bass at low gain settings but goes back to normal at higher volumes? Or Waves Maxxbass style messing to increase the perception of the missing fundamental?

Full respect for the non-commercial approach!
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