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Ohaple's $25 Motorcycle boombox.

5K views 19 replies 9 participants last post by  ohaple 
#1 · (Edited)
So i got my 2008 versys a few months ago. I have loved riding it, but I always miss listening to music like i can in my car. I dont really like having speakers in my helmet, since i like to hear the bustle around town. Also, since i park outside at an apartment complex, I didnt want permanent speakers that might get messed with by kids. So here is my $25 motorcycle portable boombox.

Sorry for the bad quality pics, my phone camera lens is all scratched up.



I ordered a set of these portable speakers from amazon. $20.
http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-MSP100B-Rockers-Mobile-Speakers/dp/B002JM1V78
I already had a tank bag and a ipod, so all i needed was a way to attach them and wire it all up.

I had a loop of inch wide elastic put together with a seatbelt buckle to attack the whole thing around that top pocket. then I had two more peices of elastic sewed on to make a cage for each speaker. Put it it, connect the wires (these speakers have great cord management)

The speakers could use to be clearer at full volume, but they are loud enough to hear well while riding.

If you guys are interested I can post some more in depth pictures so you guys can repeat it.

The entire strap assembly can come off easily for using it just as a normal tank bag, or for charging the speakers.
 
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#6 ·
took my ipod nano with me today on my ride, adjusted the volume so with my shield up it was barely audible and with the shield down it was just loud enough that I could still hear the traffic around me, but also abble to keep it at bay
 
#7 · (Edited)
I would say this setup is not going to be loud enough if you wear a full face helmet. With no helmet, or a half it should be plenty. With my 3/4 it is good enough.

They are loud enough, the problem is that these small speakers can get overdriven easily and sound bad if turned up too much. I am thinking about putting in another $20 and getting another set of these speakers. 4 of them will be more than enough. I am making a diagram of the strap for those of you that might want to repeat it.

EDIT: here is some sweet photoshopping for you guys. :) I think I have decided that i am going to add a second set of speakers to the mix. This doesnt really complicate the design much, just means I need two more "cages" and a headphone splitter to hook them all up. The two speakers are loud enough when there isnt much traffic, but when you are going 40 and there is heavy traffic, it becomes hard to hear them.
 
#8 ·
Sorry for the bad quality pics, my phone camera lens is all scratched up.
Really, you need to brag about the sweet new angelic filter you have for your phone. Looks like a bad 1970's love scene:D
 
#11 ·
I believe they are stereo, but I hadn't given it much thought to be honest.
The speakers have retractable cords. One speakers cord goes between them, which I ran next to the buckle in my diagram. The other has the typical quarter inch jack, which I route through the zipper (just leave it a bit unzipped) I put my phone in there and plug and play.

The speakers are daisy chained, making cable management easy, and have a volume dial, so when I am listening to rhapsody and one song is a higher volume, I can just turn it down quickly. I will post the wiring diagram once the second set of speakers come in, but it doesnt require anything besides plug and play. No finding power, or soldering, or any of that.


Sent from my iPhone using MO Free
 
#13 ·
Kind of an update to this, I took a trip up to estes park yesterday (a popular 40-60mph mountain canyon ride in my area) and found that this solution is pretty much a city or country highway solution. the road noise on interstate or busy highways coupled with wind noise makes it so you cant hear it. Lucky for me, 95% of my riding is city. The second set of speakers comes in today. I will update with some pics of my now $46 portable motorcycle stereo.

The reason for another set of speakers is that these speakers sound great at mid volume. low volume is not the best, and high volume gets overblown, so to maintain quality and volume, another set is useful.

-----------------------------------

Update, the new speakers came in, and I got them all wired up properly, with the jack tied down so I dont stress the cables. Here is what the strap looks like on its own for four speakers, and what the bag looks like with the parts on.




As you guys probably already know, doubling the number of speakers doesnt really double your sound. I think it has to do with the exponentially degrading properties of sound. That said, having two more speakers makes the system have a little more punch, and is able to sound clearer at a comfortable volume. 4 certainly isn't needed, but does give a little better result. (also it looks cooler)
 
#14 ·
Hey guys, I know this is an epic bump, but I thought that it would be better to bump than start a duplicate thread. Its been a long time since I first made this project, but now i have decided to do a 2-part video series on it to help show how it works better. This is the first video, just an overview of the project. The second video (out monday) will be the actual tutorial. Let me know what you guys think, its also the first time I used the gopro.
 
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