Shop OBEX P1 Docs P2 Docs Learn Events
Battery-Powered Speakers Question — Parallax Forums

Battery-Powered Speakers Question

MidnighterMidnighter Posts: 13
edited 2007-07-12 14:34 in Robotics
I wish to incorporate some decent, small speakers, no woofer needed. They would be best in about the 6-8 inches height, and be able to plug into a standard computer's RCA port, but otherwise just run using their own internal batteries. I'm looking for this because due to various aesthetic and design issues, something powered for itself I can handle better than trying to plug it into the main power setup and risk short-outs or excessive drain on the batteries.

Does anyone know where I can get my hands on such things? Every time I Google, all I get are all the junky portable speaker systems and require an iPod port to use.

Or better, does anyone here know how, if I can't find these, I could convert them? I've been studying more and more of the engineering on robotics to do this project, and suddenly it occurs to me that I could crack open the speakers and splice their power lines to a simple battery holder, with a switch installed in the circuit to allow the microcontroller to turn them on and off as needed. I'm finally appreciating how dead-simple the overall principles are for converting and tinkering with things, so if anyone can suggest a way to do this if not finding pre-mades, I would be grateful.

Size, price and battery power really are all crucial to be within a limited set of parameters. They don't have to blast the roof off with sound, just enough for people standing a few feet away could hear from it. Does anyone perhaps also know if anyone's done this, perhaps with instructions on a website?

Thanks as always, folks!

Comments

  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2007-07-12 14:34
    You can find lots of junk and some excellent small battery powered amplified speakers. Most of them use a stereo mini-phone plug, but you can make or buy an adapter for an RCA plug pair (for stereo). Radio Shack has sold some fairly decent ones over the years, but I don't know what they currently carry. You might try some of the computer superstores or Best Buy.

    You can build your own although there are more and more of these now using a Class D amplifier (PWM) now that there are a variety of ICs that do this. An older IC that works well for this sort of amplifier is the TDA1020 (www.btinternet.com/~netsurf/SudburyRC/newcoxamp.html).
Sign In or Register to comment.