Portable Bluetooth WiFi Speaker Build FREE PLANS
Portable Bluetooth WiFi Speaker Build FREE PLANS
Portable Bluetooth WiFi Speaker Build FREE PLANS
by Donny Terek
Hi everyone!
Thank you for checking out this portable Bluetooth + WiFi speaker build I have come up with. As always I will have the
laser-cut plans, the wiring diagram and the whole parts and tools list in the steps below. Make sure you check my
YouTube video rst and then come back for more details. Let's get started!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peJnehdKIVA
For this build it is necessary to get the plywood panels laser cut. Since I do not own a laser-cutter myself, I outsourced a
few people from a local company that were able to laser cut the plywood pieces out for me. You can nd the Laser Cut
Plans below. It is possible that the scale of the drawing might be messed up, so just for reference - the diameter of the
hole next to the Bluetooth and WiFi logo on the back panel is supposed to be 1.8 millimeters. Those holes are for the
LEDs. You should receive 5 di erent plywood panels - two front panels, two back panels and the enclosure template.
Also, there is a plywood disc included in the plans which you should take care not to lose. It is for the volume control
potentiometer. Same goes for a circle cutout near the battery logo - it will be used as a button.
Since the tweeters that I used are no longer for sale, I updated the plans for the speaker accordingly.
I have also included the wiring diagram which you can download or print but make sure you zoom in for a better and
clearer view. Let's start the build!
https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/FA1/3VFO/JRGOIVEX/FA13VFOJRGOIVEX.pdf
Download
https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/FD7/F5PM/JRGOIVF2/FD7F5PMJRGOIVF2.pdf
View in 3D Download
https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/FDX/Z0KV/JRGOK563/FDXZ0KVJRGOK563.dxf
For this speaker I decided to try implementing not only Bluetooth 4.0 but also a WiFi module. Here I am using the
Up2Stream WiFi module which is super easy to use and delivers great sound quality at a reasonable price. There is also an
Aux input which when plugged in automatically disables the Bluetooth or WiFi input letting us make a simpler and
cleaner looking speaker with less buttons and switches which is always pleasing to get rid of.
The speaker is powered by three Lithium Ion 18650 cells connected in series, resulting in 12.6 Volts total and a capacity of
around 3Ah. The cells are being monitored by a Battery Management System (BMS) which I will show in depth of how to
connect it to the cells. After testing I can con rm that these cells are able to provide the necessary power for around 6-8
hours depending on the volume.
For the ampli er I chose one of my favorite Class D ampli ers - the Yamaha YDA138-E. It delivers plenty of power in to
the drivers with plenty of bass and clear highs. One of the best features of this ampli er is that there is absolutely no
audible noise being projected when the speaker is not playing. I have tried many Class D ampli er and I can truly say that
this one is top of the range in it's price point.
For the Bluetooth module I chose the KRC-86B Bluetooth 4.0 audio receiver. Nowadays there are many boards superior to
this one but it still performs great, delivers unobstructed sound and connects instantly to the streaming device.
I chose the main building material for the enclosure to be 12mm MDF. You can also use plywood instead and skip the
painting step and still achieve a great looking result. But for this speaker I chose the MDF since I wanted a gloss painted
nish. The overall width of the enclosure needs to be at least 70mm wide therefore my intention was to cut out 6 layers
of 12mm MDF resulting in a width of around 72 millimeters give or take.
I used a relatively large sheet of MDF and traced around the template 6 times making sure to leave a gap between each
template tracing to allow for the jigsaw blade to cut out the pieces without interference to other pieces. It is important
to trace the outside and the inside of the template. It is not necessary though to be exact with the tracing since we will
adjust the lines and the curves with a router later.
Once the tracing has been done, I took a forstner bit and drilled in every corner of the traced out template making sure
to stay a bit away from the inside lines. It is important to drill only halfway through to avoid any tear out on the other
side. Once all the corners have been drilled halfway through, I took a drill bit and drilled all the way through to the other
side. I then ipped the sheet around and used the forstner bit again to drill out the holes completely leaving me with
smooth edges around.
For this step the best tool is a jigsaw to cut the enclosure pieces out. Take care not to cut into the line, we need to stay as
close to the line as possible without cutting past it. Once the cutting is done, we are left with 6 pieces (or less, depending
on the thickness of your material) of the rough template copy. Next steps will take care of the roughness and will make it
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more pleasant to hold.
This step starts by placing pieces of double-sided adhesive tape around the perimeter of the enclosure template, making
sure it is stuck on well. Once the backing is removed from the tape, it is carefully stuck to the MDF piece we just cut out
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with decent force applied to get on there real good. It is important to stick the plywood template so that the rough
edges are not in the area of the plywood template.
I then loaded a ush trim bit in to my router and started routing. A lot of nasty MDF dust will be made so make sure you
use a dust collection system and a dust mask. You don't want to breathe this stu in!
Once the ush trim router bit has gone through all the edges around, we are left with a smooth nish around. We have
now copied the plywood template on to the MDF piece with nothing more than a router.
My router bit did slip under the plywood template a few times taking a bit of the material here and there therefore you
can see that the edges have imperfections here and there. That is not worry about since I will take care of that later.
After a bit of work later, with the template removed, 6 pieces are now complete and are ready for glue up.
To glue the MDF layers together I used Titebond III which is a great type of glue for this application since the glue is
waterproof. You can also use plain wood glue, of course. Here I am making sure to spread the glue around each layer
evenly. Don't be afraid to use too much glue, the excess can always be wiped o .
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Stacking the layers on top is simple, just have to make sure to keep the aligned to each other and remove the excess glue
from the inside and outside. Once the layers have all been stacked on top of each other, I put two boards on each side of
the enclosure and clamped it well until the glue has dried. You can also use a few weights instead of clamps.
Since I will be spray painting the enclosure in gloss white, I need the enclosure to be as smooth as possible since every
dent and imperfection will show through the clear coat.
Here I am mixing the same MDF sawdust with wood glue to make a ller which I will use to ll in any imperfections on
the MDF.
Once the ller has fully dried it was time for sanding and smoothing the enclosure. It is not necessary to take much time
on the inside of the speaker since it will not be seen later. I used a belt sander to smooth out the edges and curves on the
enclosure. A sanding block can also be used but it would result in a good workout rather than an e ective sanding
procedure.
Once the enclosure has been fully sanded I applied the same ller once again to ll in any small spots that have
appeared. Once that ller is sanded down, the enclosure is now really smooth to the touch.
To prepare the laser-cut panels we rst need to sand any burn marks that were left from the laser. I used a random orbital
sander to quickly take o the burn marks from the panels. Of course, plain sandpaper can also be used.
Once the enclosure has fully dried of the llers and glue, I used a roundover bit to give a round egde to the enclosure. I
made a very light pass on one side of the enclosure and a deeper pass, removing more material on the front side of the
enclosure. Once that was done, I used some sandpaper to remove any rough edges left by the router.
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Step 10: More Drilling
I then put the back panel in place and drilled the holes for the screws that will hold the back panel with a small drill bit.
I also drilled a hole on the right side of the enclosure for the main switch using a 20 millimeter forstner bit.
To paint the enclosure with the color of choice, rst of all we need to tackle the tricky nature of MDF panels which is its
ability to absorb lots of liquid including paint that contacts its surface. In order to achieve a nice paint nish on the MDF
we need to create a thick layer or a coat that would not absorb the paint in to the pores. Since I could not source a simple
sealant for MDF in my country, I went with a 50-50 mixture of water and Titebond III waterproof glue. I chose Titebond III
since it is used for outdoor use and will not be penetrated by liquids. I simply mixed the two and brushed a thick coat of it
on the MDF enclosure and then let it thoroughly dry overnight in room temperature. Don't be afraid to apply a thick coat
of it, the deeper it penetrates in to the MDF - the better.
Once the sealer has fully dried, I used some 200-400 grit sandpaper to rough up the surface for the primer coat to bite
into.
To begin the painting process I used a paper towel and paint thinner to remove any oils or residue on the surface of the
enclosure. Once the enclosure is clean of any contaminants, I sprayed a few light coats of grey primer. Note the screws on
the bottom side - that is why we drilled the rubber feet mounting holes before painting - we can now use a few screws as
stands for the enclosure when painting. I am also holding the enclosure by a bolt that I ran through the potentiometer
mounting hole.
After the primer coats have fully dried overnight, I wet sanded the surface with 400 grit sandpaper and a spray bottle full
of water.
I then applied a few thick coats of gloss white and once that was dry, I applied a few coats of clear lacquer. After that I let
the enclosure dry for a few days until the paint thinner smell was gone.
On this speaker build I used three passive radiators in total since the are of these three passive radiators is double the size
of the are of the woofer cone.
Since I have included all the information on the wiring in the video and the wiring diagram, I will not go into much detail.
Therefore I would like to provide more information about the battery pack since for most people the wiring of the
battery pack is a mystery.
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To build a high-power rechargeable battery pack we need three main components - Lithium Ion cells, a BMS and a
power source for charging.
For the Lithium Ion cells I chose three units of NCR18650PF cells with a capacity of around 2.8Ah each. These have been
used for quite some time, that is why their capacity is lower.
Since we are aiming for a voltage of around 12 Volts for the ampli er, we will be using a 3S (three cells in series) BMS
(battery management system). The BMS board is a crucial component of the battery pack since it will be controlling the
charging and the discharging of the battery, making sure that all the cells stay balanced and protected from short-
circuits, over discharging and many other risks.
You can see a picture of the wiring diagram for the battery pack. It is really simple and easy to do. Many people are afraid
to solder 18650 cells but in my experience of soldering many of these - it is safe if you take care doing it. The main point is
to heat the cell when soldering for as little time as possible - therefore using a high power soldering iron and plenty of
ux will do the job easily.
So to build the battery pack I laid the cells opposite to each other and glued them together with hot glue. I then stuck a
piece of double sided tape on each cell ant stuck the BMS on top, making sure that the B- terminal is aligned to the
negative terminal of the rst cell, and the B+ terminal is facing the positive terminal of the third cell. The rest of the wiring
can be seen in the pictures above.
Once the soldering is done, I protected the contacts with Kapton tape just to be safe from ant short-circuits.
For this project I decided to use something more professional than hot glue to mount the components in place. It may
be a bit of an overkill for mounting the electronics, but I used brass stando s which were held in place by screws from the
other side. That the components can be put on the stando s and screwed down with hex nuts making them stay in place
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really well.
Once the components are in place, it looks like an absolute mess but almost everything is now connected!
Important: one of the main goals of this build is to make the speaker airtight. Therefore it is necessary to apply
glue where air might leak through. For example - around the battery level indicator switch, the Aux port, the
Bluetooth/WiFi switch and the LEDs.
I then glued the small plywood cutout for the battery level indicator switch using a small blob of two component epoxy
glue.
Spreading some wood glue around the edge of the front panel and putting the enclosure on top of it. Make sure to
spread some glue with your nger around the inside where the enclosure meets the front panel to seal any gaps. I then
place a few weights on top and left it to fully dry.
After the paint has fully dried we can inspect the result. As we can see, even without polishing it has a high gloss that I
was looking for. Under a bright light, a few imperfections are still visible but as I mentioned in the video - I will live with
that. To be honest I am quite please with the paint nish result.
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Step 18: Attaching the Rubber Feet
We can now attach the rubber feet to the underside of the enclosure. It can now stand on its own!
Just a few more tasks left - such as mounting the main switch in place and securing it in place with a nut from the other
side on the inside. I also mounted the volume potentiometer by scewing it in place with the supplied nut and placing the
potentiometer knob.
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Step 21: Last Step!
Finally we can screw the back panel in place and we are done!
All that is left to do is to charge the speaker, check the battery level with the battery level indicator we wired up and we
can now connect!
As I said the speaker can play through Bluetooth, WiFi or Aux. For the demo I chose to stream a few tunes through
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Bluetooth. As I stated before, once the Aux is connected to the stereo jack, the Bluetooth and WiFi are disconnected
without any additional switches. The WiFi audio streaming can be enabled through an app, you can nd more
information on how to connect it HERE.
I have to say - I am happy the way this speaker has turned out. My apologies for the crappy sound test on the video but
you will have to take my word for it - not only does it look decent but it sounds good too! I did make a few aws here and
there when building the speaker but hey - at least I learned something! And I truly hope you did too! Thank you so much
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for checking this project out, I hope I inspired you to build a speaker of your own. And if you are still hesitating - do it! It is
super rewarding and the knowledge you get by making it is priceless. Not to mention the fun!
Thank you once again for tuning in to this project of mine and I will see you on the next one!
- Donny
Dude, this is damn brutal. Love it. And the design is just built for powerful speakers. Totally great
job.
You really have a real polished look with your devices that you make. As a novice and I'm pretty
unsure of what anything is on these boards, can you do a tutorial on any of the other boards from
arylic? Also, are you available to do tutorial requests?
Здравствуйте Вы написали 6 Ом сабвуфер, а ссылка на 4 Ом, какой Вы использовали?
I know many people don't care, but remember that MDF contains carcinogenic materials that you
expose yourself to when you cut and driill it. But Hey, why worry about your future health.
Even untreated natural wood dust causes cancer, use the proper safety equipment and live your
life.
Thanks for the comment! If MDF would be that poisonous, I don't think that much furniture
worldwide would be made out of it. Anyway, I always remind people to use a dust mask and a
dust collection system to stay away from the dust.
Nice project and well documented:) Compared to your Insanely Loud BT speaker, how does this
one compare in volume?
Thank you so much! It stand no chance with the other speaker that I have built, since they have
totally different woofers compared in size and capability. But this smaller speaker still performs
really well and is really loud for its size.
So, I have a few questions...hopefully you can help with them...
1. i’ve got a good source on 9900mah cells, and would like to do a 9 cell pack rather than a 3 cell,
to provide much greater capacity (3S6P if memory serves), will the same battery management
circuit work fine?
2. Why use a passive radiator?
3. Does the wifi module you used support Apple’s Airplay?
4. If something is connected to Bluetooth does the wifi atill work?
5. Can the wifi module connect to an existing network rather than creating its own?
Hi! I will try to do my best to answer these.
1. I would doubt the capacity of your "9900mah" cells, since the highest capacity 18650 cells
available are of 3600mah if I remember correctly. A 9 cell pack would give you a 3S3P
configuration (not a 3S6P). The same BMS will work fine but you have to make sure that the cells
in parallel groups are relatively close in capacity and internal resistance.
2. A passive radiator is used to extend the bass response of the woofer.
3. Yes, it does support Airplay.
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4. No, either the WiFi or Bluetooth is on if Aux is not plugged in.
5. Yes, the WiFi module will need to connect to your existing WiFi network in order to stream
music.
I hope I helped!
this is amazing, helped me very much.
Looks great! Thanks for sharing! What do you think the project cost you, all total, in the end?
Thanks for checking this one out! I would assume around 70USD but it is difficult to estimate
since I had most of the parts laying around.
Thanks. It looks and sounds great.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Wow. That is really pro grade craftsmanship. I really like the smooth finish that you were able to
get.
Thank you so much!
If you were to look at the wiring diagram that I posted, I actually soldered two 1k resistors to the
input to make a mono input.
Great build. Well documented, lots of photos, very detailed. Great job. Thanks for sharing.
Just a friendly observation But. This is instructables. There's probably no reason to include the
word "free plans" in the headline. (you can use the edit function to change that if you decide)
99% of people who post here, include the information. Hence, instructables....
Thank you for the comment! I guess I will consider that and change the title after all :)
Y el precio?