It’s not often I get to put up some photos of someone elses DIY project but when I saw this my first thought was “Thats a gawd damn Minirig if I have ever seen one!” Presenting the Buckapound BoomBox.(click pic)
MiniRIG
Minirig Sound System est 1998. This site has been documenting the Minirigs since 2006, as well as DIY Audio, DJ and synth gear, and the electronic music scene in Melbourne and beyond
Now THAT is a boombox!
what an amazing little build.
Kudos to the maker.
I bet it sounds great – instant party!
Yeah, is awesome. Hopefully the creator will add some comments. Some spec would be nice also, and what components were used. I guess he must be a coach worker to be able to craft aluminum like that.
Here’s the deal on this. I got inspired when I read a rumor that Krell was planning a boombox, which got me thinking, and right about that time, I stumbled across Tripath amps. So, the box is 1 cm fiberglas/carbon fibre/nomex honeycomb board. The frame is stainless steel, knobs aluminum, all custome fabricated by me. Uses a 41hz Amp 32 (2021b), 15wpc class D amp, 5 A 13.5v SMPS. 5 AH SLA + smart charger. USB 5v regulated power out the back. Will add a second amp for remote speakers. Drivers: CSS FR125S + Audax mylar tweeters. Adjustable feel with butyl rubber inserts. A power jack on the back comes right off the battery so I can plug in a solar cell to extend battery life. Runs about 10-15 hours at reasonable volume. Battery is swappable, so I can change it out for the second half of the camping trip. I have a simple passive adjustable bass-boost/low-pass circuit before the amp and some crossover-type coils and caps to tame some of the upper midrange “shoutiness” these small drivers can exhibit. It has three ports (with a purple LED centered in the middle one) and both drivers coexist in the same space, not internally separated. Most of the amp circuitry is built into a subchassis made out of modelmakers styrene/ABS which is easy to work and glues up well with super glue. I have about $500-600 (US) in it, I think. I had a friend at a trophy shop laser-mark the name plates for me. Overall size is (box only) 42cm w x 20 cm h x 23 cm d. Weight about 35 lbs/15 kg.
Yes, it sounds pretty good. Not super bassy, but clean, non-fatiguing and powerful sound. Those Tripath amps are awesome, and the CSS drivers aren’t bad, either! Always draws a crowd. Cheers.
Note: Should be adjustable “feet,” not “feel.”
I think the Boominator ( http://tinyurl.com/boominator ) just got Boominated.
but i’m sure he’ll be back…
Being the creator of said Boominator I must say I’m pretty fascinated myself with buckapound’s design and craftmanship. Clearly the design parameters are different for the two builds, and as such each is designed with a specific goal in mind.
The important thing is to keep in mind the limitations the portable format puts on the design and especially if used outdoors on sound as well.
I judge a boombox build contest held every year at Roskilde Festival (www.roskilde-festival.dk) and I’m always astounded by the ingenuity that people show off in their designs. Some designs are made entirely from scrapyard pieces, some are designed with a particular look in mind, while again others are more like my own or Buckapound’s being build by experienced DIY’ers who understand the limitations impossed and try to make the best possible design to meet those.
Happy building all.
Cheers
Saturnus (visit http://www.myspace.com/saturnus)