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Final Project

Fab Speaker Bestial

This page describes the end result of my final project.
Development is described in my final project progress page.

!Fab Speaker Bestial Design

The Video is also on Youtube for slightly better quality.

Standing on the shoulders of Giants

This project would not be possible to me without the help, inspiration, work and support of numerous Giants. As much as possible, I reference them and try to clearly distinguish my slight contribution from the elements I appropriate.

What does it do?

Fab Speaker Bestial is a Luxo Jr. inspired lamp and internet radio stream speaker.

The lamp has three inputs, and two outputs. It has a potentiometer for PWM control of the LED light brightness, another potentiometer for audio volume control, and audio data stream input over wifi. As outputs, it has I2S audio output to a speaker, and light through a led strip.

Who has done what beforehand?

Matt Keeter’s Fab Boombox has inspired me.

Jean-Pierre Cocatrix’s ESP32 KaRadio project was a great inspiration, that I attempted to implement for a while.

Vedran´s Hackaday.io project was also of interest to me as he proposes using ESP32 which is close to what I was considering originally.

Picoaudio is also an interesting OpenSource project that gave me information as to what components to consider for my project

I have been following Peter Kulicki’s HexiBase website and youtube channel, as his 3d printed sub enclosure and general audio explanation videos are of interest to me and applicable in this project.

What have I designed?

The design of the lamp shape was initially based on Daniel Bull’s thingiverse model.

I completely redesigned and adapted all the elements to fit my particular project, namely the head, body and base, electronics, and system integration, as well as the program to make the system do what it does now. I detail each part in the Project Development page.

The electronics design has been a tall barrier to overcome. In 2022, I based my electronics schematic on an example schematic from Jean-Pierre Cocatrix’s KaRadio project and numerous examples of pwm modulation tutorials, which my Fab Academy instructor at FCT FabLab, Filipe Silvestre and I, adapted. Board design was heavily supported and structured by Filipe Silvestre. It really is an impressively skilled art to design electronics boards. Unfortunately, I was unable to overcome the mistakes I had made during the production of that project.

In 2024, my final board is heavily based on the Barduino Project, developed by Eduardo Chamorro Martin with the help of Josep Marti and Oscar Gonzalez, in Fab Lab Barcelona.

I adapted the electronics design with help and supervision from my current remote instructors, Adrián Torres and Pablo Nuñez.

What materials and components were used?

Component & Materials Value
fab:C_1206 Capacitor 0.1uF 0,17 €
fab:LED_1206 Green 0,11 €
fab:PinHeader_1x07_P2.54mm_Vertical_THT_D1mm I2S Amp 0,35 €
fab:PinHeader_1x03_P2.54mm_Vertical_THT_D1mm RUN/PROG 0,35 €
fab:PinHeader_1x06_P2.54mm_Horizontal_SMD FTDI 0,35 €
fab:PinHeader_1x02_P2.54mm_Vertical_THT_D1mm LEDOUT 0,35 €
Connector_BarrelJack:BarrelJack_Kycon_KLDX-0202-xC_Horizontal 0,49 €
fab:PinHeader_1x03_P2.54mm_Vertical_THT_D1mm LED POT 0,41 €
fab:PinHeader_1x03_P2.54mm_Vertical_THT_D1mm VOL POT 0,41 €
fab:TSM900N06CW RPG Mosfet 1,08 €
fab:R_1206 0 Ω 0,10 €
fab:R_1206 10 KΩ 0,11 €
fab:R_1206 447 Ω 0,09 €
fab:R_1206 1 KΩ 0,10 €
fab:R_1206 200 KΩ 0,11 €
fab:Button_Omron_B3SN_6.0x6.0mm RESET 0,65 €
fab:ESP32-WROOM-32E 3,35 €
fab:LM2596 Buck Converter 1,90 €
Copper plate 1,87 €
3d Printing Filament 29,90 €
Acrylic 1000x600mm 39,90 €
Audio Speaker 69,95 €
Max98357 I2S 3W Classe D Amplificador Dac 4,55 €
8mm Aluminium tube 50cm 1,30 €
7mm round head screws x18 5,55 €
Various brass plumbing fittings 22,00 €
Total 185,50 €

Where did they come from?

Electronics components came from Mauser and Amazon, but mainly from Daniele Ingrassia’s excellent FabFab Academy kit.

The audio speaker driver came from soundimports

3D printing filament was purchased from Prusa’s Prusament website

Acrylics were originally purchased from Dimatur and Dagol, although much of the project was completed with offcuts and leftovers.

Metal rods, pipe fittings, springs and screws were purchased at Leroy-Merlin and Bricomarché

How much did they cost?

Hard to quantify exactly, because much was used in experimentation, trial and error, purchased over the several years it took for me to complete the course. Some parts like the acrylic and ac-dc adapter were upcycled and had no inherent cost.

What parts and systems were made?

Every part that is described in project development was designed, prototyped and manufactured by me, except the 12V AC-DC adapter, the speaker driver, potentiometers and LED strip, metal rods, springs, pipe fittings and screws.

What processes were used?

For this project, I used 2d vector drawing, 3d modeling, 3d printing, laser cutting, pcb milling, soldering and programming. Almost every part was produced using digital fabrication. Some manual cleanup and manufacturing was also employed, especially in the metal connection parts.

What questions were answered?

I therms of accomplishment, I have to admit that the original objectives were naïve and over ambitious, even if the project isn’t heroic. Nevertheless, I’m happy with the current functionality, and I know the electronic board I made is capable of more functionality, which I intend to complete in the future.

A web-radio lamp doesn’t address very peculiar problems or needs, but I wasn’t able to do something as simple as that before Fab Academy, and now I can. I feel empowered.

What worked? What didn’t?

I had initially proposed to make a device that worked as a web-radio and bluetooth receiver, as well as work in a network of similar devices, in order to have several wireless speakers play the same source. I still believe that this is possible with software development, but for now, only web-radio functionality has been implemented.

One think that was an issue for a long time, power management, wasn’t solved with bespoke circuitry; I ended up resorting to a commercial buck converter board, which I integrated into my board. I wish I could have made a complete system on my own, but there were time and knowledge constraints.

How will it be evaluated?

Well, I suppose that if it works as demonstrated, it should be evaluated as a complete final project, with it’s inputs and outputs, a comprehensive enclosure and function, all produced with fab lab means, replicable by anyone with the same equipment and materials. I would consider it a moderate success, although not a complete market worthy product.

What are the implications?

I hope my project might interest others who love listening to music and would like to make a stream receiver; I am aware that commonly available smartphones are capable of much more than I’ve accomplished, but I like the idea of creating a device for a single purpose, that is versatile enough to accept other input devices and adaptable through smarter programming to become a more complete product, adaptable to other audio setups.
I’ve been inspired by creative technical projects, and I hope I contributed a little bit to the maker community, with this work.

Acknowledgements

I’d like to express my deepest gratitude to the following amazing people for supporting me throughout this incredible Fab Academy journey:

  • My amazing team at _ARTERIA_LAB, for not only sponsoring part of this wild ride but also for your unwavering support and understanding when I vanished into the Fab Academy project rabbit hole! You guys are the real MVPs!

  • Everyone at FCT Fablab, especially Filipe Silvestre, the previous Fab Manager who first introduced me to Fab Academy and kept cheering me on. My comrades Tiago Fernandes and Ricardo Marques, thank you for the laughs and friendship. And of course, 2020 Fab Guru Luís Carvão, your wisdom was fundamental; big thanks to FCT Library and Fab Academy managers Prof. José Moura and Ana Alves Pereira for all their support.

  • A massive thank you to Pablo Nuñez, Adrián Torres, and Nuria Robles for welcoming me at Fab Lab León, guiding me, and giving me that final push to complete Fab Academy. I can’t thank you enough!

  • To everyone in Global Open Time, your support and encouragement were like a caffeine boost for my soul. Thanks to Rico, Miriam, Jim, and everyone else who joined on Saturdays and shared this journey.

  • To my partner Natália Melo, a special, heartfelt thank you for your constant encouragement, infinite patience, and understanding. You’re my rock!

  • To my daughter and parents, for being my future and my past. Thank you for your understanding during my absences and for your unconditional love and support.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!

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Last update: June 11, 2024