Passive, Wooden Amplifier for Cell Phones

[Lodgepole]

The photos below are of wooden, passive amplifier that I have scaled up to fit an I Phone 6. The original plans are from Steve Good's website and was for an I Phone 5. These 3 amplifiers are gifts for family & friends.

Please note the phone, in the photos, is my antique, cell phone. It is only in the photo as a display.

I have included a link to Steve Good's website. Steve's website is geared for scroll saw use. He has an extremely large number of unique patterns for all sorts of projects. He operates this website on donations.

I have also included a link on YouTube for this amplifier. That way, you can judge for yourself the difference in the sound volume and quality.

On a side note, I was amazed at the number of different designs for wooden, passive amplifiers. There was also an amazing number of non wood passive amplifiers. Some are made from bamboo, others from PVC pipe and still others from cereal bowls.

I hope you find this of some interest.

http://stevedgood.com/catalog/

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... assive+amp

DSCN3625.JPG (578.13 KiB) Viewed 13110 times

DSCN3627.JPG (573.43 KiB) Viewed 13110 times

DSCN3629.JPG (568.96 KiB) Viewed 13110 times

DSCN3631.JPG (652.5 KiB) Viewed 13110 times

DSCN3632.JPG (676.32 KiB) Viewed 13110 times

[algale]

Nifty!

[TomH]

How big is the hole in the front?

[Lodgepole]

The hole in the front 2 1/8". This is the largest Forestner bit I have.

I probably should also mention that I glued cork feet to the bottom of each unit. My brother-in-law recently put new windows in his house. So, the 1/2" square cork spacers, used in the packing of these windows, was perfect.

[TomH]

The hole in the front 2 1/8". This is the largest Forestner bit I have.

I probably should also mention that I glued cork feet to the bottom of each unit. My brother-in-law recently put new windows in his house. So, the 1/2" square cork spacers, used in the packing of these windows, was perfect.

Thanks! I have a 2 in. Forster bit so I'll give it a try.

[reible]

So if one wanted to make this for another brand of phone I guess the size would need to be changed and if you have a case that counts too. Then there is the sound hole, is that the right term? On my phone it appears to be on the back about an inch up and 5/8" from the edge so that has to be taken into account.

I might just make one of these. I like the stacked idea too bad I don't have a nice collection of colorful woods to build from...... oh well. I might have enough walnut and birdseye maple, hmmmmmm well we will see.

Thanks for sharing!

Ed

[reible]

So I wonder how critical this stuff is? I did a design to fit my phone and think I'll give it a try. I guess someone must have optimized these but with so many designs out there it pretty hard to tell a good design from a bad design.

This is the ruff design subject to some tweaks.

ScreenHunter_120 Mar. 14 17.12.jpg (86.58 KiB) Viewed 12924 times

I guess after I build mine I'll know how I did.

Ed

[Skizzity]

These are pretty cool. I have an HTC One with dual front facing speakers. So, I would need dual ports. I've been running ideas around in my head but haven't put anything to paper yet. For me, I think the best way would be placing the phone in landscape. It would look more like a boombox.

[charlese]

So I wonder how critical this stuff is? I did a design to fit my phone and think I'll give it a try. I guess someone must have optimized these but with so many designs out there it pretty hard to tell a good design from a bad design....

Ed

I like your design, Ed. Also wonder how something like this would work. I've had this photo in my computer for the last year, but haven't gotten a round tuit. It reminded me of the folded horn speaker enclosure, I built years ago.

I-PHONE SLOTS.jpg (27.37 KiB) Viewed 12892 times

The important parts of this design are the widened slots toward the "speakers" and the rounded back of the speaker hole.

[reible]

I'm not all that into phones and I use what my son gives me. Mine has only one speaker, so it sounds like some phones have two speakers........ OK I hear the "sounds like" playing in your mind.

I wonder how they create the shape of the "speaker" in your photo, perhaps a cnc machine? I guess if have to have that I would make the back in two pieces one being a square that I could put on the lathe. Then turn the shape as best I could and glue it back together and do the passage ways. Do you have any ideas?

I made a speaker for one of my sons who was a base guitar player in a band. They nicknamed it "The Beast". That is where I learned to love spreadsheets, I designed the ports to be 3/4" thick... a cleaver trick of playing with the volume of the enclosure, speaker specifications, and a few other details. When we tested it I was amazed at how well it worked. At the low end you couldn't hear it but if you stood in front of it you got this strange feeling in your body. I forget if it was 17 or 18 Hz and only down 3-1/2 db. At the end of its life we disassemble it and saved the parts but I don't know what he ever did with them.

I most likely still have to books I used during the design somewhere and I might have to testing results too. Ah the good old days.

Ed

So I wonder how critical this stuff is? I did a design to fit my phone and think I'll give it a try. I guess someone must have optimized these but with so many designs out there it pretty hard to tell a good design from a bad design....

Ed

I like your design, Ed. Also wonder how something like this would work. I've had this photo in my computer for the last year, but haven't gotten a round tuit. It reminded me of the folded horn speaker enclosure, I built years ago.

I-PHONE SLOTS.jpg

The important parts of this design are the widened slots toward the "speakers" and the rounded back of the speaker hole.