Guide to Home-made Speakers

A speaker is just a magnet, a coil, a frame and a cone or any other material that can make the air vibrate. Speakers are generally evaluated on the basis of their loudness, frequency range, enclosure, and style. While good quality sophisticated speakers are available with advanced state of the art technology, it is always fun to make one's own speaker at home.

It is an amazing fact that many people use home made speakers for their music systems, computers, laptops and many other equipment. Home made speakers have become very popular nowadays. Though they are not used professionally, they have a significant presence among the speakers used by youth and home users.

It is very easy to make a speaker at home. And many have even tried to make home made speakers out of plastic cups, business cards and magnets. To make a speaker out of a business card and a magnet we will need -

1 Magnet
1 Business card
Wire 32 or 34 AWG or 30AWG
Paper bond
Tape
Glue
Scissors
Ballpoint pen
Lego bricks or wood and
Ruler

First we should cut two long pieces of paper vertically, half inch wide. Then we roll one strip of paper over the magnet. Fix it with some tape but make sure that the tape is not fixed on the magnet because the cylinder needs to be removed from the magnet.

Then we roll the second strip of paper over the first one. It has to be done individually and not taped together. Then using a ball point pen we must draw three lines at each end of the business card keeping half inch distance from the corners. Then we must make folds along the lines drawn. Then remove the magnet and stick the paper cylinders with glue at the center of the business card. After the glue dries up, the magnet should be replaced. Then make the coil around the cylinder.

Now, using Lego bricks or wood we need to make the frame which must be exactly the size of the business card. Then we glue the magnet inside the cylinder. Then assemble the speaker and let the magnet fall and stick itself to the frame. It will allow the magnet exactly at the center of the coil.

Once the glue that attaches the magnet to the frame is dry, we can then remove the business card and the coil. Then we can remove the inner cylinder slowly. The last step is to put back the coil to the frame. We must ensure that the coil should not touch the magnet and should move freely.

This is just one of the many ways of making speakers at home. Home made speakers are very easy to make. It can also be treated as a learning process for the beginners. Though they make sound the home made speakers cannot produce quality sounds. So, they just remain restricted to home use only. Nevertheless, making your own speaker will give give a unique satisfaction.