Portable speaker design : Make your own Bluetooth speaker

Name: Portable speaker design : Make your own Bluetooth speaker
Rating: 4.8 (131 reviews)

Learn how to build your own portable boombox. Make a DIY battery powered speaker tailored to your requirements.

Created byMarius Tanasescu

Last updated 11/2021

English

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What you'll learn

Learn to design small sealed, bass reflex and passive radiator enclosures
How to properly make a battery pack
Choose the amplifier and the speakers for your particular application
What to look for when choosing and implementing the Bluetooth module
Make and awesome portable speaker to match your own preferences

Course content

7 sections • 34 lectures • 5h 18m total length

Contents3:14
Explore portable speaker design—from driver and amplifier selection to lithium battery packs with a BMS, Bluetooth modules, DSP, and box design tools, through progressive build projects.

Speaker selection6:26
Select the right speaker size to balance portability and bass for a portable speaker, prioritizing full range drivers and matching sensitivity, impedance, and power handling to the amp and enclosure.
Amplifier selection4:53
Choose an amplifier whose power delivery matches the speaker, ideally near or above its rating to minimize distortion. Battery-powered DC supply and a Bluetooth module affect performance and impedance considerations.
Disclaimer1:34
Deliver essential safety guidance for lithium ion cells, battery management systems, and battery packs, covering proper installation, trusted components, charging precautions, and a use-at-your-own-risk disclaimer.
Li-Ion Cells and battery packs8:35
Discover lithium ion cell selection and five-in-series battery packs (5s) with parallel cells (e.g., 5s2p) to balance voltage, capacity, and current for portable speakers, plus safety and assembly basics.
Battery management system (BMS)6:09
Learn how a battery management system monitors pack voltage, protects cells by cutting charging at full, disconnects the load when empty, and balances cells to prevent overheating.
Bluetooth module5:22
Learn how to select and install a Bluetooth module for portable speakers, covering version options, internal and external antennas, power supplies, stepdown converters, and isolation to reduce noise.
Miscellaneous items4:53
Box design5:07
Design portable speaker enclosures using sealed, bass reflex, or passive radiator boxes, modeled in WINA with an Excel volume tool and frequency-aware panel calculations.

Project 1 : Choosing parts5:40
Choose a two-inch full-range driver with four ohms, a neodymium magnet, and a sealed enclosure, then pair it with a compatible two-channel amplifier around 15 watts and a 12-volt supply.
Project 1 : Circuit diagram16:09
Wires a three-cell lithium battery pack to a DC socket, a 12V-to-5V step-down converter, and a Bluetooth module with an amplifier and on/off switch.
Project 1 : Box design16:43
Visualize amp, battery, and speaker layout; calculate internal box dimensions and leeway, then model a sealed box in SketchUp for a maximally flat response.
Project 1 : Building process part 19:56
Cut speaker box panels with a miter saw, assemble the box to fit the battery pack, wire and solder the battery management system, and test with a multimeter.
Project 1 : Troubleshooting3:52
Troubleshoot project 1 by addressing inrush current that cuts power. Use a thermistor 8–10 ohms between the battery and the amp to limit the surge; rapid restarts require cooldown.
Project 1 : Building process part 28:14
Assemble the amp and Bluetooth module, wire to the emp and battery pack, test with alligator clips, then paint and seal the box before mounting the speakers.
Project 1 : Finished box1:53
Showcasing the first finished Bluetooth speaker box, it demonstrates functionality despite a rough paint job and includes a sound test with a recorder and stereo mic to play a track.

Project 2 : Choosing parts8:09
Design and component selection for a diy portable speaker: choosing four full-range drivers, two per channel, paired with passive radiators and a Bluetooth amplifier, with battery and enclosure considerations.
Project 2 : Circuit diagram4:01
Summarize the circuit for the second speaker: six batteries in series, DC charger, button to battery level indicator, Bluetooth amplifier with a 100 µF capacitor, parallel speakers, external antenna.
Project 2 : Box design19:55
Design the project 2 box in SketchUp by calculating front-panel width from four 64 mm drivers, and two 93 mm passive radiators, then model enclosure volume, resonance, and excursion.
Project 2 : Building process24:40
Mark centers and drill holes for speakers and passive radiators, assemble a six-cell battery pack, wire the dc circuit, and finish by sealing, painting, and assembling the portable speaker.
Project 2 : Troubleshooting3:57
During project 2, the designer troubleshoots a speaker, suspects a faulty capacitor, bypasses it, and resolves passive radiator over-exertion by adding weights and sealing with silicone.
Project 2 : Finished box2:11
Finish the second speaker with improved paint, demonstrating the passive radiator exclusion poses no problem, while noting minor paint scuffs and delivering a good sounding speaker box.

Project 3 : Choosing parts5:37
Choose higher quality parts for a portable speaker by selecting two 3-inch woofer drivers in parallel, a 50-watt amp, a compact Bluetooth 5.0 module, and a battery-powered supply.
Project 3 : Circuit diagram1:38
Follow the wiring diagram for a portable Bluetooth speaker, connecting the battery pack, amp, and Bluetooth module through a step-down converter and isolator; wire the speakers in parallel.
Project 3 : Box design19:13
Design a bass-reflex speaker box for four drivers, with a cross brace, amp, battery pack, and ports tuned around 80 Hz.
Project 3 : Building process25:04
Guides building a portable Bluetooth speaker by marking panels, drilling for speakers and ports, wiring a battery pack, installing the Bluetooth module and buttons, and veneering and finishing enclosure.
Project 3 : Finished box2:12
Showcase the finished portable speaker in project 3, address the handle issue by using a rope for grip, and note antenna size options while testing the final box.

Project 4 : Choosing parts9:22
Choose a portable system with two stereo amps and a digital sound processor, Bluetooth 5.0, and Morrel midbass and tweeter in a base reflex enclosure built from 10 mm MDF.
Project 4 : Circuit diagram3:32
Explore the project 4 circuit diagram for a Bluetooth speaker, wiring an eight-cell pack, charger, Bluetooth module, DSP, 5V step-down, and amp jumpers to maximize volume, then plan enclosure design.
Project 4 : Box design14:46
Design a two-driver Morell bass box with recessed front, flush 20 mm grill, 10 mm panels, 11.5 liter volume, five cm ports, and use Excel to tailor amplifier and DSP.
Project 4 : Programming the DSP23:00
Learn to program a mini DSP for a two-amp, four-channel portable speaker by adjusting input gain, configuring crossovers and parametric EQ, and performing measurements to optimize left and right channels.
Project 4 : Building process26:10
Execute the building process for the largest speaker: cut panels, drill for base, speakers, and antenna, wire DC circuit, battery pack, Bluetooth module, DSP, and amps, then seal and paint.
Project 4 : Finished box3:10
Assemble the final speaker, install the grill, and highlight the improved paint job; resolve noise from the amplifier by using ground loop isolators with noise-suppressing RC cables, then test listen.

Requirements

The course demands little or no prior knowledge for the full range speaker designs. My previous courses will help.
My previous courses are needed (and measurement equipment) if you want to make 2-way designs with your own custom crossover.
My previous courses are needed (and measurement equipment) if you want to make a multi-way design using a DSP and need to make acoustical measurements for that.

Description

Design and build you own portable speaker

In this course you will learn all there is to know to design a portable speaker which will suit your needs. Not only you will have the satisfaction to build your own speaker, but will also have the opportunity to design every aspect of the speaker to your liking. Maybe you want a large battery pack, so the speaker will last a long time without charging. Maybe you don't particularly care about portability and want to use large speakers for high volume listening. It's all up to you on how you design it.

Course contents

This course will take every part of the portable speaker and teach you everything there is to know about them. Only after that you can make your own decisions on what you want to use for your next project. Here are some lessons which you should expect :

Battery pack : The battery pack can be built in many ways, depending on your available equipment. Also, it needs to be in accordance with your other components. There are many little secrets to help you in making a good and safe battery pack.
Amplifier : There are many mini amplifiers to choose from. The course will help decide which one you need according to the speaker that you choose. The amplifier choice will mainly dictate what type of battery pack that you need.
Speakers : The speakers are heart of your project. They will pretty much say how large your enclosure will be, what amp you need and all the other implications. We will talk about what parameters we need to look for and which enclosure will best match these speakers.
Bluetooth module and accessories : Besides the main components, you would be surprised how many other little components there are in portable speaker : buttons, connectors, voltage step-down circuits, isolators etc. These all need to be picked carefully and in accordance to your other components
The enclosure : Finally the box itself. While the box itself will be a compromise, as we need to make it as small as possible, we will talk about which design we should choose and how to get the most out of the available space.

Will there any box design examples?

You bet! We will have 4 box design and build example. From small to large. So you will have a step by step process of designing a portable speaker. How I chose the components, how the circuit diagram for all of the components looks like. What problems I encountered and how you should avoid them, or how to fix them if you run into them. Not only do I show you how to design them, but I will also show you how I built them and walk you along the way of the construction process. Furthermore, there will be examples of each enclosure type which are most popular for Bluetooth speakers : sealed, bass reflex and passive radiator.

Who this course is for:

DIY enthusiasts who want to make a portable speaker.
People who enjoy Bluetooth speakers but want to make one to their specific needs.

Portable speaker design : Make your own Bluetooth speaker

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction1 lecture • 3min

Portable speaker components8 lectures • 43min

Project 1 : Small sealed box7 lectures • 1hr 2min

Project 2 : Passive radiator box6 lectures • 1hr 3min

Project 3 : Bass reflex box5 lectures • 54min

Project 4 : High end speaker box6 lectures • 1hr 20min

Bonus build1 lecture • 13min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: