Adapted Speaker Toy

Many children with mobility disorders struggle playing with their traditional baby toys, however not many understand how easy and affordable it is to modify existing toys to work with 3D printed buttons, which makes kids able to play with them and impact their surroundings. Please note that this speaker will only function when the connected button is depressed. The button does not pause the music, it only restricts the speaker’s ability to play music. You can find the instructions for the buttons HERE.

Who we are:

We are the Digital Dragons, a middle school FTC (First Tech Challenge) team. This project began when the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center (CDRC) in Eugene OR reached out to us, requesting adapted toys and buttons for their patients. Music is heavily requested, especially for older patients, so this is a really great toy to modify. We modified several toys and built buttons, however we discovered that this speaker had no modification instructions. With this fact, we figured it out and created these instructions to take you through the process.

Materials:

TechStar+ Wireless Bluetooth Portable Waterproof Shower/Car/Outdoor Speaker found HERE

3.5mm Female Jack to Bare Wire Open End TRRS 4 Pole Stereo 1/8" 3.5mm Jack Plug found HERE

Non leaded rosin core solder

Tools:

Screw Driver (Philips head)

Electric Drill

1/8” (3mm) drill bit (optional brad point)

Wire snips

Wire strippers

Soldering iron

Soldering iron fume extractor (technically optional but good to have.)

Heat shrink (optional)

Heat gun (optional)

Hot glue gun (optional)

1. Ensure that speaker is turned off.
2. Flip over button, and tug the suction cup out of its holder.
3. Use screwdriver and remove all of the screws from the bottom. Place in a safe location.
4. Gently pull apart speaker, careful not to tear any wires in the process.

1. Ensure that you know where you are drilling, now that the speaker is open, and mark a good spot.
2. I recommend on the opposite side from the grey charging port below the seam where it becomes rounder and wider.
3. With a 1/8” drill bit and electric drill, drill said hole.
4. Ensure that it is far enough away from the bottom so that it does not fall apart. Make sure that the hole is straight and not angled.

1. Take your AUX jack and insert the wire end into the hole you drilled, ensure that both cleanly pass through.
2. Tie a knot, and push it as far back as possibly so that the cable can't move around or out of the speaker case.

1. With wire snips, snip the black wire coming off of the speaker around the halfway point.
2. Using wire strippers, strip off about 1/8 of an inch from the end of the black wire on both snipped sides.

1. Connect the red wire from the AUX jack to the snipped black wire coming from the speaker by twisting the two together. Ensure that they don't come apart easily.
2. Take your heated soldering iron, and use the tip to heat the wires. Gently push a strand of solder into the wires until it starts to melt into the wire strands.
3. When the solder joint is solidly covered in solder, and when you tug on the joint (careful to avoid the hot solder) it doesn't come apart, you've fused the wires solidly.
4. Well done! Perform the same steps for the remaining black wire coming from the AUX jack, and the other snipped black wire that you cut earlier, coming from the circuit board.
5. 
   

1. To prevent the solder joints from short circuiting inside the speaker, slide a small amount of heat shrink over the solder joint, and using your heat gun, shrink it down until it doesn't get any smaller.
2. Repeat for the other joint and be careful, it's hot!
3. (Alternatively, if you don’t have a heat gun, you can just apply a small amount of electrical tape to cover each solder joint.)
4. Unlike in this photo PLEASE be cautious with the heat gun as not to heat up or point at the sensitive electronics and LIPO battery, this could cause some serious issues. Also try to avoid heating up the plastic, as it will warp and become hard to put back together. Only point it at the wires.

1. Route your AUX jack cables along the bottom of the case, ensuring that they are out of the way. If you wish, you can hot glue them down, but this step is only optional.
2. Ensure that the wires aren't strained.
3. Otherwise, clear up your workspace, you're almost done!

1. Align the screw posts and holes inside of the case, being careful not to catch any wires in the process.
2. Merge the two halves of the speaker.
3. Ensure that the actual speaker itself doesn't fall out of its nook in the case while you do this.
4. Then, simply install the screws you removed earlier, and push the suction cup back into its slot.

Well done! You have successfully modified a toy to be activated with a button! To use, simply hold down the power button on the speaker until a blue light turns on. Then pair it via Bluetooth (following the directions that came with the speaker) and play some music through it. If you did it correctly, nothing should happen yet. This is expected. Simply plug in the button to the AUX jack, and press it down. Music should start playing through the speaker now. The button does not pause the music, it simply restricts the speaker's ability to play music. The speaker only works when the button is depressed.