Convertible Headphones

Convert a cheap pair of headphones to a great-sounding pair by hacking them to connect to earbuds.

Find a pair of cheap headphones. This pair was broken, but perfect for my purposes. Deconstruct it, keeping the headband intact and saving the ear cushions. All other parts are not needed for the final product. Cut a slit through the ear cushions for wired earbuds to fit through.

In order to connect your earbuds to the headphones frame, 3d print a plastic disc with indentions to hold the earbuds. The size of this disc might need to vary depending on the dimensions of the headphones you are repurposing, but mine has a radius of 30 mm and height of 10 mm. The .stl file I used is attached.

I used hot glue as a temporary fixative to attach the plastic disc I 3d printed in the last step to the scavenged headband and ear cushion with the intention to use a stronger glue later. Repeat for both sides.

The headphones are now functional, but I wanted to add some flair. To accomplish this, I laser-cut discs of wood veneer with a geometric design to affix to the outside. Three discs are pictured above only because the first had to be redone.

To finish the convertible headphones, I glued the veneer decorations to the outside of the headphones. Earbuds are inserted into the 3d printed plastic disc to play music.