Hot Air Balloon Lamp Speaker

People of all ages love to decorate their rooms, whether it be with posters or lights or plants. The introduction of ‘smart homes’ with integrated devices such as Amazon Alexa has seen a rapid rise in American homes. However, not everyone enjoys a device that surveillances audio 24 hours a day. If one needs a simple lamp with built-in speaker, then it takes some hunting to find. This project aims to give users a way to build their own lamp-speaker that is small enough to be placed on your desk. Key topics in this document include designing audio output, powering a large number of lights, and engineering education.

Tools

• Needle Nose Pliers
• Side Cuts
• Small Phillips Head Screwdriver

Materials

• Cardboard
• Banana Holder [Link]
• Fairy Lights [Link]
• Zipties

Electronics

• Arduino UNO Rev3 [Link]
• DC Motor [Link]
• DC Motor Controller [Link]
• 8 Ω Speaker [Link]
• Toggle Switch [Link]
• LED [Link]

To start, follow the wire diagram in order to connect the motor to the motor controller and microcontroller. If powered correctly, the light on the motor controller should turn on. Your components should look like the picture provided

Plug in your microcontroller to your computer then open the Arduino IDE. Once open, you can either click File > New Sketch, then copy the code above, or download the code and open it directly. You should first double check to if it will compile by clicking the checkbox in the upper left-hand corner. If the code successfully compiles, click the drop-down box and click on the Arduino that is detected by your computer, then click the upload button and wait. In order to increase or decrease the speed of the motor, change the number associated with "pwmOutput." This variable can be between 0 to 255, with 0 turning the motor off and 255 setting the motor to full speed. To change the direction of the motor, set "in3" on line 10 to "HIGH" and "in4" on line 11 to "LOW."

Once the code is uploaded, the motor should begin turning. Once it is turning you will be able to add your preferred design of a propeller at the end of it. It can be boat based or place based, the decision is yours!

The speaker assembly can be quite tricky.

Once you have decided on it, check where you have to plug it in, don't forget the power and the ground!! Then you will plug it into your microcontroller with which you will play the music you like. This can be from predetermined songs in mp3 format all the way to connecting it directly to a streaming source!

Remember to look at forums like Arduino IDE to get help if you get stuck in the code. These resources are incredibly helpful.

To begin, make sure to create a sketch like the one above. This will help you to see how you want the last of your parts implemented to your final lamp. Then take your coat hangers and straight then out. Create two sixteen-inch rods and bend them into circles about four inches in diameter and twist the ends to connect them. Then cut four eleven-inch rods and evenly hook them around one of the circles.

Now take the other ends of the rods and hook them to the other circle. To get the balloon shape take some needle nose pliers and bend them carefully. The last step is to take an eleven-inch rod and wrap it around the top of the balloon in the form of a triangle. This will let the structure be hooked onto the banana hook mount.

When the balloon frame is finished then wrap the LEDs around the vertical curved rods to provide the lamp lighting. To incorporate the motor take some cardboard and create a platform for the inside of the structure. This can be any size you like, big enough for the speaker. 

As for the speaker, make sure that it fits inside the platform (or balloon if preferred). Make sure to hook up the speaker before closing the platform/globe. Finally, take a look at your final project. You've made it this far, don't give up now!

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