Randle (The Speaker Human)
The speaker human, called Randle, is a mechanical and electrical piece of technology that will serve as an aesthetic family friendly speaker. The idea behind this project was to make a more aesthetic Bluetooth speaker that is able to connect to any phone and have full range audio capabilities while being under $100 to make. After cutting the pieces for the body, assembling, and programing, Randle will be fully operational.
Supplies
1 48" 1.125" Diameter Wood Rod ($12) - Used for the arms, legs, and neck
Power Supply: 12VDC ($7) (https://www.parts-express.com/12V-DC-3A-AC-Adapter-Power-Supply-with-2.1-x-5.5mm-Center-Positive-Tip-with-Polarized-AC-Co-129-1204) - Used to power the system
Adapter ($2) (https://www.adafruit.com/product/368?gclid=Cj0KCQiAgribBhDkARIsAASA5bsyeaIUgAJ36AVYaCVzhzLNWN8eqGN1ttoKTHsua-3oFSIqPnP6bCoaAnyLEALw_wcB) - used to make the power supply compatible with the module board
2 Colored LEDs (Example: https://www.amazon.com/Diffused-10mm-mixed-color-pack/dp/B07KWFSLZG) - Only two will be needed since these will be used as Randle's eyes
Cardboard ($4) (Example: https://www.amazon.com/BOX-USA-BSP36-Corrugated-Sheets/dp/B01D274A9E) - One large sheet will be used to build the head
215v2 Module Board ($26) (https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-KAB-215v2-2-x-15W-Class-D-Audio-Amplifier-Board-with-Bluetooth-5.0-325-500) - Acts as the brain and the speaker system of Randle
Speaker 3” SONY ($3.88) (https://www.parts-express.com/Z152948311-3-Sony-Shielded-AV-Speaker-8-Ohm-299-548) - Acts as the mouth of Randle
Optional Black Baby Gloves ($4.63) (https://www.amazon.com/Slaxry-Winter-Gloves-Stretch-Mittens/dp/B01M29XMRU/ref=sr_1_35?crid=28F5UXHVDJUOG&keywords=baby%2Bgloves&qid=1668195877&refinements=p_36%3A-500&rnid=2661611011&sprefix=baby%2Bglove%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-35&th=1) - Decoration
Optional Baby Shoes ($2) (Size: US 4.5) (https://us.patpat.com/en/product/Baby-Toddler-Simple-Solid-Lace-Up-Prewalker-Shoes-541735.html?sku_id=20447263¤cy=USD&country_code=US&utm_origin=GMC&VT_CampaignID=18382141807&VT_GroupID=&VT_AdsID=&VT_Device=c&VT_Network=x&VT_Target=&VT_Promotion=pla&VT_SKU=20447263&VT_PPI=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwnP-ZBhDiARIsAH3FSRclPa7zghqOy2I1rAGkfu4hxOJQcxZ1FaFoIhNoBXl5ZtFYeaHmdAAaAqfFEALw_wcB&utm_source=seo-google&utm_medium=PPC-SEO&utm_campaign=619&utm_term=SEO-Google&utm_content=seo-google) - Decoration
Scotch Blue Painter's Tape 2090 (https://www.amazon.com/ScotchBlueTM-Painters-Tape-Core-Yd/dp/B00004Z4DU) - Used to hold the structure inside and out
Double Adhesive Tape (https://www.acehardware.com/departments/home-and-decor/office-supplies/tape/90968) - Used to support structure on the inside
Small Box (Shoebox or other box of equivalent size) (Example: https://www.amazon.com/Pantryware-Essentials/dp/B0BG3HDSY7) - Acts as the body of Randle
4 10K ohm resistors (Example: https://www.amazon.com/Resistor-Tolerance-Resistors-Limiting-Certificated/dp/B08QRJZ82J) - Required for the eyes
Wires (Example: https://www.amazon.com/MCIGICM-Breadboard-Jumper-Cables-Arduino/dp/B081GMJVPB) - Required for the eyes
Verifying Components
The first thing to do is verify that the power supply, speaker, and the module board are working as expected. Use the cables provided by Parts Express to make the connections, and see the connection diagram below for assistance (https://manuals.plus/m/765d9111e0bc6f8ce6412ab148d876c54e95ba148cb61b9aa7e1d59d4c634c79_optim.pdf). Now to actually test the speaker, connect to the module board via Bluetooth and play audio.
Start Construction of Head
Once confirmed the speaker system works, we can now start constructing the head. The head will fit the module board and the speaker in the smallest rectangle possible. Remember the speaker will act as the mouth, and the module board will act as the brain. Also remember that the Cardboard used to construct the head will need openings to make the input connections to the module board.
The cardboard will be cut to the shape and dimensions shown in the picture and will be folded into a box to house the electronics. On the front piece for flap 3, the dotted lines on the side will be cut, but DO NOT cut the top line, that will be the folding line. No other dotted lines will be cut.
Assembling the Head
The cardboard pieces will now be fully assembled. Using the same schematic from the previous step, the head piece will be the first will be used first. Fold flaps 1 and 2 toward each other by folding on the dotted line. Next the base will be taped to the bottom of the head piece. Make sure to tape flap 1 and 2 to the base to secure it. Next the front will be taped to the front of the head. Flap 3 will be folded up on the top dotted line and will be used later. Make sure to tape all pieces of carboard together.
Mounting Speaker and Module Board
The speaker will be mounted to the bottom of the flap of cardboard labeled 3 in the schematic. There will be double sided tape placed between this flap and the speaker. The Protective Flap will be taped to the pack of the speaker on the magnet, this is where the amplifier will be mounted. Mount the board vertically as shown in the pictures with double sided tap. Make sure to press firmly when sticking tape to get a secure connection. The small breadboard with the LED wiring will be mounted on top of flap number 3, the flap that the speaker is mounted to. This will also use double sided tape. Holes will need to be made for the LED's to go through, the holes should be big enough the LED's go through, but small enough that the LED's don't move around too much.
Connecting the Wires
Next the wires for the speaker and power supply will need to be connected to the module using this document as a guide. The speaker connections that were used are (R+) and (L-)
ONLY CONNECTIONS 1 AND 2 ARE USED (https://manuals.plus/m/765d9111e0bc6f8ce6412ab148d876c54e95ba148cb61b9aa7e1d59d4c634c79_optim.pdf)
For the LED's, follow the attached schematic. A breadboard will be used to attach the wires for the LEDs. The Power and Ground wires for the amplifier module board and the LEDs breadboard will be attached to the same power source using the adapter. How to connect the power supply to the amplifier and LEDs is shown in the pictures. The yellow and black wires are power and the orange are ground. All of the Resistors used at 10K ohms. In the first schematic, the digital breadboard example, the Red wire is power and the Black wire is ground. In the last 2 pictures the power is Black and Orange, and ground is Red and Yellow.
Making the Body
Any small box can be used as the body for Randle as nothing will be mounted inside it. 5 holes will be cut to put in pieces of wood to be the arms, legs, and neck. The wood rod will be cut into 4, 6" pieces and 1, 12" piece. The 12" piece will be used as the neck and will run from the bottom of the inside of the box out of a hole in the top. The head will later be mounted on this rod. The other 4 pieces will be used as arms and legs as shown in the picture. If flaps are lose on the box, tape them shut.
Final Assembly
The final step is to fully assembly Randle. An extra roll or empty roll of tape will be placed on the box to help support the head as shown in the picture. Double sided tape will the be put on the top of the neck rod and the head will be placed directly on top of that. Make sure to press the head firmly onto the neck and hold for about 1 minute to make sure the tape fully sticks. Tape can then be put around the bottom of the head and on the neck to secure the head even more.