Hack31.Portable PSP Speakers

Hack 31. Portable PSP Speakers

Build a cloth strap or pouch to hold two portable speakers attached to your bag. Plug these speakers into your PSP, then share your tunes with the world.

There has been a substantial increase in specialty speakers for MP3 players, but I still haven't seen anything that is really portable. At least nothing that is strap-on-your-backpack portable. All the ones I see are somewhat bulky and heavy. Headphones are great, but the noise-canceling ones can get you killed if you're riding your bicycle around a busy intersection. Also, with some portable speakers, you can really spread your tunes à la a boom box on the shoulder.

This is probably best done combined with the amp hack [Hack #16]. A little amplification would ensure being able to hear your music when there's a ton of noise from heavy traffic.

3.12.1. Things I Used

• Two old computer speakers

• Velcro

• A needle and thread

• Regular black cotton fabric

3.12.2. Putting It Together

The speakers I used were some old computer speakers that didn't require an AC adapter or any battery power. If you don't have any speakers around, you can go buy some really cheap ones at pretty much any store that sells computer equipment. However, the nicer the speakers you use, the nicer this will be when you're done. Admittedly, I was trying to keep this pretty cheap.

Unless you want to wire them yourself, you need to make sure your speakers have the right plug-in (3.5mm) before taking them apart. Otherwise, you're either wasting time or have a good deal of rewiring in your future.

Before starting, I plugged the speakers into my PSP and turned up the volume to see whether they would adequately pump up the jam.

If you're using small, old computer speakers like I did, the next step consists of getting the parts (the actual speakers and wire) out of those plastic shells. I removed all the screws I could find in each speaker. I then used my screwdriver to pry open the case. The plastic just sort of snapped open like the battery cover on a remote. This wasn't too bad. After getting them open, however, I realized that the cable going to the speakers went right through a solid little hole in the plastic. I took some pliers and some heavy-duty clippers to cut and tear away at the plastic until I freed the wires. This took a while and was a bit of a pain, but I just had to hack away at that plastic until I got the wire free. Make sure you don't tear up the wire and that it stays attached to both the speaker and plug. If you have to cut the wire, you should be able to splice it back together; if you're careful, this shouldn't be an issue.

After freeing up the speakers, it was time to make the cloth wraps for the speakers. I bought a foot of the cheapest black cotton fabric that I could find (feel free to use whatever color best matches your backpack or messenger bag). I then cut two pieces of fabric at about 11 x 5 inches each. There's no perfect way to size this, but this size would fit around my backpack straps fine while allowing some wiggle room in the design. These measurements will vary depending on the size of the speakers and where you'll be attaching them. Just make sure to cut them big enough so you can trim off the excess later. Having to sew additional cloth on would make it look like you don't know how to cut and sew, and that's just lame.

I laid one of the speakers on one of the pieces of fabric about one inch high and five inches over. I then folded the fabric over lengthwise and started sewing. I sewed lengthwise and at the ends to keep the cloth together. Make sure not to sew through the wire. It gets a little hard to do when you're trying to keep that speaker in there. Repeat the sewing procedure with the other piece of cloth and speaker. Make sure that you have the wire coming out the right way to meet up with the other one when the speakers are facing the same direction.

Now the speakers need to be secured in the middle so they don't slip out, and the Velcro needs to be attached. Carefully sew around the perimeter of the speakers, again making sure not to accidentally run your needle and thread through the wire. Cut four 3-inch pieces of the rough Velcro, and four 3-inch pieces of the smooth Velcro. I sewed the rough "catchy" pieces of Velcro (the part with the hooks) on the end where the wires were emerging, and I had the wire running between the two pieces of Velcro. I also had them facing the same direction as the back of the speakers. This way, when you wrap the strap around something, the wire will be on the outside. I then put two pieces of smooth Velcro on the opposite side, facing the same way the speaker was facing. After you are done with all this sewing, each speaker should look similar to Figure 3-39.

Figure 3-39. One speaker sewn in place, with Velcro attached

Make sure that your Velcro is attached so it will line up correctly when wrapping it around something. I accidentally put the rough and smooth Velcro on one of the speaker pouches facing the same way. This resulted in me having to cut that one upwhile not cutting the wireand sewing it back together. It was really a pain.

After the Velcro is attached in the appropriate spots, so that when you wrap these straps around something, it will stay, you're done. If that was confusing, please refer to the picture of the final product to figure out what I'm talking about (see Figure 3-40).

Figure 3-40. Speaker in cloth around my hand

3.12.3. Attaching the Ghetto Blasters

Once the sewing is done, your speakers should be ready to attach to something. I strapped them onto my backpack straps (see Figure 3-41), plugged them into my PSP, and rode around on my bike for a while to test them. They worked pretty well, but they do have a tendency to slip down the straps.

3.12.4. Hacking the Hack

The straps I made are pretty durable, but I do worry about the life of my speakers. They aren't really protected in there, and they definitely have no backing to keep them safe. Depending on the size and quality of your speakers, you might want to put them in some sort of casing before sewing them all up. Just make sure it's nothing that will hamper the sound. You could probably put them in some cardboard [Hack #12]. Just test them out in whatever container you choose before starting all the sewing, and make sure to size the fabric accordingly.

My straps also have a tendency to slide down my backpack straps when biking. The only time they don't is when they are facing straight up. Unfortunately, it is harder to hear them like this since my head is usually bent forward while biking. I still haven't figured out the best way to keep them from sliding down, since I am reluctant to sew more Velcro into the actual straps of my backpack. You could use some sort of unobtrusive clipping mechanism. Mine are light enough that paperclips can keep them in place.

Figure 3-41. Speaker wrapped around backpack strap

Finally, there are a few things that can be done differently with the fabric and sewing. I just went for some black fabric since my backpack was black. However, you can really personalize your straps with different colors or printed fabric. If you're really trying to keep this cheap, just use an old shirt or something that you never wear anymore. Your straps can also look a lot better if you know how to use and have access to a sewing machine. As you can see from the pictures accompanying this hack, I didn't have this luxury.

Kevin Sample