Fab Boombox snaps together for under $100
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Matt Keeler first created cardboard templates for the case of his Fab Boombox music player, then laser-cut and snapped together the numerous wooden panels
The Fab Boombox was designed using tools and techniques from MIT's "fab lab" community for a final class project
Between the speakers, the unit's top panel has been made responsive to touch input from the user
The digital music files are fed into the MP3 decoder via an SD card slotted into the back of the Fab Boombox
The various laser-cut wooden panels of Matt Keeler's Fab Boombox snap together to form the outer shell for a digital music player with stereo speakers and a touch-sensitive UI
The top removed to expose the custom PCB, audio output/amplifiers, speakers and 9V power source
Music lovers wanting to listen to digital music files on the move are pretty much spoiled for choice these days, whether keeping things personal with players like the Cowon C2 I reviewed earlier in the month, or sharing with friends using something like the FoxL v2 wireless loudspeaker. If commercial designs don't really appeal, though, there is another route - you could always build your own. Matt Keeter's Fab Boombox is just such a device, designed and built for a final class project and featuring laser-cut, snap-together panels housing stereo speakers (said to be loud in a quiet room and quiet in a noisy room), a custom main control board with an MP3 decoder and a 9V battery power source. Digital music is fed into the player via an SD card slot, with the user controlling playback on a touch-sensitive interface.
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