Modern Retro Epic Boombox Project!

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MechaMatt

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Oct 4, 2017
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Hi everybody!
I'm Matt and I think I may be an addict..
It started with a silver Sanyo M7735L which just happened across my ebay browsing, and it brought back memories of just how frickin' cool 80's boomboxes were! I had to have it!
I might upset the purists here but I then took it apart to admire the ancient innards, and had the idea of updating them by adding more modern functionality, such as Bluetooth. I soon got a bit carried away and 3D modeled the Sanyo and all of the components that I wanted to fit into it on my pc. But that wasn't enough...
Now the list of components has outgrown the tiny Sanyo, so I've scaled it up a bit (any ideas on where I can get the case 3D printed and how much?) and now includes;
D.A.B+ Radio,
Bluetooth,
DNLA media sharing, Alexa/Google assistant (haven't decided which is best off-line yet or if I can share my phone data plan),
a Raspberry Pie 3 (may upgrade yet),
Runs KODI media center and Emulator software (two player Street Fighter with awesome sound system anyone?)
a Raspberry Pie Zero (lighting),
x2 amplifiers,
x2 50w RMS speakers,
a 15w RMS 3 inch subwoofer (sealed box with passive radiator tuned to 60Hz)
x2 passive radiators,
a 28000 mah LiPo battery pack and balacing/charging circuit,
a 7inch 1080p monitor with touch-screen overlay (may need to run Android on the RP3 for that),
a blue laser back-lighting effect for the buttons/edges,
an 'Ambilight' LED system (that projects the colours on the screen against the wall behind the box when watching media),
another LED lighting rig for disco partying,
AND probably a few more things that I've forgotten!

I've got most of the bits now, still saving for the touch-screen tv, RP3 and a decent soldering iron/station. I've just moved house and have zero space to set up my test bench again :sad: .
I'm currently circuit testing the 3 relay charge / battery system with light bulbs to double check that it works before hooking up the expensive parts! I am very new to electronics but have learnt a lot very quickly (and at some expense!).
I'll order the Raspberry Pie 3 soon and start with the lighting systems, then program Alexa in and wire up the microphones.
Let me know how crazy you think I am in the comments (or pass on any wisdom), I may have lost my perspective slightly.. :blink:
orca-image-1502735863991.jpg_1502735864147.jpeg
 

MechaMatt

Member (SA)
Oct 4, 2017
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Ah, I may have failed to point out that the project will be housed in a scaled up, custom made, version of the original Sanyo boombox with my best efforts to maintain the original look. In the model it's over 500mm long!
 

caution

Member (SA)
Mar 25, 2014
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Wow what an intro, welcome to the community! You've come to the right place.
This is a pretty great project you've undertaking, impressive timeline on learning all that you have. Passion for boxes knows no bounds.

If you didn't have so much experience with 3D I'd suggest a retrofit into an original chassis, but it sounds like you're on top of it all.
 

T-STER

Member (SA)
Jul 14, 2014
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Bloody hell, your obviously bat shiat crazy so you will fit right in....

Seriously though that sounds like a mammoth project but hell i cant wait to see what happens. Document some steps if you can so we can follow along :thumbsup:
 

IVH

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Jul 4, 2016
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Cool project, but be careful with those lipo batteries, I bought one for my project and have regretted it ever since.

A much safer way would be to buy/assemble a 18650 lithium battery pack.

Good luck with your project!
 

redbenjoe

I Am Legend
May 6, 2009
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IVH said:
Cool project, but be careful with those lipo batteries, I bought one for my project and have regretted it ever since.

A much safer way would be to buy/assemble a 18650 lithium battery pack.

Good luck with your project!
right - those very compact 18650s are 3.6 volts
put 4 of them in serious and you have some power !!
 

IVH

Member (SA)
Jul 4, 2016
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redbenjoe said:
Cool project, but be careful with those lipo batteries, I bought one for my project and have regretted it ever since.

A much safer way would be to buy/assemble a 18650 lithium battery pack.

Good luck with your project!
right - those very compact 18650s are 3.6 volts
put 4 of them in serious and you have some power !!
Indeed, that's what I'm gonna do, I'll only need 3 in series as my Hitachi is only 12v. It's possible to fit a 12v 7000mAh battery pack in the original battery compartiment of this boombox, pretty impressive!
 
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