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(@yasser)
Posts: 7
Active Member
Topic starter
 

I have a pair of speakers that I extracted them from an old laptop and I want to put them in a build

The problem is that I removed them from their enclosures

My question is if the sound quality and loudness will be affected with me using them without their original enclosures

 

I opened the plastic surrounding them so I'm wondering if the sound will change by using them outside of the plastic shell

 
Posted : 25/11/2023 4:10 pm
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marcdraco
(@marcdraco)
Posts: 673
Moderator at Large
 

Speakers outside of their box will sound awful (and very quiet) they will lack bass and sound tinny.

This is due to the way that sound pressure works and the speaker produces sounds pressure in both negative and positive peaks at the the same time (one from the front, the other from the back).

Sound pressure waves like this cancel out - only higher frequencies (which are more directional) are less affected. This is also why you'll see that sub-woofers are generally sold as a single device since low-frequencies will fill a room and our ears aren't easily able to discern the direction.

Matt did some really nice speakers recently but they might be more than you need. 

Speaker case design is an art (and a science) but you can get really neat results just putting the device in a SEALED box. Sealed is important and the stiffer the sides (the less they vibrate) the better. This is why professional speakers are often quite heavy - this required to kill the sub-sonic (technically low-sonic) frequencies from escaping and killing the bass. I say technically because sub-sonic is BELOW the range of human hearing - calling sub-bass speakers "subs" is a marketing gimmick that's just stuck.

If you have a 3D printer you can print a spherical case - several people have produced designs. A sphere is the best way to deal with the reverse pressure wave from the back of the speaker but it's an awkward thing to build.

A sealed box (ported bass is difficult to design) is very easy to do and if you make the case a little too small for the speaker's design - yeah, even that matters - you will get what's called an "acoustic suspension" which has the odd effect of strengthening the bass response and increasing the effective power handing.

Back in the day Tandy/Radio shack sold a pair of bookshelf speakers rated at 40W. On a whim I took one apart and discovered the actual speakers (called drivers) were rated at --- wait for it --- 5W! And they sounded great too.


Take everything I say with a pinch of salt, I might be wrong and it's a very *expensive* way to learn!

 
Posted : 27/11/2023 1:25 pm
yasser reacted
(@yasser)
Posts: 7
Active Member
Topic starter
 

 

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@marcdraco 

Thank you for your help

I knew a lots of information about sound thanks to you

I totally understand what you explained to me

I'm wondering if puting them inside a closed 3d printed all in one PC case would make a difference

 

Because the story is that I want to convert my laptop to an all in one PC that has a tablet shape

Well I can use them in their plastic enclosures but the issue is that they won't fit in the built

So is there any thing I can do or using them inside the built without their enclosures is gonna make some difference 

 

I will link images to the comment so you can see yourself

IMG 20231125 170817673

 

 
Posted : 27/11/2023 5:14 pm
marcdraco reacted
marcdraco
(@marcdraco)
Posts: 673
Moderator at Large
 

Great stuff, it helps that you know what I'm blithering on about. Laptop speakers are a bit of a joke aren't they? 

That looks like an acoustic suspension design unless I'm mistaken (which is always possible) but if you remove them from that mounting plate without damaging them: not always an easy feat, a 3D printed enclosure could do the job very well.

Suspension systems are easy enough to do with such a tiny little thing - you just need to make a cavity roughly the same size as the one in the mount and hot glue them into place. Any filler adhesive should work (epoxy resins come to mind) but they can be messy and you don't need them getting into the works.

I'd tend to do this rather than let them "vent" the rear-facing pressure wave into the enclosure because if they are designed for a very cramped, sealed environment they might just self-destruct if the volume is too high. 

I must admit to a fondness for AS over infinite baffle and porting because it's (a) simple for idiots like me and (b) you don't have all the calculations for a port or the foam padding for infinite baffle. PLA and similar plastics wouldn't be stiff enough anyway. It's not like we're trying to get HiFi or anything! 🙂

Looks like cracking little design you've got going on there. If 3D printing wasn't so chuffing expensive I'd have done the same with my old Yoga 380 which had an issue with the keyboard.

Here's the issue: yours truly was barking down the phone at the bank (this was months back) because they'd messed something up that cost me a bundle and while I was on hold - you know what a pain that inane music is after you've heard it loop for the umpteenth time - I figured I'd remove the faulty keyboard. I've done this many times on many customer laptops over the years but the Yoga was one I'd never done. So I studiously followed a YouTube link, didn't read the description and started popping bits to get to the access screws.

Which was fine --- up until the point that I had to remove a bezel - which wasn't there... Long story short, this one had the illuminated keyboard and that model has a different fitting and rather than pop the bezel, I popped half the keys in one fell swoop. *sigh*

That's what I get for trying to multi-task at my advanced age. 😉

So the £500 quid error at my bank cost me a £200 laptop. Please have a good laugh - I did. I should (and do) know better so I have to take the blame. It still works just without a keyboard and given that it's a touchscreen, I just folded it up and use it as a tablet. I just need to make something to cover the remains of the keyboard.

Moral of the story: don't try to fix something when you're stressed, you'll only make it worse.

Really though, please do enjoy this little anecdote, I'm as fallible as the next guy. I've got a huge pile of failed (well, technically underperforming) microphone heads for Matt's USB-c microphone to prove it. The most recent batch work a treat so now I'm doing some more, er, adventurous experiments to see just how small I get get this thing and still exceed Matt's original which sounds amazing. If the latest lot work, it's a game-changer, but I've learned not to promise anything until I have a working prototype. Working on the bench or in the sim is all well and good, but it doesn't always translate to a miniaturised board just an inch across that's still accessible to ordinary builders and people with limited experience at soldering small parts.

Keep us posted this is quite an interesting project and one that other people here are bound to enjoy. 


Take everything I say with a pinch of salt, I might be wrong and it's a very *expensive* way to learn!

 
Posted : 27/11/2023 8:06 pm
(@yasser)
Posts: 7
Active Member
Topic starter
 

Thank you for your help man 

O really learned now things from you

I agree with you in the part of screwing things up when you are stressed 

I experienced that myself too and it costs more fixing than just waiting and thinking about smart and calm ways to fix it

I will keep you updated for sure thank you for you support 💪

 
Posted : 27/11/2023 9:56 pm
marcdraco reacted