Easy DIY project to improve the sound of your phones and tablets
At this years spring harvest, we cut one of the biggest stems of bamboo with 7 cm in diameter, thats almost 3 inches!
Botanics define bamboo as a weed. That feels like a weird definition once you are holding a stem in your hand the size of a small tree. With this diameter, the cane can be practical for a variety of projects.
I have seen something on Pinterest that sparked my interest and looked quite easy to do:
A bamboo speaker for phones!
There is a variety of offers from these speakers to buy, often decorated or painted.
The price for one is around 30$, which seems quite a lot for a piece of bamboo, but the idea is good. The tube enhances the sound once you change the cylindrical form.
Here I build a version of the bamboo speaker, that might seem a bit oversized. But I intend to use it for my tablet, so the tube definitely needed to be longer!
I have made an exemption to use bamboo that hasn’t dried first. That might be okay for a small project but it is always recommended to use dried bamboo for projects.
The bamboo can still lose its shape and crack if you use it for projects before being dry.
That can be disastrous for building projects as it compromises the stability of the bamboo.
The fitted bamboo cane
Saw off a piece diagonal on both ends with a metal saw to lead the sound through the tube and to amplify it.
The wood of the bamboo is equal to the toughness and compressive strength thus I recommend to use a steel saw. That helps to keep the cortical layer intact as well.
A protective treatment isn’t necessary. The surface of the bamboo is water-repellent and fire-resisting. That means the priority is to keep it intact!
Suitable for phones
In the middle of the tube is the bamboo node – a flat, tight knot that divides the stem with thin partitions.To build an amplifier for a phone I would only remove half of the partition, that allows the display to be completely seen and used.In this case, I remove the whole partition with the help of a thinner bamboo cane ( a steel rod is also good especially for thick-walled partitions). This way the speaker boxes of the tablets are completely covered.
After measuring the tablet I drilled holes on top of the bamboo to saw the notch.
I sand the ends and the notch for a final touch and tada!
Ready is the most sustainable speaker I ever owned. All right, in this size, it is not very practical to pack, but it makes a great home decor!
And the most important: It actually improves the sound of the tablet and takes away the metal clang. Of course, there is no volume control, but I must say I am quite pleased with the result of my work.
A simple project, that is easy to make yourself. If you don’t happen to have a bamboo grove nearby, there is always the chance to buy bamboo instead!
What you need:
Bamboo Cane
Metal Saw
Drill
Tape Measure
And here an inspiration to check out the bamboo sound: