How is/was your trip?

Alright, that works fine.

I emailed the guy at bigDAWGS again about the slider switch, and he said that the sound will stop once the tension on the switch is released. I assume this would eliminate the need to cut off the power when the box is closed if we can position it in the right place.

Honestly, I don't care how it works. As long as it does indeed work as it's intended to, it looks nice, and she likes it, it's fine with me

For the box dimensions, I'm waiting until I absolutely have to know them because I'm going to ask my girlfriend for a box if she already has one and if then I can just modify that one. I actually won't be giving her this until another couple of months, but I have a lot of free time on my hands and I get very bored.

 

Sorry, I've been relying on e-mails from AAC to let me know when a new post is made, but it's been spotty at best and finally logged in directly today.

Okay, the slider switch sounds like the way to go. You should be able to replace it with a momentary N.C. switch. The difference isn't in the switches used on the two units, but rather how they respond to the switch. The first one requires the user to push the button to start and stop: press then release (on), press then release (off). The second responds to slide open (press: on) and slide closed (release: off). The latter is how you'd like the unit to operate: open box (on), close box (off). No need to mess with cutting the power though I'd still suggest replacing the button batteries with AAA or AA batteries.

I actually won't be giving her this until another couple of months, but I have a lot of free time on my hands and I get very bored.

You definitely want to start working on it now. While the circuit itself should be relatively easy, you're going to need time to find and order the right switches to fit properly, get everything to fit and work right mechanically, test it, account for any snafus, etc. So you're on schedule in my opinion.

 

Don't worry about it, it happens.

So I still need to change the switch if I buy the slider switch? I just assumed that since it would turn on when it gets pulled (the box opens) and turns off when the tension is released (the box closes), it would basically serve the same function as a normally closed switch.

And yes, I am still going to swap the batteries out. I found a better quality holder at RadioShack that fits four triple a batteries with color coded leads.

 

So I still need to change the switch if I buy the slider switch?

It depends on whether you can make the included sliding switch work. I haven't looked at this specific unit in detail, but most come with a paper sliding switch that opens a fixed distance. If that is the case, you'll have to mount it in just the right position so the lid doesn't pull it out too far. This seems complicated to me as you'll have to secure the base of the switch to the box, but connect the moving portion of the switch to the lid at a specific location. It may detract from appearance as well. For these reasons, I suggest replacing it with a tiny momentary switch which will be less obvious and require less time and difficulty to mount. Of course, you can try to mount the included switch first and fall back on replacing it if needed.

 

Yeah, I get what you're saying. I definitely want it not to break ; )
I'll just buy the normally closed switch and replace it, I won't even try with the original

 

Hello, is anyone there?

 

Hello, is anyone there?

But, of course . . . do you have a question?

Has the box been selected?

 

No, not yet. I wasn't sure if the next step was to get all of the components together or if there was more planning to be done. I'll post back when I have the box ready.

 

At this point, you can go ahead and order the music player with the slider switch and begin playing with it if you'd like. The switches and battery pack will need to wait until you've selected (and hopefully have on-hand or drawings of) your box.

 

Is there any specifications this box should have? Are we going to be hiding the sound card behind or beneath something or will it be out in the open? Also, should the box have certain dimensions? She said she doesn't want a box that's too big, but I don't want to end up getting a box that's too small to fit all the components.

 

Well, according to the website, the slider USB module has the following dimensions: 5.10 x 2.90 x 0.24 inches. Looking at the picture, you can remove the speaker and/or PCB from the card stock and rearrange them to work in your box.

Taking a stab in the dark, I'd suggest getting a box with feet on it and mounting the speaker on the bottom facing downwards. In this way, the speaker isn't muffled and it is easier to hide.

It might sound better by putting the speaker on one of the faces, but covering the speaker then becomes difficult from an asthetics point of view. I suspect the playback will sound fine by putting the speaker on the bottom.

You'll want room for the speaker, battery holder and batteries (I suggest AAA to keep the size down) and room for small switches in the lid area. You'll also need to think about how and where you want to mount your LEDs.

 

Alright, the speaker on the bottom sounds like a good idea. I'll test it out and let you know if I like the way it sounds when I get it all together.

Right. So for the switches by the lid, the part where it closes down on should be a little thick, right? As for the LEDs, I was planning them on putting them on the lid itself. Now that I think about it, should the lid have a bit of a lip between the top and the end of the sides? This would be opposed to just having a flat piece of wood or whatever material the box would be made of.

 

Right. So for the switches by the lid, the part where it closes down on should be a little thick, right?

Depends. If you stick with basic mechanical switches, it just needs enough weight to push the switch down. Unless you make the lid out of paper, I think any material should do. You can find switches that require very little actuating force.

Hmm, you'd prefer the LEDs on the lid? Keep in mind you'll need to have two wires between the lid and box and you want to be careful you don't stress or pinch the wires when the lid is opened and closed.

A lip could work. If the LEDs are going on the sides or top, you'll want to start looking at LED shapes and how you'll mount them. The most common LED is a 5mm round, domed top which will stick out about a 1/4" from the sides. If you're comfortable learning to solder tiny pads, you could use SMD LEDs which are as small as the head of a small screw (say 4-40 or smaller). Mounting the LED to look good and hiding the wiring will be the biggest challenge here. You could put them on the bottom with the speaker and have the lights shine on the tabletop, but the effect would of course be different than mounting them on the side.

Another idea would be to use a pre-made strip of tiny LEDs and wrap it around the box or lid. Example: http://www.ledshoppe.com/ledstrip.htm

These may not be ideal as they require 12VDC and need quite a bit of current, but they give you an idea.

 

I completely forgot about having to hide the wires from the LEDs. I was just thinking about how I wouldn't want them to get in the way of retrieving whatever it is that is going to be in the box, and the easiest way to avoid that would be to put them on the lid.

About the LEDs being on the bottom, I would much rather have them be inside the box.

Also, having the LEDs stick out a little won't be a problem if I could figure out a way to mount them on the top.

If I were to run the power from the bottom of the box and made a small hole in the back near the hinge, would it work if I left some extra cord in the hole (that would sit flush on the box when the lid is opened but stick out a bit in the back when it's closed), would that work? I could cover it up with some colored tape or something of the sort so it's not as noticeable.

 

You just want to make sure a) the wire can't be pinched and b) the wire isn't going to be pulled taunt or rubbed excessively. Putting the wire at the back where the hinge is would be best as it would limit the movement of the wire.

If you want to have fun, you could use a wood box with two hinges and make one positivie and one negative and just run the wire to the hinges. This only works with two independent hinges made of metal on a non-conductive box such as wood. Just a thought.

 

I was actually thinking about looking for a wood box first and moving to other material I I couldn't get one I liked. That hinge idea sounds really good. Except, how would I get the wires from the bottom of the box, where the battery pack and sound card will be, to get inside of the box to the hinges?

 

Depends. Are you planning to mount the speaker, batteries, etc. inside or outside of the box (on the bottom)? If the latter, you run the wires behind the box or on the inside then just drill two tiny holes to run the wires out.

Alternately, if the speaker/etc. will be on the bottom outside the box, you could get a really long, small diameter drill bit and drill one each of the screw holes for the hinges through the entire box. Then route the wire through the hole. The caveat is the hole has to be smaller than the existing hole (so the screw hole isn't stripped) and getting the drill bit to stay straight may require a drill press. Just an idea.

 

Wait, I'm a little confused. Both of those solutions revolve around the sound card and battery pack being on the bottom of the box.
I intend to put them both on the bottom of the box so they aren't noticeable and obtrusive, but also easy to get to in case something happens

 

The last two options are if you plan to put the speaker/etc. on the outside bottom of the box. The first is if you plan to put it on the inside (bottom) of the box. Sorry, I may be describing things in my head with a few too many words.

The outside option works if you have feet (to raise the bottom off the tabletop) and some sort of lip so the observer does not "see" the electronics.

I'm not sure what options are available for this, so another idea is to find a box with feet, drill holes for the speaker in the bottom (for the sound), mount everything inside the box, and put a false bottom over everything.

 

Ohh, alright, I get it now.

That sounds like it would work really well! Would installing a fasle bottom be hard? Also, would it be easy to remove if something happens? Also, if I can find one, the box is going to be in the shape of a heart. Would that make this any more complicated or does it not matter?