Saturday, April 29, 2006

Tech Link (Gadgets): A DIY MP3 Boom Box

Wow, a marriage of 01d sk00l and modern technology, playing MP3 on your old cassette player "Boom Box". I guess people just can't get the "coolness" factor of carrying a heavy Boom Box on your shoulder, dancing to the rhythm and whiling your night away on the streets together with a pack of your friends. If you're up to the challenge, there's a how-to-do linky, ummm........heavy!
Image owned by PCMag



You've doubtless seen the iPod Hi-Fi, Apple's supposed boom box, by now, and you've probably also realized that it's nothing of the sort. It's a tabletop audio system, less likely to venture outdoors than a New York City house cat. Why would Apple want to make a boom box anyway? You'll recall that in their heyday boom boxes were widely reviled, seen as an assault on the senses and a way of imposing one's musical tastes on others who likely did not share them.
MP3 Player Boom Box

Sometimes you want your music to fill a room, though, or to make it portable and listen to it in situations where earbuds just won't do. With that in mind, I developed the iBoom Lo-Fi, a portable music player that's more boom box than hi-fi. I found an old boom box, gutted its cassette player, and adapted it to hold an iPod instead. The result is a portable music player with a stealthy secret—its high-tech payload isn't obvious unless you spy the iPod inside the cassette compartment. I designed it so that the cassette transport buttons now control the iPod. That way, you don't have to reveal your cargo to start playing or to forward to the next song.

Unlike the iPod Hi-Fi (which leaves your iPod exposed to the elements), the iBoom Lo-Fi completely encloses and protects the iPod, so you can take it to the beach, on a picnic, or just to the kitchen while you paint the trim. You too can build an iBoom; it takes a minimum of tools and a bit of ingenuity. I budgeted $50 for this project. It came in at $46.—Putting It All Together >


Source:PCMag

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