Part 2
Finally I get a chance to update the site about changes to the Phonograph CD Player since I first posted the project. At the time, my main complaints were the tiny horn and equally tiny sound. Both problems have been fixed!
Out of sheer luck, I found an old speaker horn in a pile of scrap equipment evidently from a recording studio. The only problem was the hideous paint job. I stripped the paint then gave the horn a black and gold paint job which turned out great.
The gold "Oz" was stenciled on to the top of the horn with a template I made on the computer. A tip for those who want to use intricate spray paint templates: wet them down with water (or even better, spray starch) so they stick to the surface you are spraying on. This way the paper sticks to the surface and you get minimal "fuzz" around the edges.
The new horn required a new mounting hole. I filled the space left on the top with a small amber power light, and drilled a larger hole in the side for the new horn.
The new speaker and amp proved to be a bigger challenge. After the lackluster sound of the dollar store amp used in the previous build, I decided to invest a bit in quality and bought an X-Mini speaker for $20. This device has a built in battery and takes a 5V input, which fit my project's 5V power supply nicely.
Although a battery powered speaker is great for your MP3 player, in the case of the phonograph CD player it is a downside. The amp should turn on and off with the CD player, since it isn't being used otherwise. So the first thing I did was to open up the X-Mini and desolder the battery contacts from the circuit board. I am pleased to report the result is exactly as I hoped, the speaker only turns on when it gets 5V "charging" power.
Not everything went smoothly with the X-Mini installation. Although the speaker worked great when tested by itself, when hooked up to the same power supply as the CD player, it was horribly distorted. After much troubleshooting, I couldn't find any reason for this to occur, or any good solution. Although the power supply I was using on the project had far more capacity than the speaker could ever need, it evidently didn't like sharing the supply with any other equipment. So, with much rewiring, a new solution was born.
Instead of using an external 5V wall wart, I ran 120V wall current into the box and wired it up to TWO separate 5V adapters (generic iPhone style USB chargers). This solution lets the CD player and the speaker have their own separate supplies, and also allows me to run 120V AC directly to the retro neon power lamp.
With these mods finally done, I present to you the (hopefully) final version of the Phonograph CD Player. It sounds great and the horn projects audio well given the low wattage amp powering it. The sound has great bass and trebble, unlike the first iteration. Plus it makes a great art piece in my living room. I like the disproportionate size of the speaker horn when compared to the box, the project finally has the slightly absurd look I was aiming for.
