Let me show you an 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, which 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 used for a variety of projects.
I had one in mind since I have seen something on Pinterest that sparked my interest and looked quite easy to do yourself:
A bamboo speaker for phones!
There is a variety of offers of these speakers to buy, often decorated or painted nicely.
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 slightly 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 been dried thouroughly first. That might be okay for a small project but it is always to be recommended to use dried bamboo for projects.
The bamboo can still loose its shape and crack if it is used for projects before being dry. That can be desastrous for building projects as it compromises the stability of the bamboo.
The fitted bamboo cane
The tube ends are sawed off diagonally on both ends by a metall 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 to oak, therefore it is recommended 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 in intact!
In the middle of the tube the bamboo node is situated - a flat, tight knot that devides the stem with thin partitions. If I was building an amplifier for a phone I would make sure to only remove half of it to create a stand for the phone 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), so 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 tadaa!
Ready is the most sustainable speaker I ever owned. Alright, 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 tablet and takes away the metall 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 makes it worth to go and buy a piece of bamboo and get creative yourself, if you don't happen to have a bamboo grove nearby.
And here an inspiration to check out the bamboo sound:
