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Building a PVC Pipe Speaker

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You need…

  • PVC Pipe
  • Square of plastic bag
  • Tape
  • Two magnets
  • 6-m length of wire in a spool

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Add the Diaphragm

The plastic bag becomes the diaphragm of your speaker. Stretch it over the mouth of the pipe and tape in place such that it is very taut. It should feel like you’ve made yourself a little drum. The following experiment does not work well if the plastic is not quite taut.

The bag will stay taut only if the tape is wrapped around the plastic and touches the pipe.

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Wrap The 6 m Wire

Wrap the 6 m wire in the spool around the mouth of the pipe. It is recommended to not remove the wire completely from the spool before you start wrapping it to avoid tangling. You can use some more tape to fix the wire in place, or you can twist the two ends of the wire to keep everything snug. The speaker will work best if the coil is close to the end of the pipe.

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�About the Wire�

Notice that the last few centimeters of each end of the wire looks like copper. The rest of the wire looks red. Most of the wire is covered with red insulation. The insulation has been stripped off of the two ends of the wire, leaving the copper wire exposed. If you twist the un-insulated ends together, you might be unhappy with the performance of the speaker.

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Add the Magnets �The End

  • Turn the PVC pipe over.
  • Drop in a magnet.
  • Stick the other magnet on the other side of the plastic such that the diaphragm is being squeezed between the two magnets.