I've got a Raspberry Pi 3 and the official Raspberry Pi Touchscreen that
I'm working on building a case for. I've come across a design decision I'd
like a little input on.

I have an amplifier and speaker arrangement to give me basic sound. I'm
using 2 small speakers, about 1" by 2". The speakers are in their own
plastic enclosure with a provision to mount the speaker using a
sufficiently small screw, probably 2-56 maybe 1-72. FWIW, the case will
probably be pine.

It makes sense to make some form of grill or hole in the wood to make sure
the sound can pass unobstructed. I could possibly cut 1/8" wide slots with
an endmill or drill a series of holes. Which would be better, or does it
matter?

Also, I'd like to keep little bits of debris from sticking to the speaker
cone. Would a piece of cotton cloth or something similar work as "speaker
fabric" without affecting the sound too much?

Thanks,

Puckdropper

"Puckdropper" wrote in message
b.com...

It makes sense to make some form of grill or hole in the wood to make sure
the sound can pass unobstructed. I could possibly cut 1/8" wide slots with
an endmill or drill a series of holes. Which would be better, or does it
matter?

Also, I'd like to keep little bits of debris from sticking to the speaker
cone. Would a piece of cotton cloth or something similar work as "speaker
fabric" without affecting the sound too much?

Puckdropper

Simplest might be to just bore a hole a little smaller than the diameter of
the speaker cone, and glue a very light piece of cloth across the opening
between the wood and the speaker. Shouldn't have much of an effect on the
sound, if any. Maybe your wife or girlfriend has a pair of black nylons
she's about ready to throw away ;-)

Tom

On 3/28/2016 5:46 PM, tdacon wrote:


"Puckdropper" wrote in message
b.com...

It makes sense to make some form of grill or hole in the wood to make
sure
the sound can pass unobstructed. I could possibly cut 1/8" wide slots
with
an endmill or drill a series of holes. Which would be better, or does it
matter?

Also, I'd like to keep little bits of debris from sticking to the speaker
cone. Would a piece of cotton cloth or something similar work as
"speaker
fabric" without affecting the sound too much?

Puckdropper

Simplest might be to just bore a hole a little smaller than the diameter
of the speaker cone, and glue a very light piece of cloth across the
opening between the wood and the speaker. Shouldn't have much of an
effect on the sound, if any. Maybe your wife or girlfriend has a pair of
black nylons she's about ready to throw away ;-)

For that application (all things considered) he could probably glue a
piece of cheese cloth over the opening and never know the difference
other than a VERY slight degradation in volume. In short, most anything
would work. Nylons would work but I'd have some concerns about longevity.

On Mon, 28 Mar 2016 18:32:45 -0500, Unquestionably Confused
wrote:

On 3/28/2016 5:46 PM, tdacon wrote:


"Puckdropper" wrote in message
b.com...

It makes sense to make some form of grill or hole in the wood to make
sure
the sound can pass unobstructed. I could possibly cut 1/8" wide slots
with
an endmill or drill a series of holes. Which would be better, or does it
matter?

Also, I'd like to keep little bits of debris from sticking to the speaker
cone. Would a piece of cotton cloth or something similar work as
"speaker
fabric" without affecting the sound too much?

Puckdropper

Simplest might be to just bore a hole a little smaller than the diameter
of the speaker cone, and glue a very light piece of cloth across the
opening between the wood and the speaker. Shouldn't have much of an
effect on the sound, if any. Maybe your wife or girlfriend has a pair of
black nylons she's about ready to throw away ;-)

For that application (all things considered) he could probably glue a
piece of cheese cloth over the opening and never know the difference
other than a VERY slight degradation in volume. In short, most anything
would work. Nylons would work but I'd have some concerns about longevity.


Cheesecloth is too pores (SP) too soft/stretchy. Nylon's would be
better and have a sexy sound. (g) but the best would be a stiffer
cloth.

If the speaker is going in a box the harder the wood the more it
reflects sound. Also drill a small hole for the back side of the
speaker to allow the diaphragm to fluctuate freely, you can tune the
speaker by the size of the hole.

On 3/29/2016 2:03 AM, OFWW wrote:
On Mon, 28 Mar 2016 18:32:45 -0500, Unquestionably Confused
wrote:

On 3/28/2016 5:46 PM, tdacon wrote:


"Puckdropper" wrote in message
b.com...

It makes sense to make some form of grill or hole in the wood to make
sure
the sound can pass unobstructed. I could possibly cut 1/8" wide slots
with
an endmill or drill a series of holes. Which would be better, or does it
matter?

Also, I'd like to keep little bits of debris from sticking to the speaker
cone. Would a piece of cotton cloth or something similar work as
"speaker
fabric" without affecting the sound too much?

Puckdropper

Simplest might be to just bore a hole a little smaller than the diameter
of the speaker cone, and glue a very light piece of cloth across the
opening between the wood and the speaker. Shouldn't have much of an
effect on the sound, if any. Maybe your wife or girlfriend has a pair of
black nylons she's about ready to throw away ;-)

For that application (all things considered) he could probably glue a
piece of cheese cloth over the opening and never know the difference
other than a VERY slight degradation in volume. In short, most anything
would work. Nylons would work but I'd have some concerns about longevity.


Cheesecloth is too pores (SP) too soft/stretchy. Nylon's would be
better and have a sexy sound. (g) but the best would be a stiffer
cloth.

If the speaker is going in a box the harder the wood the more it
reflects sound. Also drill a small hole for the back side of the
speaker to allow the diaphragm to fluctuate freely, you can tune the
speaker by the size of the hole.

All valid points but in this instance he refers to 1/8" slots covering
the speaker opening. I wouldn't be worried too much about the
"stretchiness" of the cloth nor, for that matter, the porosity (read:
Acoustic Transparency) of that material. Likewise, if we go away from
1/8" slots, we may find that SWMBO's used panty hose will not be
sufficiently strong to withstand repeated finger pokes after x number of
months of exposure to UV light, etc.

Unquestionably Confused wrote in
eb.com:


All valid points but in this instance he refers to 1/8" slots covering
the speaker opening. I wouldn't be worried too much about the
"stretchiness" of the cloth nor, for that matter, the porosity (read:
Acoustic Transparency) of that material. Likewise, if we go away from
1/8" slots, we may find that SWMBO's used panty hose will not be
sufficiently strong to withstand repeated finger pokes after x number
of months of exposure to UV light, etc.


I'm thinking about just gluing the fabric to the backside of the speaker
grill, which should take care of things nicely. I'm not worried about
fingers or stuff like that getting in, just the annoying little bits of
debris that these things tend to collect and can sometimes be a pain to
remove.

The speaker has its own enclosure, and the enclosure will be mounted to the
case.

Puckdropper

On Tue, 29 Mar 2016 07:32:52 -0500, Unquestionably Confused
wrote:

On 3/29/2016 2:03 AM, OFWW wrote:
On Mon, 28 Mar 2016 18:32:45 -0500, Unquestionably Confused
wrote:

On 3/28/2016 5:46 PM, tdacon wrote:


"Puckdropper" wrote in message
b.com...

It makes sense to make some form of grill or hole in the wood to make
sure
the sound can pass unobstructed. I could possibly cut 1/8" wide slots
with
an endmill or drill a series of holes. Which would be better, or does it
matter?

Also, I'd like to keep little bits of debris from sticking to the speaker
cone. Would a piece of cotton cloth or something similar work as
"speaker
fabric" without affecting the sound too much?

Puckdropper

Simplest might be to just bore a hole a little smaller than the diameter
of the speaker cone, and glue a very light piece of cloth across the
opening between the wood and the speaker. Shouldn't have much of an
effect on the sound, if any. Maybe your wife or girlfriend has a pair of
black nylons she's about ready to throw away ;-)

For that application (all things considered) he could probably glue a
piece of cheese cloth over the opening and never know the difference
other than a VERY slight degradation in volume. In short, most anything
would work. Nylons would work but I'd have some concerns about longevity.


Cheesecloth is too pores (SP) too soft/stretchy. Nylon's would be
better and have a sexy sound. (g) but the best would be a stiffer
cloth.

If the speaker is going in a box the harder the wood the more it
reflects sound. Also drill a small hole for the back side of the
speaker to allow the diaphragm to fluctuate freely, you can tune the
speaker by the size of the hole.

All valid points but in this instance he refers to 1/8" slots covering
the speaker opening. I wouldn't be worried too much about the
"stretchiness" of the cloth nor, for that matter, the porosity (read:
Acoustic Transparency) of that material. Likewise, if we go away from
1/8" slots, we may find that SWMBO's used panty hose will not be
sufficiently strong to withstand repeated finger pokes after x number of
months of exposure to UV light, etc.

Yeah, you are right about that, I was not even thinking of the fact
that it is a plastic material.

OFWW wrote in
:

Cheesecloth is too pores (SP) too soft/stretchy. Nylon's would be
better and have a sexy sound. (g) but the best would be a stiffer
cloth.

This sort of depends on how concerned you are with the sound
quality. A soft, porous cloth will attenuate the sound, and
affect the tone. If you want good acoustics, use a stiff cloth.
If you just want to keep debris out, use whatever's handy.

If the speaker is going in a box the harder the wood the more it
reflects sound. Also drill a small hole for the back side of the
speaker to allow the diaphragm to fluctuate freely, you can tune the
speaker by the size of the hole.

This is important - not the tuning, but having some sort of
vent on the backside of the speaker. A speaker makes sound
by pushing air forwards and back, and if there's no way for
air to move behind the speaker, it's not going to move much
air in front either. Result - not much sound. (this is
assuming the box is smallish - a big box with small speakers
has enough volume inside it won't need a vent).

Also, since you have two speakers, make sure they are phased
correctly. If you connect them out of phase, they will cancel
each other, and again you get not much sound. This is more
of a problem with big bass speakers, but even with small ones
it's worth checking the plug is right way round.

John

On 3/29/2016 10:43 AM, John McCoy wrote:
OFWW wrote in
:

Cheesecloth is too pores (SP) too soft/stretchy. Nylon's would be
better and have a sexy sound. (g) but the best would be a stiffer
cloth.

This sort of depends on how concerned you are with the sound
quality. A soft, porous cloth will attenuate the sound, and
affect the tone. If you want good acoustics, use a stiff cloth.
If you just want to keep debris out, use whatever's handy.

FWIW I have not ever witnessed this. Maybe a little if the cloth is
denser/thicker than the length of the sound waves and that is more if a
concern for higher notes where the sound is more directional. But I
used drapery material in from of my L?R and center speakers and you can
not tell if the material/door is open or closed.







If the speaker is going in a box the harder the wood the more it
reflects sound. Also drill a small hole for the back side of the
speaker to allow the diaphragm to fluctuate freely, you can tune the
speaker by the size of the hole.

This is important - not the tuning, but having some sort of
vent on the backside of the speaker. A speaker makes sound
by pushing air forwards and back, and if there's no way for
air to move behind the speaker, it's not going to move much
air in front either. Result - not much sound. (this is
assuming the box is smallish - a big box with small speakers
has enough volume inside it won't need a vent).

That is not true either. Long ago many speakers were built to be air
tight. Case in point many subwolfers use a driver speaker and a slave
speaker inside the same enclosure. The whole speaker assembly is
dependent on being air tight for the slave speaker to function and
produce sound.

And the speakers do not move enough to be hampered by air that easily
compressed or expands from the movement of the speaker. I have a
totally enclosed 12" subwolfer with no issues.



Also, since you have two speakers, make sure they are phased
correctly. If you connect them out of phase, they will cancel
each other, and again you get not much sound. This is more
of a problem with big bass speakers, but even with small ones
it's worth checking the plug is right way round.

John



Swingman would be the one to consult here, he has built, owned and
operated recording studios. He told me that the material would not
matter when covering my entertainment center doors with drapery
material, and you cannot tell the difference. My only concern was that
the weave was not so dense that IR light would not pass through. I
simply held the material up to a light to see if the light penetrated.

On Tue, 29 Mar 2016 15:43:40 -0000 (UTC), John McCoy
wrote:

OFWW wrote in
:

Cheesecloth is too pores (SP) too soft/stretchy. Nylon's would be
better and have a sexy sound. (g) but the best would be a stiffer
cloth.

This sort of depends on how concerned you are with the sound
quality. A soft, porous cloth will attenuate the sound, and
affect the tone. If you want good acoustics, use a stiff cloth.
If you just want to keep debris out, use whatever's handy.

If the speaker is going in a box the harder the wood the more it
reflects sound. Also drill a small hole for the back side of the
speaker to allow the diaphragm to fluctuate freely, you can tune the
speaker by the size of the hole.

This is important - not the tuning, but having some sort of
vent on the backside of the speaker. A speaker makes sound
by pushing air forwards and back, and if there's no way for
air to move behind the speaker, it's not going to move much
air in front either. Result - not much sound. (this is
assuming the box is smallish - a big box with small speakers
has enough volume inside it won't need a vent).

That depends on the speaker. "Acoustic suspension" speakers aren't
ported. They rely on the back pressure to return the speaker to its
midpoint.

Also, since you have two speakers, make sure they are phased
correctly. If you connect them out of phase, they will cancel
each other, and again you get not much sound. This is more
of a problem with big bass speakers, but even with small ones
it's worth checking the plug is right way round.

On 28 Mar 2016 22:10:44 GMT, Puckdropper
puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com wrote:

I've got a Raspberry Pi 3 and the official Raspberry Pi Touchscreen that
I'm working on building a case for. I've come across a design decision I'd
like a little input on.

I have an amplifier and speaker arrangement to give me basic sound. I'm
using 2 small speakers, about 1" by 2". The speakers are in their own
plastic enclosure with a provision to mount the speaker using a
sufficiently small screw, probably 2-56 maybe 1-72. FWIW, the case will
probably be pine.

It makes sense to make some form of grill or hole in the wood to make sure
the sound can pass unobstructed. I could possibly cut 1/8" wide slots with
an endmill or drill a series of holes. Which would be better, or does it
matter?

Also, I'd like to keep little bits of debris from sticking to the speaker
cone. Would a piece of cotton cloth or something similar work as "speaker
fabric" without affecting the sound too much?

Thanks,

Puckdropper

I'm curious, is your Pi for a special purpose or experimentation? How
did you get one so fast?

OFWW wrote in
:


I'm curious, is your Pi for a special purpose or experimentation? How
did you get one so fast?


It's mainly for playing with right now. I've got a Pi 2 that I'm hooking
up my Digitrax PR3 programmer to, and may do so with the Pi 3.

I got lucky, I guess. I ordered the official touch screen from MCM and
preordered a Pi 3 about 3 weeks before it was available. They delayed
shipping the touch screen until the Pi 3 was available.

The touch screen is a nice bit of hardware, I've played with it for several
hours already and the only problems I have are basically Fitt's Law
related... Kinda hard to hit a 5-pixel by 10-pixel target with your huge
50x50 pixel fingers.

Puckdropper

On 3/28/2016 5:10 PM, Puckdropper wrote:
I've got a Raspberry Pi 3 and the official Raspberry Pi Touchscreen that
I'm working on building a case for. I've come across a design decision I'd
like a little input on.

I have an amplifier and speaker arrangement to give me basic sound. I'm
using 2 small speakers, about 1" by 2". The speakers are in their own
plastic enclosure with a provision to mount the speaker using a
sufficiently small screw, probably 2-56 maybe 1-72. FWIW, the case will
probably be pine.

Been intrigued with the concept behind Raspberry Pi since it first came
out. They sure have hit on something I would have died for when I built
my first Heathkit in '68. Can you imagine, we'd probably rule the world
by now. LOL

Been thinking about getting one just for the hell of it, possibly to
cobble up a streaming audio/video cord cutting device, maybe using KOBI?

You got any interest/info in that direction?

Thanks ...

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://www.google.com/+eWoodShop
https://plus.google.com/+KarlCaillouet/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
https://www.facebook.com/eWoodShop-206166666122228
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

On Thu, 31 Mar 2016 13:25:39 -0500, Swingman wrote:

Been intrigued with the concept behind Raspberry Pi since it first came
out.

Agreed. But I find the Arduinos much more fun. Not a "computer", a
"controller" Bunches of digital and analog I/O, with accessory boards do
do almost anything. Great fun on a model RR, and the robotics people buy
them by the dozen - a clone of the Uno model can be had for less than $10.


--
When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and
carrying a cross.

On 3/31/2016 1:38 PM, Larry Blanchard wrote:
On Thu, 31 Mar 2016 13:25:39 -0500, Swingman wrote:

Been intrigued with the concept behind Raspberry Pi since it first came
out.

Agreed. But I find the Arduinos much more fun. Not a "computer", a
"controller" Bunches of digital and analog I/O, with accessory boards do
do almost anything. Great fun on a model RR, and the robotics people buy
them by the dozen - a clone of the Uno model can be had for less than $10.

Seen the technology and it is also intriguing. Just wonder how TV
streaming from a digital signal to multiple units.

What I've heard about tasking with both, "If you can describe it with
less than two €˜ands, get an Arduino. If you need more than two €˜ands,
get a Raspberry Pi".

What do you think? Thanks.

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://www.google.com/+eWoodShop
https://plus.google.com/+KarlCaillouet/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
https://www.facebook.com/eWoodShop-206166666122228
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

Swingman writes:
On 3/31/2016 1:38 PM, Larry Blanchard wrote:
On Thu, 31 Mar 2016 13:25:39 -0500, Swingman wrote:

Been intrigued with the concept behind Raspberry Pi since it first came
out.

Agreed. But I find the Arduinos much more fun. Not a "computer", a
"controller" Bunches of digital and analog I/O, with accessory boards do
do almost anything. Great fun on a model RR, and the robotics people buy
them by the dozen - a clone of the Uno model can be had for less than $10.

Seen the technology and it is also intriguing. Just wonder how TV
streaming from a digital signal to multiple units.

What I've heard about tasking with both, "If you can describe it with
less than two €˜ands, get an Arduino. If you need more than two €˜ands,
get a Raspberry Pi".

What do you think? Thanks.

I tend to favor one of these over both rPi and Arduino:

http://www.hardkernel.com/main/main.php

On 3/31/2016 3:34 PM, Scott Lurndal wrote:

I tend to favor one of these over both rPi and Arduino:

http://www.hardkernel.com/main/main.php

Wow, New one on me.
The plot, and options, thicken.
Glad I asked.

Thanks!

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://www.google.com/+eWoodShop
https://plus.google.com/+KarlCaillouet/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
https://www.facebook.com/eWoodShop-206166666122228
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

On Thu, 31 Mar 2016 15:27:53 -0500, Swingman wrote:

What I've heard about tasking with both, "If you can describe it with
less than two €˜ands, get an Arduino. If you need more than two €˜ands,
get a Raspberry Pi".

The Pi is designed to be a low cost PC for children, students, and 3rd
world. Hook up a monitor, a keyboard, and even a hard drive if you
like. You've got a somewhat slow computer running most Linux
applications.

The Arduino and other microcontrollers are designed to ,well, control
things. There are digital and analog inputs and outputs varying from 20
or so on the Uno to 70 or so on the Mega2560. You use a PC (or a Pi) to
write the programs and download them over a USB cable.

There's a Google group using Arduinos for all sorts of model RR
applications. I'm using them to control servos and move turnout points
slowly and realistically at a lot lower cost than the commercial
product. And infinitely more cusomizeable.

Woodworking? A moisture meter would be pretty simple. A liquor cabinet
that weighed each bottle and played "How Dry I Am" when appropriate?
Twinkling LED lights behind the cloth in a speaker enclosure?

One experimenter built a hearing aid using an Arduino. A little large to
fit in the ear, but is sure shows there's not a lot of expensive
components involved.





--
When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and
carrying a cross.

On Thu, 31 Mar 2016 15:27:53 -0500, Swingman wrote:

On 3/31/2016 1:38 PM, Larry Blanchard wrote:
On Thu, 31 Mar 2016 13:25:39 -0500, Swingman wrote:

Been intrigued with the concept behind Raspberry Pi since it first came
out.

Agreed. But I find the Arduinos much more fun. Not a "computer", a
"controller" Bunches of digital and analog I/O, with accessory boards do
do almost anything. Great fun on a model RR, and the robotics people buy
them by the dozen - a clone of the Uno model can be had for less than $10.

Seen the technology and it is also intriguing. Just wonder how TV
streaming from a digital signal to multiple units.


Direct TV does that now, in home. Both audio and TV. It has been
do-able over the Net with multi-casting and for the life of me I don't
know why it was kept so limited. One signal that anyone had hook up to
if they know where it's from. saves a lot of bandwidth instead of one
stream to each individual user.

What I've heard about tasking with both, "If you can describe it with
less than two ‘and’s, get an Arduino. If you need more than two ‘and’s,
get a Raspberry Pi".

What do you think? Thanks.

Like you, I have been considering getting one for a while, and the ver
3 is the hot ticket for wireless robots or whatever.
Put an LED bar in the rear window and send text messages to the
drivers behind you.

On 4/1/2016 1:05 PM, OFWW wrote:

Put an LED bar in the rear window and send text messages to the
drivers behind you.

Not something I'd try in Texas... lol

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://www.google.com/+eWoodShop
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http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
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KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

OFWW wrote in
:


Like you, I have been considering getting one for a while, and the ver
3 is the hot ticket for wireless robots or whatever.
Put an LED bar in the rear window and send text messages to the
drivers behind you.

Time to quit thinking about it and separate yourself from about $50.
You'll need a MicroSD card too.

The Pi 3 does come with integrated wireless, so there's $10 saved there.

Puckdropper

Larry Blanchard wrote in
:

On Thu, 31 Mar 2016 13:25:39 -0500, Swingman wrote:

Been intrigued with the concept behind Raspberry Pi since it first
came out.

Agreed. But I find the Arduinos much more fun. Not a "computer", a
"controller" Bunches of digital and analog I/O, with accessory boards
do do almost anything. Great fun on a model RR, and the robotics
people buy them by the dozen - a clone of the Uno model can be had for
less than $10.

Yeah, that's a bit of an apples and oranges comparison; the
Raspberry Pi has more of the architecture of a smart phone,
while the Arduino is the classic embedded controller.

I'm not a great fan of the "true" Arduino, because I'm not a
huge fan of the Atmel AVR processor (altho it's a lot better
than the PIC processor). There are Arduino compatible boards
using various flavors of ARM processors (like the STM32) which
I think are better.

John

Swingman wrote in
:


Been intrigued with the concept behind Raspberry Pi since it first
came out. They sure have hit on something I would have died for when I
built my first Heathkit in '68. Can you imagine, we'd probably rule
the world by now. LOL

Been thinking about getting one just for the hell of it, possibly to
cobble up a streaming audio/video cord cutting device, maybe using
KOBI?

You got any interest/info in that direction?

Thanks ...


A tiny bit... Unfortunately, Amazon Prime doesn't work with Linux. It
boils down to DRM and lack of interest in making something that works.

MythTV OTOH, runs great on Linux. I wouldn't be surprised to find
there's a "Myth Pi" project.

The Pi doesn't get high marks for audio out of the box. There's a $25
sound board add-on that will give you better audio, but if good sound is
your aim you may want to look at other options.

Puckdropper