BillFitzmaurice.info

My nephew wants a sudo-karaoke machine for Christmas. I say sudo because he is 5 and doesn't read all too well yet, so the words don't need to be there. He just wants something he can plug his iPod and a microphone into to sing along and hear both his iPod and his voice. All those cheap Walmart toys only last a few months and then crap out... Plus he says they are too quiet!

First off I was thinking SLA w/those cheap Sony drivers and a Lepai $24 amp. Then I got to thinking that a Jack 10 would be easier to hide the electronics in (the small amp) and clean it up a bit. Now I'm thinking a W6 might also work and be easier to build and cheaper too.

What do you all think?

I think a five-year-old doesn't need to be exposed to the kind of volume a Jack or W10 can generate on any kind of regular basis, unless you own stock in a hearing-aid company...

Just sayin'.

Scott

+1,000,000!

A five year old does not have the cognitive thought process to know when they are doing hearing damage to themselves. This is why they can't be held legally responsible for wrong-doings. Step up as an adult and tell the child "no". Explain to the parents how easy damage occurs, if they are looking to give little "Johnny/Jane" their own ear killing machine.

That's why I would build the electronics inside the cab... Then volume could not go higher than the max on the iPod which would be pre-programmed to a sane level by the amp in the cab...

If you don't need the volume, you don't need one of Bill's cabinets, I'd say. There's tons of sample (and simpler) designs over on Parts Express that might be more suitable for what you're trying to do.

One thing to be aware of is that a "karaoke" rig has the potential to be a real feedback machine. If you CAN keep the input level clamped down, you still need to have some kind of limiting to avoid hearing damage from feedback when little Johnny sticks the mic right up against the speaker. By the time you've got it limited down, you're not all that far from the cheap Wal-Mart rig, are you? More durable, true.

Hate to be shooting you down...building something for the kids is a GREAT thing to do...I'm just thinking there's too many safety factors involved to be worth the exercise.

Now, if you've got the chops to write some FPGA code and build in your own DSP with feedback detection and gain reduction...well, at that point it's less a present for the nephew than a proof-of-concept for your own money printing machine.

Scott

sstillwell wrote:If you don't need the volume, you don't need one of Bill's cabinets, I'd say. There's tons of sample (and simpler) designs over on Parts Express that might be more suitable for what you're trying to do.

One thing to be aware of is that a "karaoke" rig has the potential to be a real feedback machine. If you CAN keep the input level clamped down, you still need to have some kind of limiting to avoid hearing damage from feedback when little Johnny sticks the mic right up against the speaker. By the time you've got it limited down, you're not all that far from the cheap Wal-Mart rig, are you? More durable, true.

Hate to be shooting you down...building something for the kids is a GREAT thing to do...I'm just thinking there's too many safety factors involved to be worth the exercise.

Now, if you've got the chops to write some FPGA code and build in your own DSP with feedback detection and gain reduction...well, at that point it's less a present for the nephew than a proof-of-concept for your own money printing machine.

Scott

Good point on the feedback... Might have to put some more thought into it... Or just have the mic be clamped at a certain output... hmmm...

He has seen my rig, and knows I build speakers so he wants something I built... So something from Walmart will be a letdown...

Just toss one or two if those Sonys in a box, and make it look cool. Children are very visual, so if it looks cool it is cool.

Dan30 wrote:Just toss one or two if those Sonys in a box, and make it look cool. Children are very visual, so if it looks cool it is cool.

lol, that may be a winner, maybe a "mini sla" with a tweeter as well!

How about deception? Take apart the Walmart rig, change the cheap speaker to something that looks cool, build a new box for it, give it a cool paint job and voila! Can't say how many times I did that with legos many years ago (or months... )

I dropped a fane 6" in a small vented box I modeled for my daughter to do similar stuff. It sounded amazing for it's size. AFAIR I put a .50 tweeter from PE in there also with just a cap. Used a t amp to drive it.

I think I still have a fane around if you're interested.

Whatever you do add this:
http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-Minimix ... B000H2BCQ2

The really great thing about this kind of project is that you know you are opening a window for that little person and with just a little extra push from life, that little person could become a musician or maybe a cab builder.
It's what I always say to my soon to be wife. She's a music teacher.

+1 to the deafeaning kids issue, watch out.
+1 to the looking cool, new box for a trustworthy walmart toy.

+1 to automotive finishing that toy

If he's that interested in music, start teaching him an instrument. I started guitar at 5.

Yeah for the 5 year old....knows what he wants. I love it when kids have ideas.

parts express has some tiny amp boards u could use, but i like bm's idea of taking the guts out of a walmart one and building a new cab for it