Music stroller

[Jessy86]

Hi all,

I'm Jess, new to the forums so *wave*. I have a bit of an odd question since in theory it's not exactly car audio related but the components should (hopefully) be somewhat similar.

My inline-skating club is wanting to build a music stroller which is basically a battery powered mobile music system that you push around //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

Here's some examples I found online to give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

or

So it seemed like a good idea to ask some audio experts for advise before messing it up all on my own. Any help/hints are greatly appreciated!!

The requirements

* Needs to be hooked up to an MP3 player

* Provide a pretty loud sound out in the open

* Easy to recharge

* Autonomy of ~5hours

* Not insanely heavy

* Water resistant to some extent, however it will be switched off when it starts to rain.

* Doesn't electrocute (too many) people at random

Could someone perhaps make a few rough suggestions as to what internal components this would require? Battery type, Amp, Speakers ... ?

Also please keep in mind that our budget isn't huge.

Thanks in advance!

Grtz.

Jess

Click to read more...

 

[jon_k 10+ year member]

* Needs to be hooked up to an MP3 player

Get an RCA Y adapter to connect in to your mp3 player and connect this directly to an amp.

* Provide a pretty loud sound out in the open

Your amp will amplify the sound into a loud signal.

Get the cheapest amp you can find.

http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-2-Channel-1400-Watt-Bridgeable-Amplifier/dp/B000CHRK6S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1253534174&sr=8-2

* Easy to recharge

??? No idea other than a trickle charger. I'd have to do research.

* Autonomy of ~5hours

A good sealed marine battery will do this.

* Not insanely heavy

A good marine battery won't be heavy.

* Water resistant to some extent, however it will be switched off when it starts to rain.

Will need to get marine speakers then.

http://www.amazon.com/PLMR6K-6-5-Inch-Marine-Component-System/dp/B0007L8AWM/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1253534263&sr=8-16

Could someone perhaps make a few rough suggestions as to what internal components this would require? Battery type, Amp, Speakers ... ?

* Battery

* Amplifier (2 channel for 2 speakers)

* Speakers

If you don't use the Y adapter you'll need a radio headunit too; overkill for your application.

 

[Jessy86]

Thanks for the suggestions Jon //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/thumbsupwink.gif.129404938effda6ad9cca39e7f4b58a3.gif

Could someone please recommend a decent price/quality brand/type of marine battery that would reach the 5 hr autonomy for the amp/speakers listed above ?

 

[quins90lac 10+ year member]

Your Gay

 

[DB-Audio 10+ year member]

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02827582000P?vName=Automotive&cName=Batteries&Chargers&sName=Marine%20Batteries&psid=FROOGLE01&sid=IDx20070921x00003a thats a cheap marine battery

either these http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=marine+speakers&hl=en&cid=14792691627712297688&sa=title#p

these http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=marine+speakers&hl=en&cid=15171106043200780756&sa=title#p

or thesehttp://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=marine+speakers&hl=en&cid=12561694185455739016&sa=title#p for the speakers

 

[DB-Audio 10+ year member]

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10746812&sourceid=1500000000000003142050&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=10746812 that for your y adaptor

 

[Jessy86]

Your Gay

I'm not gay, I'm a girl, so what's your excuse for being an *** ?

 

[Jessy86]

Assume I ordered the following

http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-2-Channel-1400-Watt-Bridgeable-Amplifier/dp/B000CHRK6S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1253534174&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.com/PLMR6K-6-5-Inch-Marine-Component-System/dp/B0007L8AWM/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1253534263&sr=8-16

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02827582000P?vName=Automotive&cName=Batteries&Chargers&sName=Marine%20Batteries&psid=FROOGLE01&sid=IDx20070921x00003a

Speakers are 100W RMS and 50W for the tweeters => Total of 300W

Battery is 115Ah => 12V => 1380 Wh => just over 4,5 hours at 300W

What am I miscalculating here ? Also the battery weighs 62 lbs which might be a bit much.

 

[Ohioguy 10+ year member]

that would get on my nerves if i had to listen to music going by me like that.

 

[smoka 10+ year member]

Pyle amps and speakers are garbage and will sound like crap. Pay a few $ more and it will sound MUCH better.

I would order this stuff:

Y adapter for mp3 player $1.60

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021804&p_id=5597&seq=1&format=2

JBL 6.5" 2-way marine speakers $62.85

http://www.amazon.com/JBL%C2%AE-MS6200-way-Marine-Speakers/dp/B00197TIB0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1253555483&sr=1-2

Crunch amp $84.37

http://www.amazon.com/Crunch-PowerZone-P500-2-Two-Channel-Amplifier/dp/B001T9N4O0/ref=sr_1_34?ie=UTF8&s=car&qid=1253556844&sr=1-34

That amp will power 2 or 4 of the JBL speakers depending on how loud you want it. (4 speakers would mean less batt life)

The battery is really hard to say. I would guess if you only have 2 of the above speakers, you should be fine with a 50-60Ah (30-40lbs) battery.

Check locally for batts so you don't have to pay shipping. Just stay away from any batts that have vent caps like that diehard. A sealed batt will work better for what you are doing. And it doesn't have to be a car battery as long as its 12v.

Example: http://www.batteryspec.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?action=link&product=77&sub2=770233

Also I would install a cheap voltmeter so you can see how much time you have left. You can assume a batt to be drained at around 11.6v. If you discharge it much lower than that then you risk shortening its lifespan.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-3-Digital-Blue-LCD-DC-0-19-99V-Volt-Panel-Meter_W0QQitemZ260479181395QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3ca5c4e253&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

 

[Ohioguy 10+ year member]

****ing invest in an ipod.

 

[jon_k 10+ year member]

A UPS battery would be better and more portable, and they're sealed lead acid for safety and convenience.

a La.

http://www.buy.com/prod/battery-biz-12v-dc-ups-battery-sealed-lead-acid-battery-biz-12v-dc-ups/q/loc/101/10384472.html

The thing is, I'm not sure on the mAh ratings, so I can't say how long it would run the music.

Pyle amps and speakers are garbage and will sound like crap. Pay a few $ more and it will sound MUCH better.

Remember your on a car audio forum and so you're going to get answers like this. Your stroller is what it is; it's NOT a BMW car. Acoustics are probably going to **** in the middle of that duck park. With this being known, you want something loud enough to hear and understand; acoustic clarity is something you won't benefit from (since obviously the speakers won't be properly spaced and placed between your ears anyway!)

So again, I think expense shouldn't be a priority. You should look for 'marine' speakers though, as they are meant for boats and come with water resistance. If you get a normal car 6 1/2" speaker then the first downpour will really put a bummer on your investment here.

Go cheap; as this may not be long-term permanent. We all hate Pyle amplifiers as they're the cheapo of audio world -- but for something like a stroller I doubt you should invest in anything better.

 

[Jessy86]

Thanks smoka, appreciated. Think I'll go for a 60Ah AGM battery from ebay for 170$ (I'm in Europe) cheapest I could find.

Haven't found those JBL speakers yet for under 200$, will keep looking.

****ing invest in an ipod.

Tough crowd around these parts.

Think I could post the exact same reply in threads where you ask for electrical advise sir.

 

[Jessy86]

Looks like both the JBL and the Pyle speakers are hard to get over here (for a decent price)

I've found some Sony speakers : Sony XS-MP1620B I assume these are even worse ? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Ohioguy 10+ year member]

Tough crowd around these parts.

Think I could post the exact same reply in threads where you ask for electrical advise sir.

i figure out my problems for the most part ma'am. and im doing harder shit than roller skating. seems to me like youre stuck in the 70's. i think this will solve all your problems