Filed under: Accessories, Odds and ends
Earbud speakers from 4 business cards?
I happened to catch this interesting hack on core77 and tried it for myself. You take four business cards, cut them up to interlock, leaving enough space for your earbuds to nestle inside, pop it open a bit and voila -- instant speaker cones for the tiny music makers. My MacBook Pro's headphone port recently became stuck in the line-out mode (the Cylon light is glowing and yes, I've tried to slide the little switch), and until I can get it to a shop I'm using these as my "speakers." Obviously the primary use would be for iPods, or anything without a built-in speaker.
Does it work? Hey, it's better than nothing. But don't expect to hear much if the noise in your area is anything north of murmur. The decibel boost is negligible, and the amplification is somewhat directional. It works well if you have an ample belly to rest the speakers upon when lying on the couch, as I do. A neat exercise in creative thought, all the same. If anyone can figure out the exact pattern the designer used, post a link in the comments.
I snapped some pics of me trying to replicate the design. I wound up altering it a bit, although my final speaker cone locks the headphones in quite firmly and can stand up in a variety of ways. It is narrower than the original, which doesn't help amplification. Check the gallery for details. Oh, and be sure to check out the neat iPhone earbud winder made from paper.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
required said 5:33PM on 4-08-2009
This makes me want to hear how well the Phonofone II does.
Reply
russ d said 5:46PM on 4-08-2009
I fixed the cylon light by putting the headphones partway in, and at an angle a few times.
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Josh said 6:51PM on 4-08-2009
Victor,
I had the same thing happen to my MacBook Pro a while back. Turned out I needed a new I/O board...fortunately, I was under apple care so they fixed it for free. I was without my laptop for about a week (it couldn't be fixed in-store), but other than that, it was relatively painless.
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SubGenius said 7:28PM on 4-08-2009
A rolled up piece of 8.5x11 paper works better.
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BigB said 8:49PM on 4-08-2009
I always used a paper clip to toggle the optical audio
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ftobe said 1:10PM on 4-11-2009
Hi,
I've seen your stuff all over Engadget and other places - particular those that focus on robotic stuff.
You might be interested in checking my site from time to time. We focus on the business of robotics.
Frank Tobe
www.TheRobotReport.com
therobotreport.blogspot.com
naive-ex-politico.blogspot.com/
Reply
Frank Tobe said 1:10PM on 4-11-2009
Hi,
I've seen your stuff all over Engadget and other places - particular those that focus on robotic stuff.
You might be interested in checking my site from time to time. We focus on the business of robotics.
Frank Tobe
www.TheRobotReport.com
therobotreport.blogspot.com
naive-ex-politico.blogspot.com/
Reply
Maxwell said 12:14AM on 4-12-2009
I tried this on my iPod Touch. The Touch was louder all by itself - nothing plugged into it - than with the biz-card-horn-loaded Apple earbuds.
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