The world’s first modern loudspeakers were made using just the paper, magnets, and connecting wire. The audio industry has come a long way from 1921 and today, highly sophisticated sound systems are designed using the ferrofluid and synthetic fibers.
Although a high-quality speaker can cost you thousands of dollars, you can enjoy an exceptional audio experience using potato crisp as a diaphragm.
The audio could not get crisper than this, right? All you need is a few basic supplies and some genius hacks.
Material Required
- 30-gauge magnet wire (almost 25 feet)
- Two 0.75” X 0.25” cylindrical magnets (the ones used in refrigerators will serve the purpose)
- Two cardboard strips, 0.25” X 1.5.”
- Cutting board
- One dowel of 6” length and 0.75” diameter
- Sandpaper
- A hot-glue gun
- Potato chips (use the thick cut for the optimum sound quality)
Step1: Voice Coil
Build three-eighth inches of a coil by twisting the magnetic wire around the dowel. However, remember to leave 12 inches of wire at each end. Put hot glue on the wire using a hot glue gun and allow it to cool. Use a sandpaper to remove one inch of paint from the ends of the wires.
Step 2: Speaker Assembly
Fold the strips cut from the cardboard to form a Z shape. Glue the magnets and the strips to the wooden board. Also, attach the coil to a potato chip using hot glue. Aligning the coil on the center of the magnet, use hot glue to stick a cardboard strip to each end of the potato chip.
Step 3: Enjoy the Crisp Sound Quality
Connect the wire ends to an amplified audio source and enjoy the crisp sound from your DIY potato crisp speaker.
See this video showing the DIY Potato Chip Speaker in action: