Chupa Chups Bluetooth Speaker

As a kid I always wanted one of those cool ChupaChups cans full of lollipops but my parents decided against it. Apparently giving a kid a bucket full of sugar is not the best idea... So naturally, as soon as I was making my own money I bought one. After all the candy was gone it sat around in my house for a while and I couldn't think of anything that I wanted to do with it. But one day, late at night, it came to me: A Bluetooth Speaker! This, off course, spiralled out of control rather quickly because mono audio is sooooooo 1924. Furthermore, you're bound to screw up somewhere which, in this project, can mean you have to eat 120 lollipops every time you damage your precious tin. But that is just a risk you have to take... In short: I am not responsible for any weight gained making this project. ;)

To make this project I used the following tools and supplies:

For this project you will need:

1. 1x or more ChupaChups Can(s). You can probably find these online.
2. 1x or more 6.5" (16cm) coaxial car speakers. I got mine from JBL
3. Amplifier board. I suggest using one with pot-meters instead of buttons.
4. 12V Power supply and/or 12V Battery
5. 12V female plug socket
6. 1x Speaker Chassis per tin
7. ON/OFF Switch

Optional:

1. Cabinet Damping Material
2. If you make more than 1 speaker you will need 2x 3.5mm female jack connectors and a 3.5mm jack cable.
3. If you want to use the speakers on their sides. You will need to print out the ChupaChups Foot twice per can and source 3x Ø3mm metal rods with a length of 150mm. Furthermore, you will need 4 furniture coasters per printed part. I sourced mine from the local DIY store.

Tools:

1. Soldering Iron
2. 3D Printer
3. Drill
4. Masking Tape
5. Hot glue gun

You can off course choose to use different parts if you have them laying around anyway.

One of the fun parts of this build is eating all of the lollipops in the can. As there are 120 of them in one can, I don't suggest you do this all in one sitting. Especially if you are making more than one speaker! I suggest you treat your friends, family and colleagues. I screwed up twice making this project, and the sweets from the last tin I had to order I just donated to the people at the postal office. ;)

Once you have at least one empty can you can start drilling holes for the controls for your amplifier and power supply. Of course, this is dependent on the type of amplifier and supply you use. In any case, make sure to use masking tape to easily mark the holes and to make sure your drill isn't going to wander about while you try to drill your holes.

After drilling the holes for the amp and power supply you can drill any optional connections you might need for your project. If you make more than one speaker you will need to drill an extra hole for the 3.5mm cable connecting the first (active) speaker to the second (passive) speaker. Furthermore, I added an extra 3.5mm socket because I am planning on adding a subwoofer later on.

After your can(s) are ready, it is time to do some soldering! This is also the most daunting part of this build, so after this step you are in the clear! ;)

I started with soldering all wires running in or out of the can(s). I soldered wires to the 12V socket and the 3.5mm sockets.

Since the amp I used has push buttons I bridged them using some wires and push buttons that would fit the holes I drilled earlier. I suggest you use an amplifier board with pot-meters instead of the one I used. The pot-meter ones can be controlled much better and easier than the ones with the buttons. Drilling holes for these is a bit harder but the effort is well worth it in the end.

You also have to solder in a ON/OFF switch between the power supply and the amp. Lastly, you can solder the wires to the speaker(s).

For assembly I started by fitting all connectors and buttons into the holes I drilled in my cans. After that I used a glue gun to fix my amp on top of my battery pack and my battery pack to the bottom of my active speaker. If you use a different style of amplifier the first step might not be necessary. In that case, just glue the battery pack to the inside of the can.

When everything is connected and fixed to the can you can add some cabinet damping if you want. I used specialized materials I bought online but I guess you can also use some cotton wool as well. Just to be safe I added some baking sheets between the electrical components and the damping material. I have no idea whether this helps or not or is even necessary, but it gives me peace of mind.

After everything is inside your speaker you can fit the speaker chassis with the speaker where the lid used to be. I found that it was a perfect fit for one can, but not for the other. To remedy this, I just used some glue to keep it in place.

Lastly, if you want to use the cans on their sides, you have to assemble the feet. You can use simple 3x16mm screws to fix the furniture coasters. The steel rods should fit perfectly in their holes. If not I guess you could use some glue to keep them in place.

Now you should be good to go and enjoy some of your favourite music!