Sony PSP Audio Docking Station

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Sony PSP audio docking station

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Some time ago, I got a Sony PSP by chance. Actually, my parents won it as a prize at a town fete.

I am not fond of video games, but I like the PSP's capability as multimedia player (video, MP3 files

and Wi-Fi Internet radio). Compared to most of the MP3 portable players, PSP is not pocketable but

it has a large display and the handy control buttons make file browsing and playing very comfortable.

When connected to a pair of amplified speakers, PSP is a convenient MP3 player for home use.

Obviously, this basic setup (second picture) makes PSP owners jealous of iPod people, who have a

large choice of stylish audio stations. Indeed, the Instructables community has produced a lot of

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home-made iPod stations. I was inspired by this project for its style and finishing:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Good_quality_iPodiPhone_speaker/

On the other hand, the choice of PSP stations is poor and strongly oriented towards gamers. Most of

them are very small and deliver a sound that needs a bit more amplification than the built-in mini-

speakers (third picture) are capable of. That is why I decided to build an audio station capable ofproducing decent sound quality, by transforming a pair of amplified speakers in a small PSP audio

docking station. Of course, the sound quality will strongly depend on the speakers employed in the

project.

What you need:

Amplified computer speakers

MDF or plywood board (8 to 10 mm thick)

Wood glue and hot glue

Paint

Small drywall screwsSand paper

Office drawing hardware: paper, set-square, ruler, pencil, and calculator

Electric hardware: soldering iron, electric wire, electric tape, connectors, stereo audio jack

Tools: electric jigsaw, minidrill ("Dremel") with some accessories, hand modelling saw, screwdrivers,

Step 1: Design

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As I stated in my first Instructable, design is a mix of form and function.

The form:I wanted to give the object a style that goes well with the PSP's rounded silhouette. Therefore Istarted with a rounded shape in my mind. Obviously, I wanted my station to be original, not similar toany other market products. As for my previous instructable (

http://www.instructables.com/id/Plywood-magazine-rack/ ), the overall structure was designedinclined backward. I like this features as it gives a sort of dynamic look.

The function:The audio station should have a small footprint that can be placed anywhere. Moreover, a handlecould be integrated, for ease of carrying. After some attempts and sketches, I arrived to the designbelow:

Step 2: Dismantle the speakers

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A screwdriver is usually sufficient to dismantle the computer speakers. All the parts, except theplastic case, have been re-used in the docking station:

- transformer- electronic circuit board and sound controls- loudspeakers

I re-used the cheap original loudspeakers, but a better sound would be obtained using betterloudspeakers.Before disconnecting or cutting the wires, I labelled them and marked the positive contact of theloudspeakers.

Step 3: Fitting the electronics on the case

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In my draft design I planned to place all the electronics in the front panel. My objective was to keepthe station compact, therefore the width and height were determined by fitting all the components onthe panel. To make things easy, I used a cardboard box, which was also convenient for transferringthe design to the MDF board. I started from the bottom, marking the position of the components andthe holes to be cut for mounting.

Electronics

The original sound controls (on/off switch, volume, tone, and indicator LED) were fixed on a plasticpanel and the circuit board was directly held by the control wheels. For simplicity, I kept the originalplastic panel with all the electronics fixed on it. I trimmed the plastic panel to reduce its height to aminimum (pictures 3 and 4). A rectangular hole was necessary to insert the circuit board in thesound station. As you can see in the pictures, the first position of the switch panel was the leftbottom corner. In the final version it was placed on the right.

LoudspeakersIn the original case the loudspeakers were mounted from inside. In my audio station I inserted from

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outside as this made the assembling easier. These speakers required 70 mm holes.

PSP holder and audio connectorI simply placed the PSP on the design and drew round it it with a pencil. This gave the perfectposition of the holders and the audio jack. The audio jack and its wire came from an old pair of

headphones. It is L shaped and needed a slot cut for fixing it and letting the audio wire enter thecase.

The handleI designed a horizontal rounded slot just over the PSP for handy transportation.

Step 4: Sizing the enclosure.

After designing the complex front panel, I sized the speaker enclosure. For an optimal sound result,the volume of this box should suit the specifications of the original loudspeakers. In this project the

specifications of the cheap loudspeakers were unknown, therefore it was not possible to calculate anoptimal volume. This not a real hindrance, since this is not a hi-fi system. Anyway, the plastic case ofthe original speakers was very small and I thought that a slightly larger volume should have beenbeneficial for reproduction of bass frequencies. The wood material should also help to improve thesound.

Panel listBK: backT: top

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B: bottomLR: side rightLL: side leftM: middle

Step 5: Tracing and cutting the panels.

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I used 10 mm thick MDF for the front panel, because with this material it is easy to obtain verysmooth rounded edges. The side and back panels were made of 8 mm plywood.

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The front panel was traced on the MDF panel simply by placing the cardboard template on it (firstpicture). The side and back panels were drawn on the plywood with the help of a ruler and a square.

I used an electric jigsaw to cut all the panels. The plywood could be easily cut with a hand modellingsaw, but 10 mm MDF is a too dense for hand sawing!

Step 6: Assembling the case

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The first stage of assembly involves the side box panels. Before final glueing, I checked if all the

parts fitted well together (first picture). The left and right panel were not identical. I clamped them

together and trimmed the borders until the two panels overlapped perfectly (second picture)

A thin layer of woodglue was spread onto the contact surfaces and borders. The parts to be

assembled were placed on a horizontal flat surface and tightened with two screw clamps and elasticbands (third picture). The back panel was put in the assembly but not glued. It was in place just to

help keep all the panels at the right place. To avoid glueing the back panel, I separated it with an

aluminium foil.

Take care the glue does not fix the box to the bench surface!

Step 7: Finishing and sanding the panels.

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The upper back corner of the side panels was rounded using the jigsaw and sand paper (picture 1).

The edges of the side panels and front panel, including the handle hole, were also rounded and

smoothed with sand paper.

Two narrow vertical plywood bands were fixed in the inner surface of the side panel in order to form

a frame, onto which the back panel can be screwed (picture 2). After the glue was properly dry, the

case was assembled with the front panel.An additional finishing step was to groove the front panel following the shape of the switch panel and

of the metallic frame of the speakers. In this way these parts perfectly fitted the panel surface without

any protuberances (picture 4 and 5).

Step 8: PSP docking

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Two stands were designed following the shape of the PSP bottom corners.

The left stand includes the audio jack, which plugs into the PSP line-out when the console is docked.

Fitting the audio jack needed a hole in the front panel and a groove in the back side of the left stand.

The PSP was placed onto the panel in its final position and the audio jack was plugged in it. In this

way it was possible to mark the hole to be drilled. A similar procedure was applied in order to mark

the groove to be cut in the stand.

The right stand could include the 5 Volts DC plug to charge the battery. This could be very

convenient. I did not include this plug in the box, because I preferred to keep the AC/DC adapter

separated. In any case, the charging inlet remains accessible when the PSP is docked.

The two stands were fixed on the panel with some screws to check their alignment and then

unmounted for painting.

Step 9: Painting

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The whole box was painted with three layers of gloss white spray paint. The plastic switch panel was

also painted taking care to protect the electronics from spraying. The red LED was protected with a

small piece of modelling clay.

Step 10: Mounting the electronicsi

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I started by screwing the docking stands. The audio jack needs to be firmly fixed since it is pushed

and pulled each time the PSP is docked. If the jack is loose you can use some hot glue to fill the

small gap.

Before going on, all the wires were connected and soldered. They include the input stereo wire, the

two speaker output wires and power input from the transformer to the amplifier. After soldering, I

screwed the switch/control panel. The transformer was then fixed on the bottom panel using hot

glue. The AC input cable of the transformer was terminated with a screw connector. The power cord

was passed through the back panel by a hole and blocked with some glue to prevent it being pulled

it off the box. Before closing the box, I performed a rapid test to check if it worked! For a final

finishing touch the heads of the visible screws (switch panel) were carefully hidden with small circles

of white adhesive tape.

After closing the back panel the sound was okay. It still remained to dress the naked loudspeakers.

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Step 11: Speaker cover

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I designed a speaker cover with a shape similar to the PSP. As raw material, I choose a transparent

empty chocolate box. Eh! Eh! If you love DIY, do not throw away this smart, useful material! It is

polystyrene (PS); transparent but fragile.

I cut the panel off the box using a hand modelling saw. It is very difficult to use electric tools with this

plastic, because the blade warms up during sawing and melts the plastic.

After cutting the covering panel, I put it in place and marked the position of the speakers and of the

outer screws. To allow sound to pass through, I drilled a dense grid of small holes (2.5 mm

diameter). For this delicate drilling, I used an electric screwdriver, because the rotary tool turns too

fast, even at the lower speed, and melts the plastic. The screwdriver is OK, but very slow, therefore

drilling all the holes took almost two hours!

At this point I got a transparent cover (picture 4). I painted the back side with silver acrylic paint. The

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front side keeps the glossy plastic surface, perfect without painting. The cover was mounted with the

four outer most screws of the speakers. I made some small cylindrical spacers to be separate the

speakers from the cover.

he back side with silver acrilic paint. The front side keeps the glossy plastic surface, perfect without

painting. The cover was mounted with the four outer most screws of the speakers. I made some

small cilindric spacers to be separate the speakers from the cover.

Step 12: Enjoy your multimedia station

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Et voila! A newly designed multimedia station is ready for use. It looks great in my living room!

A possible improvement would be to allow for charging in the frame. A second jack for battery

charging could be included in the right PSP holder. The mounting of the DC jack would be similar to

the audio jack and the small power supplier could be hidden inside the case. In this way a unique

cord would power both the amplifier and the battery charger.

Thanks for your attention and many thanks to Kiteman for correcting English spelling.