DIY Idea: Make a Portable Lunch Box Stereo

Brian Wood Arkansas-based BSquared Inc came up with this super creative solution for taking your tunes on the go. He built a portable iPod speaker/amplifier inside a vintage lunchbox, complete with a volume/power knob and beautiful wood casework to house the components.   It’s a one-off experiment, so there’s only a single unit available on Etsy, and I don’t suspect it’ll last long. But these old lunchboxes are pretty easy to come by at secondhand stores and garage sales, and Brian mentions the specific components he used to build and power the speakers, so I’m thinking this ripe for a DIY effort.

Besides portability, the unit is also quite effecient. Brian says, 

This unit works on a very high efficiency amplifier powering two MB Quart 3.5″ full range coaxial speakers. The battery on this unit is a rechargeable 7200mAh Lithium Ion battery, this piece can run for a very, very long time on a single charge. I have tested it with a 4th Generation iPod Touch, having Bluetooth and WIFI disabled, and locking the screen while the music was playing, it ran for an astounding 18 hours straight at half volume (comfortable listening volume). I know of no other portable music player than can come anywhere close to that amount of run time.

Hold your picnic basket in one hand and this guy in the other, and go outside. Have fun.

AudioPail – Portable Lunch Box Stereo for iPhone, iPod, iPad [via Make]