This is part two of the SpikerBox DIY instruction kit.
Brought to you by Backyard Brains.
In this step, we'll build the recording cable and speaker.
You should already have the PCB assembled; if
not, you can go back and watch the first video.
We're going to start with the speaker assembly.
Let's first cut off a few good inches of the speaker lead.
We don't want too much slack inside the SpikerBox.
Now, we'll use a pair of wire strippers, and we are
to clip up the tips of each one of these leads.
It's a good idea to twist the wires at the end so the leads don't fray.
Again, we're going to use the silly putty
to act as an extra pair of helping hands.
This will stabilize the speaker connector, so
that we can use our soldering iron and solder.
I next position the solder so that it
lies adjacent to one of the two posts.
It's hard to see, so I'll show you what's happening.
With the speaker connector firmly in place, I can lower one of the wires
and connect it so it's adjacent to the outside of one of the posts.
I can then apply the heat from the soldering
iron and move the solder onto the connections.
We can then repeat this for the other side.
Again, when we are lowering the wire,
make sure it's on the outside of the post.
We want to make sure that in no way the
can the connections cross between the two.
Now that the connector is soldered in place,
I like to take a piece of electrical tape
and separate the two posts, and then wrap
it around so that it's securely in place.
So that now completes our speaker assembly.
It's time to build the recording electrode.
The electrode consists of six inches of
speaker wire, an RCA plug, and two needles.
We're going to start with a pair of scissors, and
we're going to cut both ends of the speaker wire.
The goal is to separate both wires from the
speaker wire for about three-quarters of an inch.
We're going to use our wire strippers to strip both
ends of the speaker wire -That's four wires in total.
On one end, I strip away about a half-inch of the speaker wire; this
will be the end of the speaker wire we'll use to make our electrodes.
We're going to need enough exposed wire to
be able to wrap around the pins a few times.
Now, on the other end, I don't expose as
much wire, maybe about a quarter of an inch.
We're going to use this inside of the RCA plug.
We don't need a lot of exposed wire, because it just
increases the chances of a short happening within the plug.
So now, we're going to get ready to
solder the speaker wire to the RCA plug.
I like to ensure that the wire wil not fray once it's
inside, so I twist it, many many times, so it's very tight.
Now, we're going to thread the speaker
wire through both sides of the plug. I like to keep the speaker
wire in the center of the connector, and then solder
on the outside posts.
So now let's turn the RCA plug over,
and solder the back side as well. Remember, there's no
polarity on these wires, so it doesn't matter which
side goes to which.
We can use the tip of our wire strippers
to be able to crimp the wire in place to act as a
strain relief from the RCA plug.
Now, it's time to take the cover of the RCA plug
and slide across the speaker wire
and screw it into place. Sometimes, we add just a little
bit of superglue so it doesn't unscrew when we're plugging it
back in and out of the SpikerBox.
Finally, on the other end of the plug,
we take the exposed speaker wire and wrap it around the center
part of the pin.
I like to make sure it wraps around about two or three times.
Now let's go ahead and solder that into place.
Now let's repeat this entire process for the other pin, and when we're done,
our electrode is complete.
We now have everything ready to begin our final assembly of the SpikerBox.