The speaker situation wasn't the most difficult task to complete on the ZOOM
machine. However, there are several steps to consider. They are:
--Design Audio System
--Pick out two speakers
--Cut speaker holes
--Install speakers and covers
--Install amplification
Since all home-built arcade machines should be unique based on the preferences and imagination of their creators, it is important to take a few minutes to properly design a sound system which will suit your tastes. Some variables to keep in mind are: volume preference, quality, external or internal speakers, speaker grills or slots in the wood, and so on. A lot of people on the internet are satisfied with the sound on their computers outputted into a hacked up computer speaker amp and then out to the final destination speakers. This is the path I chose. However, some people might want to hook up their arcade machines to a more elaborate system and pump that Funny Mouse bass through a couple of 15" black widows.
I chose two 4" speakers from Happ controls. I could have purchased 4" speakers from Radio Shack or, well, anywhere, but since I was already dropping dimes into Happ for T-Molding and joysticks, I lazily picked up some speakers at the same time.
For the "hole cutting" part, I first determind the diameter of the hole I wanted to cut. Then I used a compass made from two pencils I scotch taped together to draw my circles. It was hard for me to decide if I wanted my speakers to be far apart, like a goat's eyes, or close together, like two delicious cherries right off the tree. I'm pretty OCD trying things every different way and then just blindly grabbing one of the ways and going for it. Maybe if I used three speakers it would have been even. Oh well. I went with the far apart idea.
The Dremel tool came with a Hole Cutter, and I had been waiting to do the speaker holes just to try it out. The dremel hole cutter sucked and I didn't even cut 1/20 of the first hole before I switched over to the jig saw. Unless you are Samual Y. Dremel, creator of the Dremel Tool, and natural born dremel expert, I suggest using the more accurate and easy-to-use jig saw.
Installing the speakers at this point is not very hard. It just involves some more wacky screwdriver action. This is what the final product might look like:
I don't have any convers yet, but I suspect very soon you'll be able to scroll this page down and see a pair.
For amplification, I purchased with a $20 dollar gift card from Best Buy, a pair of cheap computer speakers. I opened them by jamming a screw driver into them until they broke, and then I took out the circuit board. I removed the wires going from the board to the speakers, for I did not care about them (although I did save them for a later project). My plan was to focus on just the circuit board and the headphone output. I screwed the circuit board to the inside wall of my control panel and plugged it in.
From the speakers in the ZOOM machine, I ran two long wires down to the circuit board in the CP. At the end of those two wires, I attached a 1/8" plug that I took off the end of some headpones that I sacrificed (and of course saved for later, just in case). Using the headphone jack instead of hard wiring has the advantage of easy disconnection in case I even need to remove the CP. Which I do a lot. And the power cord comes out easy too.
So, uh, what did I tell you, here's a picture of the speaker covers:
I went to Inn Toon Stero, here in town, and asked for a couple speaker covers. I was then lead to a box containing many speaker covers. I rummaged through the box until I came up with a couple I liked. Black and logoless. Well, small black logos, anyway. These are coincidentally the same speaker covers as are found in my 318. Way to go, BMW. You win again for being the most rad of them all. Plus they were only five bucks.