Pictures of Phonieboxes for inspiration 2020/2021

[MiczFlor]

Hi Phonieboxers,

please add your designs of finished Phonieboxes in this thread. Also, I am collecting designs for the new calendar 2021 coming out shortly before Christmas. You can see the 2020 calendar here and the 2019 calendar here.

Use this new thread that I started for sharing pictures and designs, because the old thread was wonderfully picture rich which is why it became very heavy to load. So we start a fresh thread end of 2019 and into 2020. You can find the old thread of Phoniebox designs for inspiration here.

[Yordan1976]

Will you take pictues from 2019 from the old thread for the 2020 calendar? Or should we post a single picture here again for it?

[MiczFlor]

Will you take pictues from 2019 from the old thread for the 2020 calendar? Or should we post a single picture here again for it?

I will go through the old thread, as well, of course. In short: I will dig through both.

[andreasbrett]

So here's what I built for my little one. She's shy of 16 months so this box will be mostly used for animal sounds for now. Love how versatile Phonieboxes are as they will easily grow with your children and their needs.

[jens7885]

@andreasbrett: very impressive!

Here is my more modest design:

[lj2000]

This is the second Phoniebox I built up.
The first one is my daughter's Phoniebox.. This one is mine :)
Some weeks ago I started to regenerate my good old tube radio Telefunken Jubilate 8.
It was still working but the sound wasn't as good as one would expect from a tube radio or a tube amp.
So I did all the standard things which are needed for bringing tube radios back to service:

• Replacement of all defective capacitors and resistors
• Intensive Cleaning
• Change of the magic eye and of the amplifier tube

After this repair the radio sound (FM/UKW) was fantastic.
While testing the radio I thought if it would be possible to use the radio's TA input for today's audio signals (MP3, CD or ... Phoniebox :) )

So I searched this topic in the internet and found some hints and solutions how to connect audio line outputs to a tube radio's TA input.

Finally I decided to upcycle my tube radio by adding the typical Phoniebox parts (Raspberry Pi Zero, Hifiberry DAC, Power Supply, RFID reader) and an audio cable including a very simple but very good passive audio filter ( see this link for details ).

Now my good old Jubilate 8 tube radio has some additional features which in the 1950's no one had dared to dream: :)

• Internet radio
• Phoniebox player using the RFID cards
• Further software extensions like Bluetooth loudspeaker :)

And of course all sound features can be played in crystal clear tube amp quality. But this radio only provides one audio channel (mono). In my opinion this doesn't matter. I mixed the left and the right channel in the audio cable using resistors.

Open topics:

• I am searching for the right knob or better: I am searching for the metal in the middle of this knob. If you have one in stock please contact me.
• When regenerating this radio I destroyed the cable of the MW antenna. I also want to reactivate the MW/LW antenna . MW and LW is also nowadays nice to hear.
• The USB connection to the RFID reader disturbs the FM/UKW reception. I solved this by using a very good shielded USB cable. When the MW antenna is back I also have to check if this one works without any disturbances
• I want to perform some tests with alsaeq (Equalizer): If this works it could be that I don't need the filter in the audio cable which is mounted on the backside of the radio at the moment.

Attention: If you want to modify a tube radio by yourself you must be an electronics specialist! Tube radios can be very dangerous. Inside of them there are very high voltages which can kill you. So don't do anything with them if you do not exactly know what you must and what you can do there.

[flo2305]

This is my first one from 2018.
The second one is in the making.

Classic Design :-)

[MiczFlor]

@flo2305 that is a Phoniebox classic by now, you are right. Nice 50s green. Looks like you got the dial for volume and buttons to skip to new tracks. If you have a working script combining buttons and dial, I would like to add this to the wiki, possibly you can write something?

[flo2305]

@MiczFlor Hi. Sorry, but I didn’t realize the volume control in software. It’s the built-in dial from the speakers. I soldered it around and built it into my box.

[040medien]

My first self-designed speaker. Made with a MPCNC lowrider from 18mm plywood. Turned out to be too loud for a kid's room, so I had to cap the volume in software. The slot is for RFID cards which get a label for each audio book.

[andreasbrett]

@040medien that looks great! Also like the card slot. Very nice design!

[Jorgen-VikingGod]

I'm looking currently for something like this

use the original keys and knobs and be able to put into some old tapes (assigned with a little rfid sticker) to play a playlist or stream.
First I have to search a good one at the basement of my parents oO

[mikebarkmin]

@andreasbrett your box looks very nice. What materials did you use?

[andreasbrett]

@andreasbrett your box looks very nice. What materials did you use?

Thanks, @mikebarkmin! Here's a list of materials used:

• box from Obi
• simple rope from Obi as well
• white lacquer from Hornbach (2k PU acrylic lacquer; 2 coats)
• colored acrylic lacquer... idk, my mother painted the owl and used her own colors
• buttons from AliExpress (very cheap ones, hope they last)

If you need more details just ask.

[UndIch]

Not completely finished jet - but just a first impression!

[dbffm]

Final assembly finished last night:

[deheingit]

Final assembly finished last night:

Hi dbfmm: Do you have a part list? (especially the box itself. And how did you get the battery leds to show on the back?

[Yordan1976]

And how did you get the battery leds to show on the back?

I used fiber optic cables for this.

[deheingit]

a cool, thanks. Are they just glued onto the batteries leds?

[andreasbrett]

@Yordan1976 Nice! How did you fix them on the battery and where did you get them (haven't been able to find them yet).

[Yordan1976]

The powerbank has holes there (the LEDs are inside) and I just bought a fitting diameter (0.5 mm here). Because the diameter isn't perfectly constant, i could measure it and choose the right places for the cut to get a nice close fit.

[dbffm]

Hi dbfmm: Do you have a part list? (especially the box itself. And how did you get the battery leds to show on the back?

@deheingit: the box itself is custom tailored medium-density fiberboard (MDF) which is glued (Leim). Front and back are 8mm; the other parts are 12mm.

I bought optic fiber cable (0,5mm diameter; 2m length) on ebay. On the wood side it is glued; on the powerbank it is just "plugged". It could be a bit tighter but it holds the cable as long as you do not shake the whole box.

[Diekoeche]

We finally Finishing the Phoniebox :)
It’s in a Recycled Box where we bought glasses in. So it’s flexible and easy to open with the zipper. That’s why we didn’t built a charging connector.

I hope it’s inspiringly for someone :)

Thank you so much MiczFlor!!!!!

[deheingit]

Hi dbfmm: Do you have a part list? (especially the box itself. And how did you get the battery leds to show on the back?

@deheingit: the box itself is custom tailored medium-density fiberboard (MDF) which is glued (Leim). Front and back are 8mm; the other parts are 12mm.

I bought optic fiber cable (0,5mm diameter; 2m length) on ebay. On the wood side it is glued; on the powerbank it is just "plugged". It could be a bit tighter but it holds the cable as long as you do not shake the whole box.

@dbffm: Ok, thanks a lot

[deheingit]

@dbffm: One mor thing: where did you get the usb port and the power button. i rally like the combination ;)

[dbffm]

@deheingit I found both on Aliexpress
€ 7,75 | 22mm mounting diameter Micro USB Female to Male
https://a.aliexpress.com/FcQZ4hkUL

16mm 3V LED Power Push Button https://a.aliexpress.com/oiAuW0sBZ

[deheingit]

@dbffm : Thanks!!

[pfedan]

During the last days I also built a Phoniebox. Here you go:

(The lid is held closed by a buried screw in the center of the front edge) (I tried to manage the cables in a way that I can still maintain the box in a few years...)

Finally, big KUDOS to @MiczFlor for his ingenious open source project. Such things make the world a better place! 🐱‍🏍✨

[UndIch]

I already posted some pictures of our „Phoniebox“ - but I wasn’t satisfied with t
Is so I did some sort of makeover and that’s how we like it ... and hopefully my son does, too:

Parts used: RPi 3b, OnOffShim (top!, 7€ +shipping), Neufatek Reader (soldered for “stop on removal” hardware hack), Logitech S150 (15€, absolut recommended- playing ok sound completely over USB (external soundcard included In the speaker and powered by RPi USB, so turning off via onOffShim!), 10000mAh Licheers Powerbank (BlackFriday Amazon 10€, needed a small one because of the reduced space in the „car“), Push LED Buttons from Conrad (2€ ea), red, yellow led for tail and top lights, some resistors.

So over all 40€+15+10€+10+10€ spare parts = 85€.

[RiekeIcke]

In April I finished my 3rd Box. I worked on it for about one year. But finally I am very happy with the result. My son, too ;-)

First, the RFID reader was at the top of the box but this didn‘t work for him. Then, I set the antenna around the buttons and this was much more better.

[larsboth]

With my Phoniebox's design I'm applying for the least-effort-award. I've just used the child's suitcase (actually a present for newborns) from a big german drugstore chain. Still, I'm pretty happy with the result. Lot's of thanks to @splitti for thoroughly documenting his experience (I heavily profited from that!) and to @MiczFlor of course ;-)

[tulpenwase]

I present here the Phoniebox, which was lovingly christened by my daughter Klackerbox because the buttons click so beautifully when you press them. A big thank you to the community and the comprehensive documentation with which I got Airplay and MQTT running. I love the software and the freedom it gives me. Really great. For all of you who wonder why MQTT? I'm gaining more and more experience with rhasspy, an open source offline voice assistant, with which I control the phony box via voice control. I think I will have a lot more fun with the clackbox =)

[ChirpingBox]

I built a chirping box as birthday present for my 3 years old son.

I was searching for a robust music player but didn't want an old fashioned child's CD-player and also didn't like to teach him hitting a music box to play the next song.
I was really glad and surprised finding the phoniebox project.
It gives me the freedom to buy music on CD, as MP3 or to stream it from anwhere.

First I was a bit afraid of starting the project, because I have no programming or electrotechnical skills.
I asked my husband to build the music box, but he didn't like to.
The birthday of my son was closing in and I had to try it by myself.
And it works!

The housing is built in the design of 2 bird's nesting boxes.
Each one has a speaker placed behind the entrance hole.
In the box with the peaked roof I placed the raspberry.
The RFID reader is placed below the pent roof.
And there is also a powerbank.

The powerbank is the only part that I don't like.
It only delivers power for 1 day, although the music box is in standby most of the time.
When it's completely empty and we charge it, we have to remove the cable and plug it in again to restart the raspberry.
This is not intuitionally for a 3 years old boy.

My son loves his chirping box and he lets it play all his favorites songs.
And he also loves to listen to the bird's voices' cards matching the design of the box.

[Dodo121188]

Hi, ich möchte gerne meine Phoniebox vorstellen.
Habe sie die Tage auf die aktuelle Software umgestellt und bin sehr froh über die neuen Funktionen! Vielen Dank an dieser Stelle!
Zu den Funktionen:
5 Knöpfe für play/pause, vor, zurück, lauter, leiser
1 led An/Aus Schalter ("Nase" des bären mit weißem Ring)
On/off shim
Diverse Karten für Hörspiele und Lieder
Rfid Chips für Funktionen wie 30/60/90 Minuten Timer..

Hier eine grobe Übersicht der verbauten Teile (glaube da haben mir noch paar Teile wie micro usb Stecker gefehlt)

In Planung:

• RFID Karten neu einlaminieren (lösen sich leider wieder, vllt finde ich auch eine andere Lösung)
• Halter für die RFID Karten basteln

[fleshgordo]

Here a phoniebox "book" covered with artisan beige linen and loudspeakers hidden in the spine. Some 3d printed parts have been designed specifically for this box such as the powerbank holder which serves also as mounting surface for the raspberry pi and a tiny bezel for the OLED display.

The +5V for the LED lights in the buttons is tapped from the amplifier board which gives a visual cue that battery is drained (when not played - after idle time the raspbi shuts down anyway)

The strap is from black leather. On the bottom of the box is a RFID card wallet that can hold up to 5 cards (favourite songs). Inside the box you'll find the usual suspects (RFID reader, onOff shim) and a tiny bit of golden glitter hotglue.

For better acoustic we decided to drill three extra holes (~15mm) into the box.

Overall result: happy kid 🙂 - the book fits in a bookshelf. Thanks to the entire phoniebox community!

[marmacman]

Thank you so much for the time and work you have devoted to this project and for making it available for others to enjoy!

I made this last December for my 3 year old son. He has used it pretty much everyday this year he loves it. The whole family does. It is now the main way we all listen to music in the house.

[s-martin]

Thank you so much for the time and work you have devoted to this project and for making it available for others to enjoy!

I made this last December for my 3 year old son. He has used it pretty much everyday this year he loves it. The whole family does. It is now the main way we all listen to music in the house.

Wow, I really love this design!

[MrReSc]

The Phoniebox has a fabric-covered front that is magnetically attached. I glued fibre optic cables to the power bank to make the battery status visible outside. The phoniebox is switched on and off with an OnOff SHIM and can be charged via USB-C. I sprayed the symbols onto the wood with a stencil. All large components are attached with Velcro so that they can be easily removed.
You can find more information here.

[chaskitb]

First Box for my daughter.

[UndIch]

Similar to the one from last year - touch buttons at the front seat (inside) can be used for prev/next and vol+/-

[UndIch]

[JGJCV]

[pehlikan]

Thank you so much for sharing and maintaining this project! I built a box as a present for my daughter's third birthday. These are the parts that go beyond a minimal setup:

• Noise filter
• OnOff SHIM
• Push button
• LED power indicator
• Cardboard suitcase

I opted for the cardboard case as it was the only option I found which allowed me to build a quite compact (20 cm width) and lightweight device. The challenge there was to find an inner construction that ensured its stability even when handled by a child. That seemed successful, the box is now 1.5 years in use and the only parts that went missing are some of the original stickers. :)

[flo2305]

Build #2.
Classic Design. 😊

[Lukkilukki]

Just finished mine right on the 24th as a Christmas Gift. Standard setup without gpios and with On off shim. Maybe the gpios will follow if I have time. Used a toddlers game box from ikea. It’s cheap an an ideal starting point. The only thing you have to keep in mind is the lack of space, so the powerbanks size matters.

[0x0lli]

couldn't find a decent solution for printing functions onto the surface, will be done next. was handed out as seen

[jeripeierSBB]

With USB Button Encoder - Arcade Buttons without soldering.

[PharaOhNo]

very basic design, but the little one is pretty happy with it :-)

[giguerator]

My take on the phoniebox!

What I used:

• Adafruit Powerboost 1000c & LiPo 2500mAh battery for power
• RPi zero W
• Pomorini Pirate Audio 3W amp with generic Adafruit 8ohm speakers
• Custom PCB for one button shutdown and power on (without using GPIO3), low battery detection, button and led management
• Custom 3d printed enclosure
• Custom 3d printed figurines with generic NFC round stickers
• PN532 RFID reader

What I modified in the code:

• Hacked a stopped on removal feature with the PN532 (modifications to deamon_rfid_reader.py (to modify event behaviour) and Reader.py (to activate preriodic reads of PN532 instead on wait on card)
• Added a low battery splash screen to prompt the user for plugging in the phoniebox via function_calls.pi (is working with undervoltage status from the RPi at the moment because of reliability of the circuit I used to detect the Powerboost LBO signal)
• Modified the Pirate Audio library for mopidy to try up to 10 times when creating the GPIO events for the module since GPIO configuration seems to conflict with another process at the moment mopidy deamon is started (any thoughts? )

Enjoy !
Benjamin

[obehr]

Sound:

• USB sound card + PAM8304 + ground loop isolator
• PAM module with extra buffer and unmute per GPIO after startup
• Speaker: Visaton FR8

Buttons:

• For On/Off, Play/Pause, Prev, Next, VolUp, VolDown
• Illuminated arcade buttons
• LED of On/Off connected to Pin2 / 5 V, other LEDs to GPIO

Other:

• RC522 RFID reader
• OnOff SHIM
• Foam suspension for PCB
• Locking mechanism with metrical t-nuts
• Panel mount micro USB slot

The sound is fine, I even limited the max. volume to 80 %. But next time I would probably go for a PAM8406 2x5W module, which already has proper buffer capacitors on it. For the buttons I would choose screw clamps instead of soldering.

I documented all steps for my setup, see attached file (sorry, german only).
Anleitung.txt

Thanks to all contributors of this amazing project!

[SimonV1986]

First, thanks for this Projekt! Thx for all these Ideas, i see the work @ all Projekts.

Last Weekend i build my Phoniebox.
Hardware:

• RPI 3 B+
• Arcarde Buttons 24mm - Play/Pause, Prev, Next, VolUp, VolDown
• Kennso 12mm 3 V Led ON Off Button
• Trust Leto 2.0 USB Set
• No Soundcart - or noise filter - > must be update
• No Powerbank - the ONOFF Shim does not work
• Case Multiplex 9mm
• Neuftech USB RFID Reader

[smu]

Thanks a lot for this wonderful software! Here are a few pictures of my first box.

[baschior]

Here is my Phoniebox design...
I took an old medical case as a box. Pretty straight interial as recommended in the wiki. I hooked the power switch of the pi to the outside to turn it off after shutdown, so no need for a onoff shea...
Also connected the powerbank to the outside for charging.
Workes like a charm!
6 buttons connected as recommended all working plug and play with the gpio control!

**Awesome project, everything worked as expected! Thanks a lot! **

[jorgemiar]

I modified an old boombox to work as a phoniebox. I added NFC stickers to the cassettes. When you put a new cassette in it will load a spotify playlist. When you then press the play button it will start playing. Prev/Next and Volume also work! :)

YouTube Video (click the image):