Computer Speakers


Last Changed 7/31/2011
Speakers Speaker Amplifier Mini Stereo Amplifier	Speakers The ALK CoPilot voice module that speaks the directions needs a lot of help. When we used CoPilot on a laptop, we found that amplified speakers are a necessity to clearly hear the directions. The laptop speakers were just not up to the job. We mounted speakers overhead of the Pilot and Copilot and used a power amplifier to insure we had clear instructions from the navigation program.
	We mounted speakers on the underside of the cabinets just over the seats. The big challenge was to find speakers shallow enough to fit in the headliner and a way to mount them.
	The amplifier will be mounted in the blind space on the right in the cabinets over the windshield (see below).
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	To mount the speaker, my buddy Ron Knight gave me the idea of making these C-brackets. We used quarter-inch plywood and mollies. The notch in the C-Bracket allowed us to insert the bracket into the hole cut in the ceiling liner. The ceiling liner has about a half-inch of sound deadening material that gives a fair amount of strength to the ceiling. The ceiling is trapped between the speakers and the C-brackets.

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Speaker Amplifier
	We started with a set of amplified PC speakers. One speaker had the amplifier mounted within it. We modified that one.
	We clipped the wires to the speaker in the amplifier and attached them to a new jack.
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	This is the additional jack we installed.
	To fit in the right overhead compartment we had to grind off a corner of the amplifier case.
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	This is where the speaker amplifier is mounted.
	The speaker amplifier inside the upper compartment.
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Mini Stereo Amplifier
	The modified speaker amplifier worked relatively well for almost 5 years but the connections started to get flakey. Also, the location inside the overhead compartment found the buttons subject to the shifting of other items in the compartment. Not available when we first setup Red Rover, we found this mini stereo amplifier on eBay that was small enough to mount on the outside end of the overhead compartment. Also, since the mini-amplifier was DC powered, it removed a large AC/DC brick from inside the rather crowed dash.
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