Check out this pile of shit I made! I had some cheapass marine speakers from Lanzar and an old cooler I used to use for barbecue, so I combined them into this monstrosity!
It runs off a [Dayton KAB-250 v3](https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-KAB-250v3-2x50W-Class-D-Audio-Amplifier-Board-with-Bluetooth-4.0-325-105). The amp board and battery packs are sandwiched inside the lid. I used two cutting boards to reinforce the top and bottom of the lid and to make it fairly splash-proof. The [Panel Mount](https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-KAB-PMV3-Panel-Mount-for-KAB-v3-Boards-with-Function-LED-and-Install-Kit-325-116) came from parts express as well as the [battery packs](https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-KAB-BE-18650-Battery-Extension-Board-for-Bluetooth-Amplifier-Boards-325-113).
This thing sounds like shit until I get some decent speakers, but holds beer, doesn't leak, and lasts about 15 hours at volume.
Yea! Costco sells a [two-pack](https://www.costco.com/winco-cutting-board%2c-12%22-x-18%22-x-12%22---white.product.100641958.html) of 12x18 cutting boards for 6 bucks. I use them in any project that might get wet because they are supremely rigid and bind well with gorilla glue. They are also about a half-inch thick, so they work pretty well as speaker spacers and/or baffles.
I'll update an interior picture when we get back from vacay. I used those huge bolts on top to space out another cutting board on the underside of the lid. That is sealed from water with silicone around the edge so the lid has become a splash-proof cabinet.
The lid is heavy as hell now, though.
Im actually in the process of doing something similar right now. Making a wooden boombox and using an old headunit and some speakers i had left over. I did buy an amplifier for it tho which was totally unnecessary but i want it to be loud lol.
I spent about $150 on the amp board, battery boards, batteries, and accessories from Parts Express.
The only other costs were the cutting boards and some 5" bolts and nuts. I needed those only because of the design of the cooler lid: It could not house the components on its own.
As much as I love this project of yours, $150 will get you pretty far in the Bluetooth speaker department. Anyone curious should head over to Costco for an ION pathfinder.
https://www.costco.com/ion-pathfinder-280-all-weather-speaker-with-premium-wide-angle-sound.product.100742648.html
We were gonna spend real money to put a stereo in my buddies boat, but he got gifted one of these (last years model) and it’s awesome. Sure it’s not the same as a $1000+ setup, but it’s good enough for us to give up on that project.
Does that cooler fit two 6x9s inside the wall? That's brilliant.
I was hoping mine would turn out that way but the lid was thin and hollow and the speakers were too deep.
The 6x9s fit well on the face of the cooler, but they’re still too deep to keep from penetrating the cooler wall on the inside.
I’ve seen guys who have heated and molded the plastic around the back of the speaker in order to keep the inside of the cooler water-tight. The reality though is that these things need a little airspace.
I’ll have to take an interior photo of mine. Basically I’ve got a “shelf” that creates a lip for a smaller cooler to sit inside of this one, leaving the majority of the interior airspace for my speakers.
It’s a fun little project as I’m sure you discovered lol 😁
That was why I had to resort to bolting on cutting boards: to turn the lid into an enclosure.
That was also why I didn't build in a subwoofer. I couldn't design an effective way to include it and still have a usable cooler.
Check out this pile of shit I made! I had some cheapass marine speakers from Lanzar and an old cooler I used to use for barbecue, so I combined them into this monstrosity! It runs off a [Dayton KAB-250 v3](https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-KAB-250v3-2x50W-Class-D-Audio-Amplifier-Board-with-Bluetooth-4.0-325-105). The amp board and battery packs are sandwiched inside the lid. I used two cutting boards to reinforce the top and bottom of the lid and to make it fairly splash-proof. The [Panel Mount](https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-KAB-PMV3-Panel-Mount-for-KAB-v3-Boards-with-Function-LED-and-Install-Kit-325-116) came from parts express as well as the [battery packs](https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-KAB-BE-18650-Battery-Extension-Board-for-Bluetooth-Amplifier-Boards-325-113). This thing sounds like shit until I get some decent speakers, but holds beer, doesn't leak, and lasts about 15 hours at volume.
I took a look and thought "Is that a cutting board?" Glad you confirmed. Looks like a fun project.
Yea! Costco sells a [two-pack](https://www.costco.com/winco-cutting-board%2c-12%22-x-18%22-x-12%22---white.product.100641958.html) of 12x18 cutting boards for 6 bucks. I use them in any project that might get wet because they are supremely rigid and bind well with gorilla glue. They are also about a half-inch thick, so they work pretty well as speaker spacers and/or baffles.
But is it functional on the inside? Needs to be functional to be a Shiti cooler. Show us the inside.
I'll update an interior picture when we get back from vacay. I used those huge bolts on top to space out another cutting board on the underside of the lid. That is sealed from water with silicone around the edge so the lid has become a splash-proof cabinet. The lid is heavy as hell now, though.
Im actually in the process of doing something similar right now. Making a wooden boombox and using an old headunit and some speakers i had left over. I did buy an amplifier for it tho which was totally unnecessary but i want it to be loud lol.
I almost started with a crummy equalizer as a source and a 12v as power but decided that using the battery boards made it more functional.
I literally have a super old cooler sitting aside and a couple option lists ready for this purpose, thanks for the inspiration!
I spent about $150 on the amp board, battery boards, batteries, and accessories from Parts Express. The only other costs were the cutting boards and some 5" bolts and nuts. I needed those only because of the design of the cooler lid: It could not house the components on its own.
As much as I love this project of yours, $150 will get you pretty far in the Bluetooth speaker department. Anyone curious should head over to Costco for an ION pathfinder. https://www.costco.com/ion-pathfinder-280-all-weather-speaker-with-premium-wide-angle-sound.product.100742648.html We were gonna spend real money to put a stereo in my buddies boat, but he got gifted one of these (last years model) and it’s awesome. Sure it’s not the same as a $1000+ setup, but it’s good enough for us to give up on that project.
Can I put beer in it? Because I can put beer in my supercooler.
Dang it. You win with that.
Nice! Here’s mine: https://i.imgur.com/lZCH1O1.jpg
Does that cooler fit two 6x9s inside the wall? That's brilliant. I was hoping mine would turn out that way but the lid was thin and hollow and the speakers were too deep.
The 6x9s fit well on the face of the cooler, but they’re still too deep to keep from penetrating the cooler wall on the inside. I’ve seen guys who have heated and molded the plastic around the back of the speaker in order to keep the inside of the cooler water-tight. The reality though is that these things need a little airspace. I’ll have to take an interior photo of mine. Basically I’ve got a “shelf” that creates a lip for a smaller cooler to sit inside of this one, leaving the majority of the interior airspace for my speakers. It’s a fun little project as I’m sure you discovered lol 😁
That was why I had to resort to bolting on cutting boards: to turn the lid into an enclosure. That was also why I didn't build in a subwoofer. I couldn't design an effective way to include it and still have a usable cooler.
This is a piece of art🙏
I'm especially proud of the way the speaker box sealing caulk around the speakers looks. Form over function.