Is it an owl wearing a hairnet? No, the »Soundicle« is an extraordinary loudspeaker box which glows in the dark. The prototype was 3D printed at Gutenbergschule Frankfurt, Germany.

The result had to be unique, exceptional and at a low budget. This apparent contradiction was solved with success at Gutenbergschule. The project itself was close to failure several times: »Half-baked ideas, unprintable models or components which did not match – we had to deal with all of these challenges« says Mr Thomczek, teacher at Gutenbergschule, a vocational school for printing technologies and media design in Frankfurt, Germany. He is leading the 3D print workshop since 2015. »Loudspeaker chassis, amplifier and power supply are standard components which I had as spare parts from previous private projects, so it could be built for a reasonable price.«

The finished case consists of just three parts: The base plate on which the amplifier rests, the actual body which contains the speaker chassis and all other electronic parts and the green cover that not only glows in the dark but also protects the speakers’ membranes.

»The classic material for building speakers is wood. A normal loudspeaker housing is just a box with a hole for the speaker. That would have been neither demanding nor challenging enough. That’s why we chose an exceptional design for it. This kind of housing is hard to build with conventional production techniques«, Jan Thomczek explains.

The first ideas were just some rough sketches made with pen and paper. In the next step all parts were modeled in 3D using the software Blender. The first attempts in 3D-printing were made with downsized versions to save printing time. The final result took about 60 hours of printing. »Costs for material and power were less than five Euros. Now Gutenbergschule has a unique loudspeaker«, Mr Thomczek says.

The knowledge gained from this project influences the daily courses at school. »We learn best from practical work and new challenges. That is true for students and teachers as well«, Thomczek explains his own progression in learning. »My students are excited about the Soundicle. I always try to share this enthusiasm with my students and give them motivation for their future working life.«

The sound coming from the little box is amazing. Despite the relatively small case, the Soundicle has a rich and powerful sound and does not stand back behind expensive speaker systems from well-known brands. By the way, the name »Soundicle« is a combination of the words »sound« and »particle«, which stands for the combination of the good sound the speaker produces in comparison to its rather small size.

Technical specifications:

•  2x 10 Watt RMS @ 8 Ohms
•  80 – 20.000 Hz (approximated)
•  Power supply: 12 Volt, max. 5A
•  Volume: 1,9 Liters
•  Dimensions: 17 x 13,5 x 17 cm

If you are interested in the project, please feel free to contact us!

Gutenbergschule Frankfurt am Main
Jan Thomczek