How to build an "Audio Pipe" for your ATV.

[Black02Silverado]

Awesome write up!

 

[thunderstruck]

Thanks guys. These things are a blast to have, hope it helps some of you make your own too!

Imageshack is a little flaky, so you might have to refresh to see the wiring diagram and all five pics.

That's a really cool idea. For a do it yourselfer, that'd be a great project. I mentor a high school robotics team and that'd be really cool to take into the shops on the weekend. I just might have to do this if I can do it cheap enough.

IIRC, it cost me between $120 and $150 for everything needed.

 

[thunderstruck]

Here's an overdue update. The left channel of the Pyramid amp in my original audiopipe stopped working, so I built a new audiopipe with a Sure 2x100W @ 4 Ohm TK2050 Class-D Audio Amplifier Board.

Parts Needed:

• Several feet of Schedule 40 PVC pipe. SDR-35 pipe, which is easier to find, will also work but is considerably thinner.
• Two 90 degree Schedule 40 PVC elbows. Again, SDR-35 will also suffice.
• Scrap wood. A couple of feet of 2x4 or a few pieces of 3/4" plywood will work just fine.
• Sure 2x100W @ 4 Ohm TK2050 Class-D Audio Amplifier Board
• Pair of 6-3/4" (true 6-1/2") speakers. They must have an outside diameter of about 6-1/2", most 6-1/2" car speakers actually only have an O.D. of 6-1/4".
• SPST Toggle Switch (Single Pole Single Throw)
• Marine Grade Locking Cigarette Lighter Plug
• 10-amp 3AG glass fuse for cigarette lighter plug.
• Stereo 3.5mm-to-RCA cable. You don't want to cheap out on this cable, you need one that can stand up to a lot of abuse
• Several feet of wire, 16 or 14 gauge will be fine for power, while 16 or 18 will be great for the speakers. Ordinary speaker wire or zip cord will work, but jacketed CL-rated wire would be best.
• PVC cement and primer
• Silicone RTV sealant
• Rubber grommet to pass wiring through the pipe.
• Four #6 or smaller screws to secure amp board.
• Several rubber, urethane, or nylon spacers to isolate amp board from the pipe.
• Wax & Grease remover, 220-grit sandpaper (you can also use 400 and 600 grit if you want a very smooth finish), and your choice of spray paint. I used Duplicolor's Truck Bed Coating, it looks great and has held up perfectly.
• Finally, if your ATV doesn't already have a 12 volt outlet, you will also need a Marine Grade Cigarette Lighter Socket

All of the electronic parts can be bought at Parts Express.com. The wax remover, paint, and sandpaper can be bought at an auto parts store like NAPA. Everything else can be bought at your local hardware store (or found lying around your garage/shop.)

I wrote this guide assuming you will be using the exact same amplifier and cigarette lighter plug I have listed above. You can use whatever you want, but parts of this guide won't apply to you then.

Before you begin, The gain on the Sure amplifier is set using four small dipswitches between the heatseak and three terminals. In just about every case for an audiopipe, all four dipswitches will need to be set to ON.

1. Measure your ATV's rack to determine how much pipe you need between the two elbows. Keep in mind that about 3" of pipe will fit into each elbow, measure them to make sure.
2. Cut the PVC pipe to length, I used a recipricating saw with a long finetooth blade. Remove the burrs once you are done.
3. Cut two 3" long rings out of the leftover pipe. Try to cut these as straight as possible. Remove the burrs when you're done.
4. Glue the rings into one end of each elbow. Make sure the pipe and elbows are clean first, you can use PVC primer/cleaner if you want, but it's not absolutely nessecary since the pipes won't be pressurized.
5. If any of the pipe is sticking out from the elbows, cut it off. The pipe needs to sit flush with the elbow.
6. Lay the main piece of pipe across the ATV rack and determine where you want to run the wires through and mount the toggle switch. Keep in mind that you need to stay at least three inches away from the ends in order to clear the elbows. Drill the holes for the wires and toggle switch.
7. Now would be a good time to paint the pipe.
   
   1. Start by putting the pieces together (don't glue them, obviously). Wipe down the entire pipe with wax & grease cleaner.
   2. Sand the pipe well with 220-grit sandpaper. You can move up to 400 and 600 if you want a very smooth finish.
   3. Remove the sanding dust by washing the pipe with mild soap and water. Rinse and then dry.
   4. Plug the holes and then paint the pipe.
   5. Once the paint has dried, unplug the holes and take apart the pieces.
8. Now that that's done, push a rubber grommet into the hole for the wires. Run your audio cable and power wire through it
9. Now you will have to build a platform to mount the amp board on that will fit into the pipe. I cut a peice of 2x4 about 12 inches long, then screwed two small strips of 3/4" plywood onto the 2x4 for my amp to mount on.
10. Secure the amp to the wooden platform using the screws. I suggest you use some of kind of spacer on both side to help isolate and dampen any shock the amp might receive.
11. Connect the negative power wire to the J5 GND terminal and the positive power wire to the J1 VCC terminal on the amp board.
12. Connect one terminal of the SPST toggle switch to the +5V terminal on the amp, then connect the other switch terminal to the MUTE terminal on the amp. When you turn the switch ON, the amplifier will go into mute mode.
13. Now connect the left RCA plug into the J7 Channel 1 jack and the right RCA plug into the J9 Channel 2 jack.
14. Finally, connect the left speaker wires to the J11 terminal blocks and the right speaker wires to the J14 terminal blocks.
15. Slide the amp and wooden platform into the pipe. Position it so it will be upright and not interfere with the toggle switch and wiring. Run a few screws through the bottom of the pipe and into the wood. Obviously, you don't want use too long screws.
16. Mount the toggle switch in it hole, then run the speaker wires out the pipe and through the elbows.
17. Glue only one of the elbows onto the pipe, preferably the side you will likely not have to remove to access the toggle switch, RCA inputs, etc.
18. Smear a light coat of waterproof grease in the other elbow to help repel water. Push it onto the pipe and line it up with the other elbow that you glued. Use a small set screw to keep the elbow from moving.
19. Hold a speaker to the ends of each elbow and mark the four mounting holes. Drill pilot holes for each mounting screw.
20. Connect the speaker wires to the speakers, and then screw them down to the elbows.
21. Run a bead of silicone sealant around the edges of speakers, then attach the speaker grilles.
22. Take off the cap from the cigarette lighter plug and remove the fuse. Remove the screw and and o-ring from the plug, then pull the two sides apart.
23. Loosen the wire clamp and feed your power wire through the strain relief and wire clamp. Insert your negative power wire into the bottom wire lug and the positive power wire into the top wire lug. Tighten down the set screws on the wire lugs.
24. Tighten down the wire clamp, then reassemble the cigarette lighter plug.
25. Strap the pipe down to your ATV rack and plug everything in. You're done!

 

[thunderstruck]

Here's version 2.1 with Polk Audio db651's.

 

[buRRp]

 

[Alljackedup408]

Hellyeah son!

 

[OldCracker29]

That's sweet Kyle. I like your yearly updates.

 

[Z71 Kris]

I assume you use a mp3 player..ipod or phone or something... thats cool as hell...how has it help up to water and mud abuse?

 

[BlueCollarPilot]

I definitely need to do this. Awesome project and write up.

 

[thunderstruck]

I assume you use a mp3 player..ipod or phone or something... thats cool as hell...how has it help up to water and mud abuse?

Yeah I use my Sansa MP3 player (you can see it in the pic) or my iPhone. It's held up to just about any amount of water or mud as long as it doesn't get submerged.