Include Music with your Ride: Homemade Speaker from iPod Earbuds

I really enjoy listening to music, and I thought that injecting music into my bike rides would provide me with more opportunities to listen to music. However, I didn't want to use earphones or earbuds, as they would eliminate any ability to hear traffic, or other surrounding sounds. This was a concern for both safety associated with hearing things around me and the enjoyment of listening to nature.

So, I figured I could get an iPod Shuffle, and hook it up to an external speaker that would allow me to listen to music without completely cutting off the rest of the world's sounds. As I looked at external speakers, I noticed that some of them took batteries, while others ran off of the iPod's power. I didn't want to have the added complexity of needing batteries, so that ruled out the battery powered/amplified speaker. And, as I considered the other external speaker option, I figured I could arrange the stock iPod earbuds to work as an external speaker. By modifying the earbuds into speakers I'd save some money and probably get a solution that would better fit my needs!

I started by cutting cardboard into a small rectangular shape, slightly smaller than the iPod Shuffle. I figured, that when the wires were wrapped around the cardboard, the final shape would be equal in size to the Shuffle. I once saw a carpenter wrap a long power cord on a rectangular piece of plywood that had V-shaped dents cut into it, ensuring the cord would have plenty of surface area to gather. I borrowed this idea for my small piece of cardboard, trimming concave 'dents' into the short sides of the cardboard. These dents will ensure that the wire will have a place to gather, and not uncoil off the ends. I started wrapping the wire by placing the earbuds on the cardboard, and used the wires to secure both of the earbuds together and onto the cardboard. I left about a foot of wire loose at the end, ensuring the wire would reach to it's final destination: the Shuffle. After the wires were securely wrapped and the earbuds arranged on the cardboard, I wrapped the entire bundle in electrical tape, which will keep the wire from unraveling and keep the earbuds in place. The tape will also provide some protection from the elements. I temporarily secured the new 'speaker' to the shoulder strap of my hydration pack using a short velcro strap (which incidentally came with an old bike pump) and ran the wire down toward the Shuffle which temporarily clamps onto the shoulder strap.

The entire setup works great. I can easily adjust the volume and navigate songs while riding the bike, thanks mainly to the placement of the Shuffle's raised control surface that allows me to differentiate 'play/pause', 'volume', and 'advance/rewind' all by touch. The speakers are located too far back while standing, however when riding, they are located perfectly, just behind the ear. Now I can hear my music as well as the surrounding noise of the world, whether birds or cars, keeping me both in tune and out of trouble.