This is an Etsy store build which is being offered on a ‘ready to ship’ basis. Bathed in a beautiful light blue top coat, and finished in gloss clear coat.
It’s a 12v ‘Sounds & Charge’ PiigBox. With 20Ah lithium pack, 50w x 2 Bluetooth amp, paired to UK designed 4” Kevlar coned speakers. Dual usb sockets and XT60 socket finish off the package.
PiigBox comes alive once it’s painted. It’s no longer just an old tin can. It’s a tin can with holes in 🤣
Each PiigBox improves on the last, and one area I wanted to focus on was to make sure the speaker holes and nice and neat. The latest can has been sanded and primed and sanded back ready for another prime layer before final sanding and top coat.
One big challenge is to get colour to stick to the chrome grills. So I’m on the look out for painted grills for future builds.
Anyway, back to current build. This sweet beast is shop stock, so it’s getting a beautiful blue, which I’ll share once it’s finished.
Ohhh, it’s going to to have a 4S power plant too. So should be fine with all lipo chargers. Or just power your sounds for days…
So a couple of hours with the spot welder and soldering iron and the 6S beast is alive. A quick Youtube search for Woocommerce buying options add-ons has resulted in battery pack options for the ‘Sounds & Charge’ PiigBoxes.
There’s only one thing to remember. You’re still getting a 12 cell power pack with the same high capacity, but in your choice of voltage. The advantage of the higher voltage packs is the boost the bluetooth amp will get – so if you really want it to annoy your neighbours, go for the 6S option.
This is a bit of a sneak peak for the next addition to the Piigsty. I’ve had enquiries about higher voltage packs for hungry Lipo chargers. So I’m going to be offering options in the store. You can choose between 3S 12V, 4S 16V, or 6S 24V. Packs will be the same price using 12 x 21700 cells for ‘Sounds & Charge’.
I’ve gone for the amazing Samsung 40T 21700 cells for the 6S model as they’re rated at 30Amp discharge. So the 6S2P can still pack a punch equalling the 3S4P packs.
Look out in the Piigsty when options go live…
Really getting the hang of spot welding, soldering, and glueing these packs together now.
This one will be cycle tested and then its ready for a customer. It’s another of our 20Ah 21700 3S packs complete with battery safety board so there’s no need to balance cables. It protects from over charging, over discharging, over current. They really do offer peace of mind.
We’ve got 3S 18650 packs in stock now for our ‘Sounds’ PiigBoxes. They’re 12V 3600mAh packs which will still pack a punch and deliver thumping bass all day long. All made up using brand new LG M36 cells, and the same 40AMP BMS as seen in our larger Power Plants.
Out in the field with an iPhone, a lipo charger, a couple of packs and a bass heavy Spotify Playlist. The last stage before dispatch is testing.
I go through a number of field tests, first of which is whether it switches on (which is useful). Then other tests including bluetooth pairing with more than one device, voltage displayed, USB charging ports work, output to XT60 port etc. It’s all well and good testing that it will charge you phone, and even you lipo charger, but if it sounds crap! then it’s not ticking boxes.
So I launched Stormzy on my iPhone to test the dynamic range of the speaker. I was not dissapointed. I’ve redesigned the fit between speaker and case, so I now have a 19mm wide and 5mm thick seal made from TPU flexible plastic. This ensure a tight, but isolated seal between speaker to case. This will reduce the risk of vibration and rattles in the case. The amp, speakers and bass tube are all carefuy selected for optimum sound control, with deep, rich bass, and clear mid, and sharp top end.
Once I’m happy with the sounds, I move on to testing charging. So out with the phone charging cable, then try attaching a lipo charger and actually emulate a day in the field. So with Stormzy singing his heart out, and the bass pushing the cones to their limits, I plugged in the XT60 extension and then the charger and I was met with a reassuring beep as the charger came to life. Attaching 2 lipos packs and starting to charge while listening to music at the same time presented no concerns at all.
So, after cutting holes and carefully cutting speaker grills, it’s time to paint. So a wipe down with isopropyl and a generous coat or 3 of etch primer, it’s time to get the top coat down.
This one is supposed to be Ford Wildtrak Orange, but at 18:00 as the sun goes down, it’s looking very, err, red.
Next job is a black acrylic splatter finish, followed by a couple of generous coats of Matt solvent free varnish to protect it from the knocks it’s bound to get.
Then…. It will get all the goodies inside and ready to rock…
After a week struck down by Covid, it was was time to crack on with a customer order. So this one is now ready for priming ahead of colour. This one is going to be in a stunning Ford Wildtrack Orange with a black splatter, finished off with a matt clear coat.
This is a PiigBox ‘Sounds & Charge’, so it’s gettng an XT60 IO – it can be used to run your Lipo charger in the field, or charge the internal battery pack when you’re back at base.
The USB socket is a dual quick charge 3.0 12volt unit with over-load, over-voltage protection. Uses IC to ensure your devide gets the correct voltage and current to keep you topped up.
The socket at the bottom is for the supplied 2A Lithiun-ion charger.
A great Sunday session in Sheffield with Josh & Paul. We’ve only flown a couple of times before at ‘The Kilns’, which we’ve named the arse end of Loxley brickworks. It’s a god-awful shit hole of a place in the summer, but it’s a different level of crap when there’s water flowing through it and everything’s under water. Well, everywhere you’d want to fly.
Anyway, PiigBox 1 went along for the trip and entertained us with a Spotify ‘Brits Awards’ playlist. I’m flying along minding my own business and I noticed a pig in my peripheral! “Photo op” I shouted!
Paul was impressed with the paintjob, and it got me thinking about the next ‘showcase’ paintjob. I’m thinking a Ukrainian flag themed. So I think I’m going to create a ‘Shop Stock’ model with custom paint just incase someone wants a PiigBox in a rush 😝
More 3d printed parts added to the tool kit. 21700 3×4 holders and custom covers dispensing the need for rolls of sticky tape and heat shrink.
This pack is ready for first charge and discharge cycle testing. Then it’s off to a customer 👍🏻
