The finished Vibracushion

Hold or lean on the VibraCushion to hear and feel the sound.

To create the VibraCushion you will need the following:

  • Neoprene laptop sleeve (mark one side as the front, by drawing on it with permanent markers or by embroidering it)
  • A4 perspex sheet
  • Large packet of wire wool
  • Polystyrene cushion filling
  • A4 clear plastic bag or zipped folder
  • 2 x 25w transducers
  • Double-stranded speaker cable (double the length that you want to site the amplifier from the cushion)
  • Crimping set
  • Electrical tape
  • Contact adhesive
  • Cable tidy coil
  • Mini-amplifier
  • Stereo audio cable for connecting a sound source.
step 2 steps 4 and 5 step 8 Step 8 step 9 Step 9 a Step 11 Step 11.a step 12 The finished Vibracushion

Instructions

  1. Cut the speaker cable into two equal lengths (one for each transducer).
  2. Crimp a cable to each transducer, making sure you know which strand is the positive and which is the negative (one strand will be marked).
    NB: See YouTube for crimping advice as necessary.
  3. Finish the crimp with electrical tape.
    NB: If you are concerned about whether the connection is effective, test by going to steps 11,13 and 14 first.
  4. Glue the transducers to the perspex sheet, one in the top right-hand corner with the connectors pointing down to the centre of the sheet, and one in the bottom left-hand corner with the connectors pointing up to the centre of the sheet.
  5. Secure the cables to the perspex at the point where they leave the transducers with electrical tape.
  6. Bring the cables together at the point where they will leave the cushion (where the zip starts). Use electrical tape at intervals to secure them together outside the cushion. This will later be covered with the cable tidy coil.
  7. Insert the perspex into the neoprene sleeve, with the transducers facing the back and the flat side facing front.
  8. Layer the wire wool between the front of the neoprene sleeve and the perspex.
  9. Fill the plastic bag with polystyrene beads to fit; seal it; and insert it between the perspex/transducers and the back of the neoprene sleeve.
  10. Zip up the neoprene sleeve.
  11. Connect the other ends of the audio cables to the mini-amplifier – trim one cable as necessary and cover the connections with electrical tape for safety.
  12. Fit the cable tidy coil.
  13. Connect the audio cable ready to plug into a phone or other sound source.
  14. Switch on the sound to test the cushion – begin with the volume on its lowest setting and turn up slowly.