countrydude1992

This whole thing started a few years ago my junior year of high school (sophomore in college now) when I saw that someone had built a car stereo into a cooler. I loved the idea and at the time, I had some cash to blow and love building things (especially audio and electronics)
I got a cheap 50 quart cooler, got two pairs of cheap marine speakers, got a big 4 channel amp (760 watts) and got a big ol' deep cycle battery to power it all.
The thing was great, and got SUPER loud, but the sound quality was sub-par and the thing weighed near 80 pounds so was definitely a two-person job to carry it more than 10 yards. And considering I made it to take on the boat or to the beach or to the pool or to tailgates (I live in Tuscaloosa, AL at the University of Alabama.. ROLL TIDE) that huge size was just more than anybody wanted to deal with.

SO BEGINS THE NEW BUILD

I currently have a job at Best Buy and since they are a hugh Kicker audio dealer, I get a more than generous discount on Kicker products.

After I saw the price I got on their Powersports line, I decided it was too good to pass up and I was going to make a smaller version of my stereo cooler.





Enter the PXi50.2 amp and the PS5250 speakers.

The amp is TINY and puts out 25 watts each to the matching 5.25" speakers at 2ohms. They also make a 4ohm version of the speakers if you want a 4-speaker setup.



As you can see, the amp is quite small. Also waterproof and pre-wired
Another reason I chose this was because it comes with fully integrated iPhone/iPod controls and a waterproof remote to do it all. Everything from volume to track to swapping between playlists. all with your device tucked away safely away from water, sand, dirt, etc.

I started with this 28 quart cooler from Wal-mart because I already had it, but they're only $15 brand new. Or you could go with something bigger, or something wheeled. All personal preference.



Here is everything laid out

countrydude1992

First, start with marking your holes



Next, break out the box cutter or something else to cut through thin plastic. Razor blades work if you go slow. Also, you can use a dremel (very messy) or a jigsaw (didn't have mine at my apartment) because there is just thin plastic and then foam inside it, about an inch thick total.

I used some little nuts and bolts to mount the speakers, and some washers on the back side since the plastic is pretty thin.



I used two packs of those since they were only 6 each, and I needed 8.
Then, the washers to fit them



What it looks like from inside.



And before I put the speakers in, I ran a bead of silicon all the way around to ensure a waterproof seal. I got clear because the cooler is red, but if your cooler is white, you can always get that too.

countrydude1992

This is how I mounted the amp. I wanted the harness plug to be accessible.



I used some screws I already had and then mounted it with wall anchors just to keep it secure



I mounted the remote on the lid but I put it on the rounded edge so i can still sit on top of it or put stuff on it.



Here are my speaker connections, soldered and heat shrink'd (shrinked? shrunk?)

countrydude1992

As far as wiring goes, I got a little OCD with my wiring management. I had loose wires everywhere in my previous build and it was awful. So I got some mounts and zip ties.







Here's some of it all wired up.



One thing I love about this amp is that it only pulls 10 amps max, but doesn't come with a fuse. Luckily I had one laying around so crimped it on.

countrydude1992

And here's everything wired (sans battery) with zip ties mounted and what not.



This is the battery I used in my last build, and since it fits, I'll keep using it till I have a little cash to spend on a 25-30 amp hour deep cycle. But for those of you who know batteries, you know that this 105ah battery is A) SUPER heavy and B) will run a 10amp (max) load all freakin day.




And with the battery inside. Still fits even with this beast.



A good thing about a big battery like this though is that I can hook up my power inverter to it and run other random things if need be.

I also had this trickle charger from Harbor Freight for my last build as well. Nothing much but enough to juice the battery back up overnight.

countrydude1992

And one of my favorite things about the remote...



IT LIGHTS UP BLUE!!!!

The sound is phenomenal and gets amazingly loud. More loud than I would ever need it.




So if you've stuck with me this long, I can go into prices cause I'm sure some of you are curious.
As I've mentioned, I already had a lot of this stuff, but I'll put prices in there anyway.

COOLER - $15.88
AMP - Retail ($199.95) with my discount ($74)
SPEAKERS - Retail ($199.95) with my discount ($68)
BATTERY - I forget how much the big one I got was, but I'd get a 25-50 amp hour for around $50 at academy
RANDOM THINGS AT HOME DEPOT YOU MAY ALREADY HAVE (nuts, bolts, washers, silicon, zip ties and mounts) - $12

TOTAL comes in around $475 if you pay full retail, which is quite expensive. I probably put close to $300 in the first one with a car amp and cheap speakers but the battery was a large chunk of that. Check sites like Amazon or Sonic Electronix for the best prices on audio stuff.

And here she is!





But hopefully I gave you an idea of a fun summer project to do. If you have any questions, feel free to let me know. I hope you all liked the write-up!!

countrydude1992

Also, if this shouldn't be in write-ups, please move it

sick jk

Why not just buy a portable stereo for $100 and be done with it.

countrydude1992

You could if you wanted. Lol. But this gets way louder, plays a hell of a lot longer, and is a fun little project to spend a few days tinkering with.

Besides, I got a great price on the amp and speakers and already had the battery.

But I've seen people make these a million different ways. Cheap head units from a car, a little battery, and two cheap speakers would run you a hundred bucks.

pierce88

This would be epic if you used a bigger cooler on wheels and it was still functional (Maybe half cooler, electronics). Otherwise I'm with the people from above about buying a portable DeWalt Construction Radio or whatever your favorite brand is.

-Pierce