Matt Made It Work

Personal project

Rocky

I’m building my own smart speaker to replace Alexa. Rocky is still on the workbench, starting with a stone-shaped case I can print at home.

Project log

A speaker shaped like a stone

I want to be able to tell Rocky to set a kitchen timer, wake me up, or add something to the shopping list. For now I’m working on the part that’ll actually sit on the counter. I want it to sound good, and I want to be able to reach over and turn it down by feel.

My enclosure model for Rocky, with the speaker grille in front, buttons on top and a recessed light band around the base.

The shell lifts off so I can get at the electronics. Inside, I’ve set aside about a liter of sealed space for the speaker. I’m still choosing the driver, so the panel it mounts to is replaceable. That lets me try another speaker without printing the whole rock again.

One of my next bench checks is much smaller than the whole enclosure. I want to print just the section that holds the controls, fit the switches, and see how the buttons feel under my fingers before I order the boards.