Recycle Old Boom Box

I was cleaning out the shop getting ready to start on some builds and I think I found a prize in the junk, but need some electronic advice. I had an old boombox from the 80's and I believe it will make a good stereo amp. I can't find a microphone anywhere and I don't want to go buy one just to test. This box has a Left & Right mic input. Would this make a stereo license plate guitar using a rod piezo under the bridge to feed one mic input and 2 each 27mm disc piezos wired in series to feed the other mic input? Would I have to put the selector switch in the Tape position,without a cassette in the bay, just mash the play button. If this is all wrong, can somebody point me right or does this thing need to continue it's trip to the trash. This thing will plug into wall ,run off of 10 "D" cells, or a 12 volt D/C converter (Which I have) Y'all were talking about 4inch speakers the other day and it got me looking. My thanks in advance.

Yeah, I was checking out those external satellite speaker connections. That is gonna make me sound loud wide and obnoxious. What ain't there to love. I checked out Beetle juice and he said to make a wash coat of (one part Elmers and 3 parts water to rejuvenate the old tired paper speakers. See attachments. He said hacking a tape head was one of the easiest ways to make guitar amp. I took a picture of the tape head wires and am wonderind that to splice the stereo playback head together to come up with monaural output. On the head itself you have a pink, yellow & white wire, by the time it gets to the plug for the circuit board it has picked up a black wire. Now does anybody have a SWAG idea what wires to shunt off of the head for the (+), that is assuming the black wire is the (-). Unplugging the tape drive motor from the circuit board was a no brainer.. This old box has alot of sentimental value. I played in my shop every day when I was trying to scratch out a living after i broke my back. I really would like to see my old workhorse rejuvenated Any thoughts from anybody worth consideration..

Replies

Scott aka Farmer Ted February 20, 2015 at 7:43pm

The mic inputs are for recording onto the tape. But you have an interesting and versatile find there...with potential. The 3-8 ohm line out jacks are a bonus, you can connect this to an external speaker for bigger sound.

If you want to hack this to make an amplifier, you can either tap into the magnetic head inside the tape player, or you can hack onto the power amplifier inside too.

You can get some tips from Beetlejuice...check out the group Radio Amps.
- Bama Hound > Scott aka Farmer Ted February 23, 2015 at 12:03am
  
  Yeah, I was checking out those external satellite speaker connections. That is gonna make me sound loud wide and obnoxious. What ain't there to love. I checked out Beetle juice and he said to make a wash coat of (one part Elmers and 3 parts water to rejuvenate the old tired paper speakers. See attachments. He said hacking a tape head was one of the easiest ways to make guitar amp. I took a picture of the tape head wires and am wonderind that to splice the stereo playback head together to come up with monaural output. On the head itself you have a pink, yellow & white wire, by the time it gets to the plug for the circuit board it has picked up a black wire. Now does anybody have a SWAG idea what wires to shunt off of the head for the (+), that is assuming the black wire is the (-). Unplugging the tape drive motor from the circuit board was a no brainer.. This old box has alot of sentimental value. I played in my shop every day when I was trying to scratch out a living after i broke my back. I really would like to see my old workhorse rejuvenated Any thoughts from anybody worth consideration..
  - Bama Hound > Bama Hound February 23, 2015 at 12:16am
    
    Yeah, I was checking out those external satellite speaker connections. That is gonna make me sound loud wide and obnoxious. What ain't there to love. I checked out Beetle juice and he said to make a wash coat of (one part Elmers and 3 parts water to rejuvenate the old tired paper speakers. See attachments. He said hacking a tape head was one of the easiest ways to make guitar amp. I took a picture of the tape head wires and am wondering that to splice the stereo playback head together to come up with monaural output. On the head itself you have a pink, yellow & white wire, by the time it gets to the plug for the circuit board it has picked up a black wire. Now does anybody have a SWAG idea what wires to shunt off of the head for the (+), that is assuming the black wire is the (-). Unplugging the tape drive motor from the circuit board was a no brainer.. This old box has alot of sentimental value. I played in my shop every day when I was trying to scratch out a living after i broke my back. I really would like to see my old workhorse rejuvenated Any thoughts from anybody worth consideration
- Bama Hound > Scott aka Farmer Ted February 20, 2015 at 9:43pm
  
  Thanks Farmer Ted that puts me in the door. Crystal clear now. Pretty easy hack. Be jammi'n soon. That was headed the trash, I might even clean the sawdust off for xtra credit. That even has 1/4' jack for headphones, like I ain't deaf enough.(;-0)

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