How To: Increase Your iPhone's Volume by 14 dB with This DIY Steampunk Music Amplifier

Do you listen to a lot of music on your smartphone or MP3 player? Ever wished the built-in speaker was louder? You're in luck, because this simple amplifier can increase your volume by 14 decibels and make your device look totally steampunk while you're at it.

What You'll Need

• Piece of wood (anything you have will work)
• Copper piping
• Wood glue

First, measure the size of your piping. Drill a hole halfway through the wood, the same size as the piping. This is where the "loudspeaker" will go. Before you move on, test it to make sure the piping will fit.

Drill a long tunnel through the top of the wood. The audio will travel through this tunnel to the speaker.

Next, drill a hole where your device will sit. This is where the audio will enter the tunnel, so it needs to be directly under the speaker.

Measure the base of your device so that you can create a dock, then carve out a groove for it to sit in.

The groove should go over top of the hole you drilled.

Put your copper piping together and fit it into the hold you drilled for the loudspeaker.

Plug the hole in the top with glue so no sound can escape.

Once the glue dries, you're all finished. Plug in your device, put on some music and test it out! For a detailed walkthrough, check out Household Hacker's video below.

You could use a lot of different materials for the loudspeaker to give this project a different look and make it your own. What are some of your ideas?