Finally prototyping can begin. 终于～ 可以开始试验了～

For many years i have had deep love in various speaker enclosure design. How the size, shape, volume, material, and design can effect the sound that we get from a same speaker unit. And of all, was the ability to pull out as much sound stage and supported audible frequency as possible with just a single driver. 

And for a long time all those design and calculation can only sit inside my mind and stay there, looking into the unknown. How would it sound? How low the resonance frequency could go down? How will the treble and mid perform? How will the sound stage be like? How is the vocal performance? 

And finally, a light had shine upon my 'mind 3D drawing'. A short light talk with an hometown friend uncovered that he actually is the importer of the new technology that start to gain fame and attention - 3D Printing. Which you can print out an actual object using CNC style of working with a high temperature nozzle to melt down material such as ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) 
by layering the material on a flat surface layer after layer and eventually build up a solid model. And the even good news is, he promise that he can let me try out with my models when his demo unit arrive at his office.

And with the good news, i went back and download the free Google Sketch UP and start working on my 3D models.   

This is the labyrinth enclosure design which had been in the audio world for a long period. It was emphasize on utilizing a long tunnel vent/port/tube/hallway(haha~ that's what i called it) which accurately matches the desire resonance frequency that matches the driver unit. Which also called a Quarter wave length transmission line design. For this unit, i only manage to scavenge a small 40mm driver from my old laptop's USB powered speaker. As i had learn that 3D printing takes a very long time to be done so i try to minimize the design as small as possible - as for this box, i only tuned it to 350hz which i estimated is the lowest possible frequency a tiny 40mm driver could do.

Coincidently this is also one of my fascination, can a small speaker beat a bigger speaker with higher power??? Just by utilizing a 'better' enclosure design? 

I just can't wait until it materialize into actual solid matter and sit in my hand so i can put the speaker in, hook it up with the tiny USB amplifier and put some music into it. And see how well it can perform. 

算算手指头，我沉迷于音箱设计也不下两只手的手指头的年份了。 开放箱，密封箱，倒向关式音箱，种种。都已经尝试过了。除了一种，只因原理复杂，制作困难。到现在我还没有机会尝试－迷宫箱。

我会之所以迷上音箱。只因为我不是很富裕。所以有一个概念一直回旋在我的脑海里。一个不出色的单元（扩音器）能否依赖一个设计的好的音箱来让它发挥超出它本身的潜能？我不希望它能超越只身几倍价位的喇叭。但是可以越位匹敌高一个级别的单元我就满足了。

终于，和一个朋友的重逢。带给了我的计划一个曙光。原来他已经成为了一个3D打印机马来西亚的总代理。什么是3D打印机？这是一个使用 ABS 树脂，通过热熔技术，一层一层的把树脂铺在一个平台上。叠成一个立体的成品。然而，更好的消息是他答应一旦他的示范机一到。他就会通知我去尝试打印我的设计。

当告别了他。我回到公司的当下，马上下载了 Google 免费的 Sketch Up 软件。开始摸索回我阔别了10 年的 3D 图形制作。多年来迷宫箱的截面图已经在我的脑海里不知不断的规划，重组了多少遍。现在终于有机会让它来到这个世界上尝试它的嗓门。

迷宫箱的奥秘在哪里？ 很多年前。就有学者发现到。如果把同一频率的声波和自身的1／4波长结合。就会达到放大效果。这对于小口径的喇叭来说，可以达到其设计所重现不到的低频。迷宫箱的概念正符合了我所追求的小单元越级挑战比它大一尺寸的单元的理念。

然而挖了挖～ 我手头上只有一颗我以前大学时用的USB 迷你音箱 40mm 单元。一个摃龟了～ 还有一颗还有一点生气。只好从小开始了。查了查。40mm单元的共鸣频率最低点应该大约350Hz左右～ 所以迷宫的长度大约在 0.24m 最低容积应该大约在0.1L （没有资料表。大概大概呗～）

设计完成。现在只等待打印机的到来。