D.LAB BTS-NPLUS2 Bluetooth Speaker Project

We all love to listen to music during our sports activities, and especially during outdoors. Wearing headphones and in-ear true wireless earbuds is probably the best option but to be truly hands-free having a wireless speaker allows you to do virtually anything with your hands while enjoying great music.

One of the constant challenges I have is to be able to enjoy music while ensuring I’m aware of what’s happening around me. With a device over my ear (especially those with in-ear design and noise cancellation technology), I have minimal knowledge of any danger that I might be exposed to.

And with a great speaker, you can share good music as well with your friends.

The initial design i done was a hexagonal shaped speaker, but finally, I’ve designed it rounded to allow users to have a comfortable and good grip.

Code named BTS-NPLUS2 will have PLUS2 features on top of (N=Normal):

1. Drop resistance up to 1m

* The structure of the speaker is important, to withstand drops at 1m it must be able to protect the internal circuit module and speaker architecture. To do this we have housed a rubber absorption cover around the speaker to minimize the impact. At the same time, we use a dual-layer ABS plastic with a softer outer layer and an inner hard layer.

2. IPX5 water and dust resistance

*And to make it more accessible to use in multiple scenarios, we have included a free carabiner and a suction cup.

**The special feature of the NPLUS2 speaker is it’s ability to be able to connect two speakers simultaneously from one source to boost the sound volume and bass.

After several 2D drawings we proceed to work with our design engineers to create 3D design of BTS-NPLUS2. With 3D software we are able to measure every detailed dimensions of the speaker structure and work on a 3D model prototype.

At the heart of this speaker will include an IPX5 rating which allows the speaker to withstand low jet water pressure and resistant to dust.

The speaker will come with a 40mm 4W double wave-type diaphragm design internal speaker which offers good sound reproduction at a frequency band between 100Hz to 16KHz. The built-in battery will use a polymer lithium battery that comes with a soft layer protective cover to ensure safe from knocks and prevent an explosion. The battery will have a variation of 500mah and 1,000mah. Charging the speaker will be around 2 hours while usage can last up to 6 hours for 500mah built-in battery and up to 12 hours for 1,000mah version.

The name of the speaker will be D.LAB Sports Bluetooth Outdoor Speaker. The model number will be BTS-NPLUS2 for 500mah battery and BTS-NPLUS2X for 1000mah battery. BTS translates to Bluetooth Speaker and more importantly, NPLUS2 refers to Normal + 2 unique features. The principle behind N+2 has i discovered during my time working at Asus which designs and manufactures PC laptops. We will win the competition only if we have a unique strength. Each product we design must have at least one unique strength which sets us apart from the competition.

The speaker strengths would be

1. IPX5 rating also known as International Protection Marking or Ingress Protection Marking classified under 5 which offer:

a. Dust protection – Ingress of dust is partially prevented, and cannot enter unless over-excessive quantity to interfere with the satisfactory operation of the equipment

b. Water-resistance – Water projected by a nozzle (6.3mm) against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects against the equipment

2. Double wave diaphragm design which is actually a combination of lightweight metal and plastic cone at the front of the speaker. The design architecture of the diaphragm is two-fold, one which is fastened to the outer part of the speaker outer metal rim and the inner part fixed to an iron coil (field magnet) that feed electrical signals through the speaker cables into the coil. With the double wave design, it effectively moves the coil and cone in a more stable motion and reproduces higher quality sound into the air.

We have designed the speaker keeping in mind comfort and a good grip. Since our initial prototype, we have continued to find better materials to construct BTS-NPLUS2. Finally, we have achieved our desired results for BTS-NPLUS2 after months of continual improvements. We are proud to say we have made it possible for small but powerful sports and outdoor speakers.

With the round and hexagon shape design, you can rest assured you can have a good grip on the speaker without any discomfort.

You don’t need to bring a big and heavy speaker, weighing less than 125 grams bringing along this speaker is a breeze.

You can also hang it on any personal mobility device (such as mountain bike or e-scooter) using a carabiner.

Apart from direct Bluetooth connection with your mobile devices, you can also playback from a 32GB SD Card

Enjoy hands-free call with BTS-NPLUS2 which supports active noise cancellation. You can have a conference with your friends while having fun outdoors.

With all these features, head out to your sports and outdoors with D.LAB Sports Bluetooth Outdoor Speaker BTS-NPLUS2 and BTS-NPLUS2X and enjoy great music on the go!

For product specifications and how to use, every speaker will come with an English and Mandarin manual. At this stage, we might not be able to provide different languages but we can provide the English words in the manual in PDF or Microsoft word upon request for your translation purposes. You can email to customer@dezign-lab.com.

There will be 3 accessories included:

1. Micro USB charging cable

2. Carabiner

3. Suction cup

There are also 3 exciting colors for you to choose from.

I hope you enjoy my product story so far.