Breathe New Life Into Old Electronics by Repurposing Them as Smart Speakers
See how one maker brought a 1980s answering machine into the modern era by combining it with a smart speaker.
The problem
As devices age and gradually receive less and less use over time, finding new ways to repurpose them rather than simply throw them away is important for reducing waste. Instructables user ehans_makes was able to achieve exactly this by taking a Panasonic answering machine from the 1980s and placing an Amazon Echo Dot into its housing. Along the way, his guide features various ideas and advice for taking other "ancient" technology and bringing it into the modern era.
Gathering the necessary materials
To make this conversion, ehans_makes first had to collect the necessary materials, components, and tools. In his guide, he advises other makers to ensure the enclosures they choose have plenty of space in which to comfortably tinker since this prevents excessive destruction of the donor device. As previously mentioned, the device he chose was a four decades-old Panasonic answering machine that has a large open space in the middle. For the new hardware, he went with an Echo Dot due to its small size and simplicity due to its lack of a screen and few buttons.
Custom 3D printed parts were also integral when adapting the Dot into the enclosure.
Transferring the new hardware
With the hardware secured, it was then time to move the Dot into the answering machine with the goal of keeping both devices largely in tact and retain the ability to reassemble each one in the future if desired. The inner plates, speakers, and electromechanical pieces were carefully removed from the answering machine and laid to the side.
After that process was completed, the housing for the Echo Dot was taken off and measured for creating and fabricated a couple of 3D printed pieces.
Assembling it all together
The new Echo Dot housing was designed to include mounting holes for the Dot's inner PCB, its speaker, and external mounting points to attach it to a larger plate within the Panasonic answering machine. An additional hole was included on the side that lets a speaker's 3.5mm jack connect to the Dot and receive an audio signal for playback through the "proper" cutouts on the exterior.
How did it turn out?
As seen in ehans_make's guide, the answering machine can now answer more than a landline due to its new Echo Dot internals. It is also interesting to watch a blue ring light up within the enclosure whilst the device answers whatever question might be directed its way.
