SberBoom Home — a new stage in the evolution of smart speakers
SberBoom Home — is a new stage in the evolution of SberBoom smart speakers. The first SberBoom smart speaker with an LED display and the first SberBoom smart speaker with a Zigbee module, which allows the speaker to function as a hub when managing a smart home, and also supports Zigbee scenarios without the Internet — all this SberBoom Home.
In heart SberBoom Home a speaker with a neodymium magnet, specially selected for the younger speakers of the SberBoom family. It provides a high level of power with more compact dimensions, which allowed to significantly increase the useful volume of the acoustic chamber and thus obtain a clear and balanced sound.
A finely tuned hardware and software system is responsible for the purity of the sound, allowing the transmission of audio signals with a minimum amount of distortion.
The final sound enhancement is performed using Salute Sound Processing, a proprietary technology that dynamically enhances the bass in the desired tracks using a special algorithm and selects the optimal equalizer for the current music volume. This entire unique set of hardware and software solutions is called Magnetic Sound. We will tell you more about Magnetic Sound and SSP technologies in separate articles, but now let's talk about what the device consists of and how it was created.
EVB stage – creation of engineering prototypes
The idea of creating a new smart speaker has been in the air for a long time, but if the original concept implied an updated version of SberBoom Mini with a clock and a Zigbee module, then as it was developed, the concept turned into a full-fledged independent device without being tied to the first model of a compact smart speaker.
Before the final design of the new device appeared, we already had an understanding of what functionality to put into the speaker, what components and technical solutions we wanted to use. Therefore, we assembled the first prototypes by simply installing the board and all the components on acrylic cases, and proceeded to check the key functionality and test the hardware.
This stage allowed us to complete basic tests and go through the forks in choosing key electronic components for assembling subsequent full-fledged prototypes of the new device.
First prototypes SberBoom Home looked like this:
Later, we improved the initial version of the board and made it black, just like the SberBox 2 board. By the way, these seemingly completely different devices have a lot in common. SberBox 2 is the first product to use new design and shaping principles, which are smoothly scaled to the entire subsequent line of devices.
One of the new design principles was about friendliness – when an object looks smooth, continuous, without sharp corners or transitions, and in general, when you want to hug the object like a pillow.
We plan to strengthen this “friendliness” with each new device. In the SberBox 2 remote control, it was partially manifested through smooth large roundings of the case and even became a small teaser – I made the joystick of the remote control with the same contour as the interface part of the new speaker, the design of which was already being actively developed by that time.
Kirill Musienko, industrial designer at SberDevices
Acoustic configuration
Initially, it was assumed that the new speaker would be equipped with only one broadband speaker, similar to the SberBoom Mini.
However, as the design concepts and layout of the device were being developed, the resulting free volume for the acoustic chamber also allowed us to add 2 passive radiators to the configuration to increase low frequencies.
Compared to SberBoom Mini, the new speaker has a more powerful driver with a neodymium magnet. Significantly improved amplitude-frequency characteristics were obtained.
Despite its compact size, the neodymium driver, working with passive radiators and new equalizer settings, which we wrote about earlier, allowed us to achieve not only high quality and purity of sound, but also a sufficient volume level without distortion for holding a “house party”.
Due to the increased power of the acoustic system, we also had to reconsider the microphone solution previously used in the SberBoom Mini. We reworked the mechanical design of the top cover and selected new MICs with lower sensitivity, after which we conducted several test cycles and confirmed that the speaker still hears the user well.
In addition, at the early stages of development we encountered some parasitic sounds that appeared due to resonance of the body elements at some frequencies. This problem was solved by refining the geometry of the components and adding the minimum required number of seals, which are shown in the photo below.
Working with plastic
We have written many times that when creating our devices we pay great attention to detail. SberBoom Home was no exception, so we will briefly tell you how we chose the plastic and why the selection was so painstaking.
The first samples of the typical plastic components of the case had a low wear resistance. Light scratches appeared on the top cover of the device quite quickly during operation, moreover, the plastic components turned out to be quite easily soiled. To eliminate the identified shortcomings, we considered several options for coatings and textures of plastic, after which we prepared the corresponding prototypes for evaluation. According to the test results, the 2H UV coating, which has high resistance to scratches and ultraviolet radiation (resistance to fading), proved to be the most effective. The photo clearly shows the difference between the first prototype and the plastic used in the final device.
The plastic of the main body also underwent several iterations of corrections before we achieved a result that seemed ideal to everyone and was confirmed by a number of internal studies. To achieve the best screen glow, we experimented with various plastic pigments. We tested different options for the glow-concentrating grid: we changed the shape of the holes, thickness, color and degree of transparency. Each new stage of corrections was accompanied by internal tests and studies, which ultimately allowed us to achieve the most comfortable and cozy glow of the LED display, which, in addition to the standard clock, can show beautiful animations displaying traffic, weather forecast, the name of the track being played and much more. For example, if you praise the assistant, he will thank you with a wink.
In the photo below you can see how the pigment used affects the final color of the plastic case.
We wanted to achieve a good display of information, but in such a way that the light points of the display did not look too isolated. This was quite a complex task, we made about 120 different prototypes of the grids on a 3D printer and tested how the information was displayed through the fabric:
This whole set of actions helped to achieve the optimal degree of dispersion to level the boundaries between segments. As a result, we got the following final result of the screen glow:
LED screen
Above we discussed plastic and even showed a photo of the final glow, let's look under the plastic and see what's hidden behind it.
According to the initial product requirements, the new column had to be able to show the time and work status. For this task, it was enough to implement a standard 7-segment screen. But it seemed to us that it could be made more interesting, so other solutions were considered in parallel within the RnD process.
Thanks to a number of successfully adopted decisions, we managed to add a full-fledged LED screen without increasing the cost of the final device, which is suitable for displaying not only basic information, such as time, temperature and speaker status, but can also play animations. A 5×17 LED matrix coped with this task, which perfectly fit into the final concept of SberBoom Home.
To finalize and confirm the technical solution, a number of prototypes were assembled with LED screens of different densities (different distances between LEDs) to select the optimal one in terms of matrix size and uniformity of the displayed graphics.
Screen dimming
In order for the information on the screen to be clearly readable both in bright light and in a low-light environment, and so that the screen does not blind the user at night, we added a light sensor to the design, which allows you to automatically adjust the brightness of the screen. With its help, we implemented the automatic dimming function, which allows you to select the required value of the LED matrix luminosity.
Choice of fabric
As part of the R&D process, work was carried out to find a suitable acoustic fabric for the cabinet. The selection was carried out not only from the point of view of choosing the structure (appearance). It was also extremely important to achieve an optimal pattern of displayed information and animation (balance between clarity and homogeneity of LED glow) on the LED screen, which was located under the fabric.
We reviewed over 250 samples of acoustic fabrics. Based on the results of internal reviews, only 10 made it to the finals, on the basis of which the first prototypes were assembled for subsequent evaluation by the design team, UX testing, and selection of the final version for use in the new device.
Having selected the fabric, we discovered that the structure of the plastic grille showed through, and aesthetically it did not look the best. We solved this problem by installing a backing under the fabric. In this situation, the key task was to find a solution that would not only cover the acoustic holes, but also would not lead to degradation of the speaker sound and the glow of the LED screen. We managed to find such a solution, which allowed us to significantly improve the appearance of the device without losing the quality of its main functions.
At the end of the first round of testing, we also decided to add a water-repellent impregnation to protect the speaker from light and medium contamination. This will help the user protect the device body, for example, from splashes of accidentally spilled coffee or other contamination that may appear during the operation of the speaker.
Speaking of attention to detail, we even made a custom Type-C cable to create the most cohesive feeling of the whole product, and made a sticker whose roundings are made according to G3 continuity, which is commonly used in the automotive and aerospace industries. People feel the quality even when they don’t know what G3 continuity is. It’s the overall sense of harmony and neatness of the item.
By the way, the first prototypes used a regular DC Jack, which we later replaced with a universal Type-C connector.
As a result, we managed to create a high-quality home device that will not only fit perfectly into any interior, but will also please its owner with wide functionality and very high-quality sound in its segment. It is also important to note that today SberBoom Home is almost the only smart speaker in its price segment that supports the Zigbee protocol and can act as a Zigbee hub for a smart home. We believe that SberBoom Home — a universal home speaker that can rightfully bear the title of one of the most accessible entry points into a smart home with the ability to connect a large number of devices supported by the ecosystem.
Smart speaker SberBoom Home is already available for order on the SberDevices website, where you can also see the detailed specifications of the device.
In addition, a new smart speaker is available for order SberBoom Mini 2 — the younger model, which received a bright translucent case and new sound quality.
SberBoom Mini 2 — is a bright update of the already familiar “mini”, which, in addition to new colors and the use of a translucent case, also uses Magnetic Sound technology from SberDevices, which has significantly improved the sound quality. SberBoom Mini 2 looks bright and is an excellent device for those who are just starting to get acquainted with smart speakers, including children.
Package
Instead of a conclusion, we would like to briefly tell you about the packaging of the new device. SberBoom Home comes in a unique package, which we call “flower” inside the team. When opening the package, a person will immediately see the device standing on a kind of podium. On the inside of the package there is minimalist graphics, the color of which corresponds to the color of a specific device, and the main instructions are available via QR code. The development of such a non-standard solution was accompanied by a number of tests for the stability of the packaging under various conditions and we can assure you that the speaker is under reliable protection and will arrive safe and sound even in case of unexpected falls during transportation.
We can talk for a very long time about the stages of packaging development and its testing, there is definitely enough material for a separate large article, but now we just want to demonstrate what it looks like so that each reader can imagine what they will see when they first touch the device.
You can order the new products on the SberDevices website right now:
