The Roomba is not only a powerful and smart mopping robot; it can also give you hours of fun. Perhaps you’ve seen clips of the DJ Roomba and wondering how to make your own. Don’t fret as this article will teach you how to build your own DJ Roomba.
The DJ Roomba first broke into the worldwide consciousness during an episode of the US sitcom “Parks and Recreation.” In that episode, government worker Tom Haverford is seen strapping an iPod into the Roomba 650 with the desire of making it cruise around and play music.
How to Make Your Own DJ Roomba
Now here’s the good news– building your own DJ Roomba is not difficult at all. There are two things you’d need. One is a Roomba vacuum. And the other is a smart speaker that’s slim and lightweight enough to sit on top of the Roomba without falling.
There are many speaker options that you can choose from. You can, of course, go the old-school route by putting your mp3 player or iPod on top of the Roomba. Then let the robot vacuum for pet hair do its thing.
However, DJ Roomba would have a limited playlist if you are to use an mp3 player or iPod. You can’t change the music unless you run after the robot vacuum, stop it, and then take the mp3 player or iPod to skip tracks.
With a smart speaker, you can change the music anytime you wish. Some speakers are also capable of taking voice commands.
Without further ado, below are three ways to build your own DJ Roomba:
1. Pair it with Amazon Echo Dot
The Amazon Echo Dot is small, measuring 3.3 inches wide and 1.3 inches tall. Because of its frame, it should have no problems being put on top of the Roomba.
And because it is a smart speaker, you can use the Echo to tell which playlist to play. You can do this by downloading the Amazon Alexa app on your phone and tablet. From there, you can utter words or phrases to control or change the music that the speaker is playing.
There’s also a practical reason in pairing the Echo Dot with the Roomba– you can schedule a cleaning cycle for the latter using voice commands. This is a handy feature especially if you are always out of the house.
Make sure, however, that the Roomba is connected to the Wi-Fi network. If the vacuum cleaner is not connected to the network, then it would not be able to
The major problem you’ll encounter with the Amazon Echo Dot is that it doesn’t run on batteries. Instead, it should be connected to a power source. The cord maybe 6 feet long but it means that the DJ Roomba will not be able to move around if you use the Amazon Echo Dot.
2. Pair it with a JBL Link 10
The JBL Link 10 can be a good choice if you want your DJ Roomba to produce high-quality sound. After all, JBL speakers are known for their superior audio quality. It also helps that unlike the Amazon Echo Dot, you don’t need to plug the JBL Link 10 to a wall outlet.
But the main problem you’d have with the JBL Link 10 is its shape. With a cylindrical and thin frame, this speaker will easily topple over the back of the Roomba. It is not the most stable speaker companion for the Roomba, to say the least.
3. Pair it with LOFT Portable Battery Base
The JBL Link 10 and Amazon Echo Dot are two good choices to pair with the Roomba, although both have weak points. The JBL speaker’s design leaves much to be desired while the Echo Dot has to be plugged in.
Enter the LOFT portable battery base for Google Home. This is perhaps the best choice for people who want to build their own DJ Roomba.
The LOFT portable battery base is stable, smart, and portable–three things you would want a speaker to have if you are to pair it with the Roomba. Like the Echo Dot, it is small and compact measuring 3.5 inches high with its diameter about 4 inches.
Because of its size, it won’t have any problems sitting on top of the Roomba. Its shape also allows it to remain stable even if the Roomba encounters bumps.
And unlike the Echo Dot, the LOFT portable battery base won’t need to be plugged into a wall outlet. It can run for about 8 hours which is way more than the runtime of the Roomba. Moreover, it is smart enough to recharge itself before its battery gets drained.
Because it makes the Google Home portable, the LOFT portable battery base can be controlled through voice commands. It can also blast quality audio which is important if you want your DJ Roomba to be impressive. To know more about this accessory, watch this YouTube clip.
Simply place the LOFT battery base on top of the Roomba, and then activate the latter. The Roomba will move from one place to another while the LOFT portable battery case will blast audio.
Conclusion
The DJ Roomba is one way to make the most of a Roomba vacuum cleaner. iRobot did not invent the Roomba to become a mobile DJ but the DJ Roomba sure is fun.
You can build your own DJ Roomba by pairing your robot vacuum cleaner with any of the Amazon Echo Dot, JBL Link 2, or the LOFT battery base. If you ask us, we think that the LOFT battery base is the best pair for the DJ Roomba, though.