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Making Noise – a Homespun Innovation

Tim Madden has been an equipment technician with the Hillsborough County Mosquito Management team (Department of Public Works) for the past 18 years. When he isn’t making sure the county’s vehicles and sprayers are maintained and in fine working order, Tim and his son Tim collect, restore, and show classic cars at local events.

Rather than just throwing them in the dumpster, Tim says folks around the shop love to take empty 25 lb. VectoBac WDG drums home to use for storage. After a good cleaning, he says the drums are handy because they stack very well and can be used for organizing odds and ends. And its better than sending them to the landfill.

When the old, pressed-wood speaker box in his all-original 1991 Mercedes 300E began to crumble, Tim removed the speakers and left them one top of a VectoBac drum while he hunted around for something to build a new box with. That’s when the lightbulb went on.

“I’d left them on the lid and was walking by and thought, ‘Hmm. Those fit pretty nice,” Tim laughs.

Tim cut holes in the plastic lids and on the sides of the drums, and screwed the 12” speakers in. They fit perfectly. After running the wiring through gromets and a 1” piece of aluminum tubing, Tim bolted the two cans together and fastened them inside the trunk.

Next thing you know, viola! Tim, Tim, and their newfangled speakers were pumping out tunes in and  around Hillsborough County.

Now THAT’s innovation.