We haven’t seen much of styrofoam use on actual electronics but it’s fascinating to witness, nonetheless. That’s why creations like the Styrofoam Turntable are a joy to see.
Designed by Teenage Engineering, the fully-functional turntable fits in all the needed electronics within a styrofoam frame. In fact, they tried to use the lightweight material in every part possible, including the tonearm.
It comes with the same dimensions as an LP cover, which should allow it to play most any type of vinyl. High-density styrofoam was used throughout the body, with the arm fashioned out of orange styrofoam for a more pronounced visual effect. I’m surprised that styrofoam can actually handle all the weight of the electronics, but I guess the high-density stuff is sturdy enough to actually manage it.
The turntable features 45/33 rpm (complete with a fine-tuning knob), a built-in amplifier and speaker (pumping tunes via holes cut through one corner of the styrofoam) and various dials (Volume, Chorus, Delay, etc). A full-featured device, it comes with a USB slot (for transferring the tunes to a computer), an RCA out and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
While the Teenage Engineering Styrofoam Turntable is definitely portable, I doubt anyone wants to run around carrying a rig that can split with a single ill-intentioned karate chop. It’s currently a one-off intended for research, although the company isn’t averse to actual production if the contraption spurs enough interest.
[Teenage Engineering via Grain Edit]