I finished it! I had a successful toy-destroying session. It still makes noise and they're a bit different than the original toy. Which is much better than my first few tries and I suppose could be considered a success.

It's a combination of two toys and a bunch of scary looking wires. Plus I added the alligator clips to help with it. I don't think I was suppose to do that. They're not permanent fixtures, so they can be salvaged.

I have seen the insides of my toy! I went around to thrift stores this weekend, but all second-hand electronics were pretty expensive. I'm going to take my toy apart again today and hopefully get some of the circuits mapped out.

So, now I'm starting on my final project. I've got a collection of little toys are random parts. My dream would be to find some old computers or cars and strip them down to find speakers and wires and things that would assist in building the world's most obnoxious sound-maker. But until I find someone who is willing to give up car parts, I'll have to stick with the little things I find at Value Village and second-hand electronic stores around town.

Dienstag

I finished my Reason Project. Does anyone recognize the melody? 

Vince Guaraldi liked peanuts.

You'll have to click and download. It's been showing up in Audacity when I try it, but that might just be the default player on this computer.

http://www.box.net/shared/lupa6mxy1n

Final Project Idea(s?)

For my final project I'm thinking about completely taking more than one toy apart and trying to combine them so they interact together. If that doesn't work, I'll see what else I can do with the electronics. I don't suppose I'm in too much risk of electric shock with two double A batteries. I might fry a finger with the power from four AA's though.

I'm more curious to see what would happen than to trying to find a specific result. 

Circuit Bending Project

My toy had push-buttons with a voice that stated when the user rhymed two pictures that were on the buttons. My circuit bending project worked until the very last day of working in the art department.

I had two circuit bends in place. The first made the voice slow down and talk really low. It was like having a baritone teach a kindergarden class. The second bend produced fuzz and made the volume louder simultaneously. On the final day I tried to do a third circuit bend but I saudered parts of the original chip together and I think that caused the whole thing to short out. I was able to get fuzz when I hooked the speaker directly to the battery, but unless the wires were moving across the surface, there was silence.

I tried to throw together a second project from a toy that Laurissa gave me. The only thing that I was able to do was exchange the speakers from a tiny, hardly-audible sound-maker to something that was lauder and made even more obnoxious car sounds. It looks like a tangle of wires, but I may still be able to do something with it. I'll see what I can do in the time that I have.

Two things...

One.
The more I listen to my own piece, the more I realize that most of it is just dumb luck.
Two.
I did keep another blog going while I was in Germany, so if anyone is interested in reading it, it's at
www.meganaroundtheworld87.blogspot.com