Growl and Scream Altoids Prank
- April 1st, 2011
- Posted in 555 Timer . Electronics . Hacking
- By Brett (FightCube)
- Write comment
3
To be completely honest, I did NOT look at Dino’s circuit or video before I started my schematic. We both ended up with 100uF caps in series with the speaker, but that’s about the only similarity. It just goes to show the 555 is a very versatile chip to have in stock at your lab.
Download the Growl and Scream Altoids Prank Schematic here: Growl and Scream Altoids Prank - Brett (FightCube.com) (320)
Well I just want to say, thank you Dino for motivating me to complete this project! If I didn’t see your Altoids Screamer project today I might not have every taken this idea out of my head. It’s loud and annoying and so very very perfect 
Don’t forget to watch the videos below:
Very nice!! I like the adjustably and the growl. I too thought of the photocell but decided to just go for the switch and keep it quick and simple.
Nice one! Happy April Fool’s Day!
I just got featured on Hackaday and just posted this over there. I thought it would be appropriate to repeat it here
Thanks Dino! So far everyone jumps pretty good when they go for a mint and get a nice surprise
The dark chocolate is too enticing!! Thanks for posting my article HAD, I’d like to see what other variations people can come up with… like using two 555′s, or a micro. You could get that modulated sound in any light with two 555′s, just run the modulator output into the CV (pin 5) input of the main tone generator. It would also be neat if one of those scary “inverted” faces pops out like this one: http://i51.tinypic.com/zmxjb4.jpg
Question, been trying to find decent A23 Battery Holder, Since B!g L0t$ has packs of 2 for 99c I been buying as many as I can for both the mini batts inside, and for full 12v Batts.
But the Holder itself, either I can Melt down/off Wireless Door Bell Button Transmitters for the holder, or they sell them for a cheap price somewhere, though I cannot find any other than Online for like 2-3$ a pop… which doesnt seem feesable to me at all.
You willing to give where to get the A23 holder that you have in the tin?
Or did you make it yourself?
Hi Kethlar,
It’s interesting you ask about this, and I’m surprised I never posted it because it’s very tricky
They don’t really sell A23 battery holders as far as I can tell, at least if they do they are not popular.
It turns out though, that an 1.5V N cell battery holder works perfectly for 12V A23 Battery!
I got everything at Digikey:
Plastic N Cell Battery Holder:
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=BHNL-ND
Metal N Cell Battery Holder:
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=154K-ND
Energizer A23 Battery:
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Cat=394467&k=A23
You can also buy N Cell Battery Holder’s with wires on them that are a tiny bit smaller than the Digikey one, for $1 at Radioshack
Good luck!
Brett,
I ordered the Holders and found another holder as well, got some other things heh. But I did make an unboxing for it. Uploading the Video now. First UNboxing ever, and I forgot your name, and site, till i got back to my computer, but I included it in the Desc, for both here, and your YT account.
I thought this would help thoes wanting to see if they really fit, and really hold.
And Sadly a little diddy about the A23′s as well. For a 99c pack of 2 at BL? Yes Major batter Find.
As you will see, I did show proof it fits, as well, as another batter holder, that I have tons of batteries for as well.
No need to subscribe but I thought I should tell you since I did include your websites and YT user name.
Thank you again.
I hope this helps you and anyone else who asks and wants to know.
Will include Link in a Edit, when it gets fully uploaded.
Shoot… Can only Edit once…. Anyways…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvbzpbjEM80
That is Link for anyone who wants to know, or see what the battery holders are about.
Thanks for updating Kethlar! Post back if you build anything similar to the Growl and Scream. I’d love to see if you mod it or your other creations
Actually I Was thinking of making one using a different speaker, prob same components, To see how small I can make it.
I wonder if the possibility of making a PCB for it is viable, and how small i can make it. Since you have the schematic, which helps out a gripload.
Maybe subbing in SMD parts to make it smaller too…. OOoh my mind is racing now. Gives me something to think about as well.
And I will surely post back anything I do. And hopefully make a Video as well.
Thank you for all your help as well…. I do appreciate it.
Have you checked out my 555 Contest entry? It uses a few astable 555′s on it and it’s done on a PCB with SMT parts on it. Check out “U1″ on the blue TOP side layer of the PCB. That’s using the SOIC-8 package which is not even the smallest 555 package you can get. Another interesting thing to note is I routed it all on one layer. The 100uF cap could be made quite small as a chip cap just by using a low voltage part.
http://fightcube.hackhut.com/2011/03/01/555-contest-entry-brett-fightcube/
I was thinking about doing something like this in one of those Altoids Smalls tins. See just how much smaller they are here:
http://screencast.com/t/x6YyUz7Aq3u
You’re welcome to beat me to it though! I’m probably not going to get to it for a while with the projects I have currently on my plate
ACtually yeh I did… and I want it
Since I dont do much in nixies at all, that I would love to have period, just to say I have one. Even if I bought it from you.
I usually use my 555′s for friends who want flashers for bikes usually turn signals for bikes, dont ask me WHY but they like the 555 for it, I hard solder it in so they have a heck of time to reuse them. UNless I use the SMD ones, then they are to scared, but they like my flashers so they keep asking me for em easy to make really. I thought about enerting in that contest, but I have nothing spectacular, I mean yours is nothing but genius and thought out. Mine well not so much.
So yes, I have, and yes I want it so bad.
Suggestion after it is all over, you should hold a contest(if it isnt given to the holders of the contest), hold your own, and see who enters, and see who wins it. Kinda like KipKay and his contests but yours on a winning thing cause I think you will technically be the one who is gonna rip everyone else up.
As for small altoids, yeh, I have about 60ish of them, I dont know what to do with them, but I have em, I havent seen ANY projects that get that small that people are making anything out of them sadly… so nothing is sparking any ideas.
Though, yours is an Idea, but you are gonna have to use a really good Piezo speakers, which currently I lost about 6 boxes of my electronic parts, so Iam stuck w/o any speakers, and alot sadly of my SMD parts too. As well I dont think any decent speaker is going to be that small like your current one is.
Though I just might have to reorder more from Electronic Goldmine, which is where I get a lot of my parts… and they are based here in Arizona, so I get them quciker as well I might do that, just to replenish… restock my stock.
Projects currently on your plate? Currently o your Bench is more like it… I know how that is, working on multiple things, and barley getting through the 1st one when you run into a snag, go onto #2 hit another snag then 3 etc all the way to 10, then poof get an obscure fix for #7 but nothing else fits into place. Yep… been there still there.
Before this gets to long… Yeh right… I still say when the contest is over hold your own, and see who can win your 555 entry… Personally If I did win… I would put it inder plexiglass with yoru signed paper saying it is real and such. I love yours over all the rest i have seen.
Very cool project.
I love 555′s and have created a few projects that use them. My Useless Machine originally used a 555 and dead-bug construction.
Before that was an optical trigger for high-speed photo’s.
Besides being a cool project all on it’s own, the Growler would be a great way of adding sound to the Useless Machine.
Cheers!
Hi Brett, thanks for the comments. Yes I was actually thinking along the same lines and will probably wire something up to that effect
I think that would sound pretty wicked!!
I have been studying the schematic and I do not follow you on the “.tran 0.10″ Is this a transistor and what purpose does it serve? I am new to the electronics scene, but I cannot seem to match this to any sources for parts. Do you have a Radio Shack or NTE number that would help me cross it?
Hi Chris, it’s not a notation for any component actually. The schematic was done in LTSpiceIV which is a circuit simulation software package. The “.TRAN” text is a SPICE directive which tells the program to do a 100ms long non-linear transient analysis.
When I started my design, I was looking for particular effects with feedback, and was able to simulate things much quicker than prototyping them. Unfortunately the real world has more “randomness” in it so it’s actually more accurate to just play around on the breadboard with various components.
If you look around you might also see people not hooking up the RESET input of the 555. That’s not really a good idea, and it should be hooked up to avoid issues. Also when driving a C-L circuit like this, high voltage transients can occur quiet easily. I was simulating and seeing about 400V spikes before I hooked up the diodes
Post back with your creation! I’d love to see it.
very neat!
Thanks! It has been a lot of fun at work, and the ideas are pouring in for the next altoids prank box!