Build Your Own Electronic Funny Bird
Check out this piece of Elektor history from 1984 with a modern twist. Build the Funny Bird kit. It's an Elektor classic!
How about building a fun electronics kit this week? This Elektor TV video focuses on the classic Funny Bird kit from Elektor. Join us as we unbox, assemble, and test this playful project!
While many people love and even own various kinds of birds, unfortunately, most birds haven't yet learned to communicate with us. This all-electronic bird moves us a step closer in the right direction: when you whistle at it, it chirps back! Originating from Elektor's 1984 Summer Circuits Edition, the Funny Bird project has been given a new look while maintaining its original schematic and spirit. It includes all necessary components, except for the battery, and features detailed assembly instructions. The kit also includes a wooden base, which transforms it into a nice desktop ornament.
The electronic bird's chirping response originates from the second section, where a Voltage-Controlled Oscillator (VCO) along with components like IC2C, T3, and a few diodes and NAND gates, generate a sawtooth pulse. This pulse creates a chirping sound when modulated at certain frequencies. The circuit produces a quasi-arbitrary sawtooth signal through the interaction of oscillating NAND gates at different frequencies, which is then frequency-modulated to drive the loudspeaker via amplifier T4, resulting in the bird-like chirps. You can find out more details in the article about this project in the Circuit Special 2023 issue of Elektor or even in the original article from 1984.
Follow along as the video shows all the included parts and components, and check out the current promotional price of the Funny Bird kit. Happy making!
While many people love and even own various kinds of birds, unfortunately, most birds haven't yet learned to communicate with us. This all-electronic bird moves us a step closer in the right direction: when you whistle at it, it chirps back! Originating from Elektor's 1984 Summer Circuits Edition, the Funny Bird project has been given a new look while maintaining its original schematic and spirit. It includes all necessary components, except for the battery, and features detailed assembly instructions. The kit also includes a wooden base, which transforms it into a nice desktop ornament.
How Does the Funny Bird Work?
The circuit diagram, showcased in the distinct Elektor style, features two main sections. The first section uses op-amps IC1A to IC1D and related components to amplify and filter the sound from an electret microphone. This part of the circuit also rectifies the amplified signal and then triggers a monostable multivibrator that, when activated by a whistle, temporarily turns on the second section.The electronic bird's chirping response originates from the second section, where a Voltage-Controlled Oscillator (VCO) along with components like IC2C, T3, and a few diodes and NAND gates, generate a sawtooth pulse. This pulse creates a chirping sound when modulated at certain frequencies. The circuit produces a quasi-arbitrary sawtooth signal through the interaction of oscillating NAND gates at different frequencies, which is then frequency-modulated to drive the loudspeaker via amplifier T4, resulting in the bird-like chirps. You can find out more details in the article about this project in the Circuit Special 2023 issue of Elektor or even in the original article from 1984.
Follow along as the video shows all the included parts and components, and check out the current promotional price of the Funny Bird kit. Happy making!
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