2. Locate the speaker. Speakers are round, and you can usually find them near a section of the case that’s perforated to let the sound out.

3. Cut one of the speaker wires. It doesn’t matter which wire you cut, but leave at least an inch or more of wire next to the speaker (in case you want to try one of the more advanced methods below).

4. Close the case. Return and fasten all the screws to their original places.

Congratulations! You’ve transformed the toy into a fully functioning but blessedly mute version of itself.

 

Method 2: Add an On/Off Switch

Difficulty Level: Intermediate

MATERIALS
Annoying toy Modified per Method 1
Rocker switch
Wire strippers
Soldering equipment
Hot glue gun

 

1. Perform Method 1, above. Cut the speaker wire an inch or more away from the speaker, and leave the case open.

2. Strip the wire ends. Use a wire stripper to strip the 2 ends of the cut wire.

3. Identify the rocker switch leads you’ll use.

Some rocker switches have 2 leads. Others have 6. If you’re not sure how your switch connects, read the data sheet. As a general rule, you connect 2 adjacent leads on the same side of the switch (not across the width of the switch).

4. Solder. Tin the ends of your cut wires, and solder them to the 2 adjacent leads.

5. Test the switch. Insert the toy’s batteries and test the switch you just installed. The sound should switch between on and off.

6. Glue the switch. Use a hot glue gun to glue the switch somewhere inside the toy.

7. Close the case. Return and fasten all the screws to their original places.

Keep that screwdriver handy so you, not Junior, can open the toy and turn the sound on or off.

 

Method 3: Add a Volume Control Difficulty Level: Intermediate 1. Perform Method 1, above. Cut the speaker wire

MATERIALS
Annoying toy Modified per Method 1
100 potentiometer
Wire strippers
Two wires with alligator clips For testing
Soldering equipment
Hot glue gun

 

an inch or more away from the speaker, and leave the case open.

2. Strip the wire ends. As with Method 2, use a wire stripper to bare the 2 ends of the cut wire. 3. Identify the potentiometer leads you’ll use.

You’ll want to connect one wire to the pot’s wiper and the other to either one of its end terminals. You can consult the manufacturer’s data sheet to find these, but they’ll probably be the middle pole and either one of the 2 outer poles.

4. Connect the wires for testing. Connect the 2 wire ends to the 2 potentiometer leads using your alligator connectors.

5. Test the sound’s dynamic range. Confirm that you’re using a potentiometer with the proper resistance by reinserting the toy’s batteries. Hit some buttons to get the toy to make noise. Adjust the potentiometer knob between its 2 extremes and confirm that you can achieve the desired sound level. If the sound turned all the way up is too soft, try swapping in a potentiometer whose maximum resistance is less than 100 ohms. If the sound turned down is still too loud, switch to a pot with a higher maximum resistance.

6. Solder. Once you’re happy with the proper potentiometer, tin the ends of your cut wires and solder them to the potentiometer.

7. Glue. Use a hot glue gun to glue the potentiometer firmly to the inside of the toy.

8. Tune the sound. Make final adjustments to the potentiometer’s playback levels.

9. Close the case. Return and fasten all the screws to their original places.

Now, you have an internal volume control for your toy. At any time, you can open up the toy and adjust the volume as appropriate for the situation at hand.

 

Erica Sadun has written, co-written, and contributed to over two dozen books about technology, particularly in the areas of programming, digital video, and digital photography.