HALLMARK CARD REDBOX PLANS
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Looks like its that time again... Welcome AOLers, heres some of your
first look at these plans.  Remember... I dont mail them out, please
don't ask.  They are available through FTP from vincent2.iastate.edu
(login: anonymous.mabell)

File: 10.dollar.red.box
Author: Toxic Avenger (toxic@phantom.com)

I bought the guts to a hallmark card at 3 pm yesterday, before 5 I had
a working box... Heres the instructions for the compleat idiot (or
those
just having trouble)

Be forwarned, I am told that not all cards used the same color scheme
for the wires, so the colors I speak of in this file might be wrong.

This file is archived at vincent2.iastate.edu (login:
anonymous.mabell)

Materials:


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1 Hallmark digital recording card (~$8, card store)
1 1/8 inch mono phono plug (~$1 or in a junk bin)
1 SPST switch, or momentary contact NORMALLY OPEN (~$1 or junk bin)
The QUARTER.VOC File (and access to a sound card to play it, and
software that lets you loop it)
1 case of some sort (I used a case from a DAT, but anything you can
put the stuff in will work.  Perhaps the case from a Data Tape or a
8mm Video tape, or just a casette)
1 Tube of silicone sealant (epoxy will probably do, I just happened to
  have silicone on hand)


What to do:
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1. Remove all components from the plastic thing inside the card, this
includes sliding the battry pack out of it's drawer.

2. Cut the following wires:


   Both wires going to microphone (both are green, mark which one goes
to the center of the mike)
   Both wires to the battery pack (red and white)
   Both wires to the switch mechanisim (green and black)

2a. (OPTIONAL) It is a wise idea (if you are fairly experienced at
soldering/desoldering on small PC boards) to desolder all the wires
and replace them with ones of a thicker gauge.  THe ones that hallmark
supplies are just too damn thin and have a real tendancy to break at
connections.  REMEMBER, the wires in this card are supposed to be
protected in the little plastic grooves that you removed them from.

3. Discard the switch mechanisim.

4. Wrap the battery pack in electrical tape (I used red tape just to
be cheesy, since the box is clear)

5. Solder the SPST switch to the black and green wires that used to go
to the original switch (polarity is NOT important)

6. Solder the phono plug to the 2 green wires.  Polarity shouldn't
really be important, but to be on the safe side, the wire that ran to
the center of the mike (I told you to mark it) should go to the TIP of
the plug.

7. Connect the battery. (This battery pack puts out 6.25VDC, I suppose
you could replace it with another battery, but why bother?)  POLARITY
IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!.  The red wire goes to the Positive terminal,
and the white goes to the negative.  On my box, if the pack is laying
flat, with the exposed part of the batteries pointing up, the positive
terminal is the one on the left (if you are facing the terminals)  I'd
use a multimeter just to be sure.

8. Glue the pc board to the top of the battery (this saves space and
hassle later, but is not necessary for operation)

9. Program the thing...

   I used the QUARTER.VOC file (sorry, i don't have a copy of it in
any other format) and I looped it 10 times, with a random delay of
between 5 and 1 seconds between each quarter (who puts them in at
regular intervals anyway?)

   Plug the phono plug into your soundcard, turn the volume Waaaaaaay
   down (trial and error will give you the proper volume) and play the
   voc file (after setting the switch on the pc board to the record
   position, and flipping the SPST at the beginning of the VOC file)

10. Test it...

   Best way to test is to call a long distance Directory Assistance
(I'm partial to 808-555-1212 which is Hawaii)

If it doesn't work, go back to step 9.  The ideal volume is one that
can be heard clearly, but does not cause the speaker to break up.

11. Once you have the thing programmed, there is no need to keep the
phono plug attatched.  If you want to save room, cut it off.

12. Put the thing in the case.  Drill several holes in the case where
the speaker will mount.  I mounted the speaker with silicone very
carefully applied to the edges of the speaker.  Same was true of the
battery pack.
The switch obviously mounts in a hole on the side of the case.

Thats it...

Comments/Questions:

Why the SPST Switch?

 First off, I thought the switch that came with the thing looked
really cheaply made, and would probably break.  Secondly, by putting
in an SPST switch instead of a momentary switch, it allows me to
record $2.50 on the box, and play the whole thing back just by
flipping the switch, rather than having to hold it down.

There you have it. the Under $10 red-box.

-Tox