Alright, I got it. I can't take a clear picture, but underneath the battery is just a pad that connects to the skinny green trace just above the bottom battery in the picture.

EDIT: Here are the pictures of the stuff you asked for. Let me know if you can't read something or need clarification.

 

Would I be able to start making the box soon? I pretty much know how everything will fit, and I can check tonight as I'm getting the template for the shape. So, I'm thinking of making this box maybe three or four inches tall instead of seven. Would that cripple any of these ideas? The tallest item I have for the box is the battery holder, I got the one from RadioShack yesterday, and that's only maybe an inch tall. That would mean that the false bottom has to be around an inch and a quarter off the base of the box. The top and bottom faces will be made out of half inch wood each, for a total of an inch of just the wood. This would leave for an inch or two of space depth-wise, which I think would be fine.

 

I don't see a problem with building the box now. The overall dimensions sound fine - as long as you have the space you want for storage. You just want to make sure you have enough room/play for the electronics including the LEDs in the lid. Sounds like you've got a good handle on it.

I'll look over your drawings in the meantime.

 

How can I check if the sound card is normally open or closed?

 

Probably N.O. Look at the switch. I believe it has a piece of card stock separating two metal contacts when off. When you open the card, the cardstock is pulled out allowing the two pieces of metal to make contact. In this case, there is a piece of metal on top and a contact on the bottom made up by the PCB.

You will want to replace this with a N.C. switch so the sound module is on when the lid is lifted and off when the lid is closed.

 

Yeah, that's right. So I want to replace it with a normally closed switch? Could you just explain how that would work, and also where I could place the switch for it to work? I'm a little confused by why I would replace the original normally open switch with a normally closed one.

 

I know, it sounds a little counter-intuitive doesn't it?

Let's look at the operation of each switch. The switch that comes with the sound module is "open" or off when the card is closed. The switch is closed - makes contact - when the card is opened and the module is turned on.

The switch can be considered normally open because "normally", the card is closed. We could argue it's N.C. too, but I don't want to muddle things further.

For your box, you want the switch contacts open (sound module off) when the lid is closed. The lid is acting on the switch, simulating someone holding the switch down. Now, when the lid is open, it is like someone releasing the switch which will put it in its normal (un-acted upon) position. You want the sound module on when the lid is lifted, so you want a N.C. switch.

When the lid is closed, it will push on the N.C. switch, causing the contacts to open and the module to turn off.

 

Ah, that makes sense now. Is there a certain size or switch in particular that I'm supposed to be using?

 

Given this is a wood box and you don't have a lot of space, you might consider using a reed switch such as this:

http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/ORT551-1015/374-1093-ND/2171070

These are paired with magnets so that when a magnet is close, they open or close. This one does both depending on what lead you use.

You could place one in the lid to turn on the LEDs and one in the base to turn on the sound module.

You'll want a tiny magnet for each of course, perhaps something like this:

http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/SMCO5 3X4MM/374-1103-ND/2171080

or

http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/SMCO5 1.9X3MM/374-1102-ND/2171079

Then for the green LEDs:

http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/MV5474C/1080-1115-ND/2675606

Based on three 1.5V batteries, you'll need to wire the LEDs in parallel, meaning each will need its own resistor, about 120Ω:

http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/CFR-25JB-52-120R/120QBK-ND/389

I'll put together a schematic when time allows. Have a happy turkey day.

 

Thanks a bunch I'll look into all of this when I get the chance
You too

 

I don't mean to rush you, but I really need to get this box done soon. It's for next month and I've barely started actually making it. If you could tell me exactly how many of each of those items I will need, I would really appreciate that.

 

Sorry, this completely slipped my mind when I got back home. Attached is a diagram.

I just purchased the push button version myself for another project and learned the hard way not to leave the batteries in the module when connected to the computer. Apparently the USB power cooks the batteries.

You may get around soldering to the battery contacts by hacking a cheap USB mini cord and using the power wires to connect to the external battery pack. In this way you can quickly remove the module from the box and change the sound whenever you want.

 

Oh, damn, that sucks! Message the guy from the website, he was really helpful when I emailed him, so he might understand.

Could you explain what all those letters stad for in the diagram, specifically the d's and r's?
Also, will this setup allow me to have the LED's on the lid of the box while keeping everything else underneath the false bottom?
Am I going to need four reed switches (two for the top and two for the bottom) or two (one for the top and one for the bottom)?

 

I did e-mail them and they were great. I suspected the batteries got damaged due to being overcharged by the USB and mentioned that to him and he confirmed it. It still seems to work fine when I hook it to another battery pack, so I think I'm okay. They've got some of the best customer service I've seen in a long time. They're more than willing to send me a new one if the original doesn't work. Hopefully won't come to that though.

Anywho, the D and R are schematic designations, specifically diode and resistor, respectively. These are used to help identify what the part is and the number is used to call out one from another. They're also used to identify the specific part on a bill of materials, often referred to as a BOM.

You'll need two switches, both normally closed (N.C.). If you opt for reed switches, you'll also need two small magnets. Both switches should probably go in the box itself since both get used by the sound module which is already in the box. The magnets can go in the lid.

In a perfect world, you'd wire all the LEDs in series and use one resistor, but to do this you'd need over 12V or more than eight batteries. Since you're using 4.5V, I've put all the LEDs in parallel. Unfortunately this means you need to put a resistor on each LED. If possible, you may want to use a slightly thick lid and hollow out the center a little to hold all the resistors and wires. You can still use two hinges to carry the power.

 

Ah, that's good
Alright, I get that. And I suspect the green circles are the LEDs?
Do you think the reed switches would be best for this? I have really no experience in this field, so most of the decisions are yours /
Huh, okay. Well, would it work if I took out a few LEDs and instead used a 9V battery?

 

And I suspect the green circles are the LEDs?

Yup, LED = Light Emitting Diode.

Do you think the reed switches would be best for this?

There are pros and cons. A simple momentary push button would work fine, but finding one small enough will be a challange. The reed switches don't handle a lot of power and the ones I picked should just be able to handle the current design. The reed switches are much smaller than most other types and you have the added benefit of "hiding" them if you choose by covering them with a thin veneer or similar.

The 9V won't last as long as the 1.5V batteries (less current capacity), but you should still get plenty of time out of one. I've created a new schematic using a 9V battery. A Zener diode is used to safely power the sound module - it drops the voltage to 5.1V which the sound module can handle. I'll give this a shot with mine just to verify it works as I expect.

I've also included a BOM with all parts listed - hopefully I'm not missing anything. I didn't include basic items like wire, solder, etc.

 

You say I could cover this with a piece of veneer, would that mean, from bottom to top, it would be: base of box->most the components->false bottom->reed switches->veener-> red felt (which I'm going to add to make it look nicer)?

How much open time would you suspect the 9V to last with this setup?

 

If you plan to cover the rim of the base (where the switches will be and where the lid rests on the base) with red felt, you don't need veneer.

Because the reed switches work with magnets, you can "hide" them with a thin material if you so choose.

Rough calculations give about five hours of battery life - this is five hours of the lid being open.

If you went with three AA batteries instead and used the first schematic, battery life would be about 15 hours, though you may notice differences in brightness from one LED to the next. This circuit consumes almost double the current of the 9V though - the AA batteries simply hold more current.

I did test the 9V circuit on my sound module last night and it runs fine.

 

Alright, cool
I think I'll just stick with the 9V, five hours sounds like plenty of time

So I just need to order the parts you put on the BOM, right?

 

Let me try to test the LED portion over the weekend and verify the resistor values just to be extra safe. Otherwise, yes.

I assume you have a soldering iron, solder, some spare wire, wire strippers, and the like?