Hey everybody, I'm new here and looking for a bit of advice. I've have what I would call a very basic degree of experience with electronics, but one thing that has always interested but also eluded me is playing sounds. Basically I'm trying to take the electronics out of a toy laser gun that makes sounds and change the sound it plays. From what I've read, it seems like the best way to do that is to put in my own sound chip with the sounds I want. So do any of you have advice on the simplest way to make such a chip for someone new to working with sounds? I've seen hacks that basically entail hooking up a radioshack sound recording module, but I'm not sure that would work for me. I'd like for the sound to play continuously when I press and hold the button rather than playing a certain length of clip from pressing the button once. So there's my goal. Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Here's something to play with.
http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/showthread.php?t=91674

 

Welcome to AAC.

You can buy sound ICs that have different options. One is here. Here is a list of assorted sound ICs from a Taiwan company. You can use FindChips or Octopart to search for these from a multitude of suppliers. Alternately, you can check eBay or contact the company directly to see how to get the one you want.

Personally, I like the Executor keychain which has 8 sound effects and takes me back to the eighties. I took one of these and wired arcade buttons to it which went into a toolbox I turned into a control board of sorts for my toddler.

If you want to go hardcore, there are assorted ways of making your own sounds. Some use 555 ICs among others. Take a look at Forrest Mims books available still, I think, at RadioShack.