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DIY Electronic Noise Makers

Noisemakers are devices that are used to produce loud noises for fun. The noises include bells, drums, whistles and music. They may be found at parties, sporting events, parades, and carnivals. A do-it-yourself, or DIY, electronic noisemaker may be created with the use of a 555 chip. A 555 is an IC, or integrated circuit device that can produce stable time delays or variable time delays. It can be combined in a circuit with a speaker or Piezo buzzer to create a variety of sounds.

Things You'll Need

Piezo buzzer
555 timer IC
1kiloohm resistor
0.1 microfarad electrolytic capacitor
100kiloohm potentiometer
9-volt battery
Battery holder
Breadboard
Jumper wires

Instructions

- 1
  Choose one of the top rows of the breadboard as ground, or zero voltage. Choose another row as positive voltage. If the breadboard has red and blue stripes, normally the row next to the red stripe is chosen as positive, and the other as ground.
- 2
  Connect the black wire of the battery holder to the row that is ground and add the red lead of the battery holder to the row that is positive.
- 3
  Connect the Piezo buzzer to the breadboard so that its plus-and-minus pins are in different columns. Do this by placing the buzzer so that its pins straddle the opening between the top and bottom sections of the breadboard. Insert the 741 chip so that its pins also straddle the top and bottom sections. This ensures that all eight of its leads are in different columns.
- 4
  Attach the plus side of the buzzer to the positive voltage row by inserting a jumper wire between them. Attach the minus side of the buzzer to pin 3 of the 555 chip. Attach pin 4 of the 555 to the positive row with a jumper wire, and use a wire to add pin 8 to the positive row, as well.
- 5
  Attach pin 1 to ground. Insert a jumper wire between pins 2 and 6 of the 555.
- 6
  Connect one end of the potentiometer to the positive row. Connect its other end to pin 7. Connect one end of the 1k resistor to pin 7 as well, and its other end to pin 2.
- 7
  Attach the plus end of the capacitor to pin 2. Connect its negative end to ground.
- 8
  Place the battery inside its holder. Change the sounds the circuit makes by turning the knob of the potentiometer.

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