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How to Circuit Bend a Furby

The Furby is not only just a furry owl-like electronic toy that speaks; it also has the potential to be circuit bent, which gives it more sonic qualities. "Bending" a circuit can create glitches that make the voice of the toy sound almost alien. In order to do this, you have to connect various points along the circuit board, redirecting its distribution of power, which causes the glitch to occur. You can make your Furby sound other-worldly too by spending a couple of hours getting into its internal components and connecting the right circuit pins with pieces of wire.

Things You'll Need

2 3 inch spare copper wires
Soldering iron
Solder wire
Screwdriver set
Scissors

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the Furby's fur so that you can access its electrical components. Turn the toy upside down and cut the strap tie that holds it into place with the scissors, as well as the strap ties that are located by the neck. Peel back the fur all the way to the top of the toy's head. Pull with a minimal amount of force to remove the fur from the head, since it is held into place with hot glue, to remove it completely.
- 2
  Remove the screws that hold the two halves of the toy together with a screwdriver. Then, remove the speaker from the Furby's stomach so you can move the battery compartment out of place, making the circuit board accessible.
- 3
  Solder two pieces of short wire to the bottom pin on the left of the larger vocal microchip with the soldering iron. The two vertical vocal microchips are located in the top-left corner of the circuit board. There is also a picture of the chips available in the link provided in the "Resources" section.
- 4
  Solder one of the two spare copper wire pieces to the top-right pin on the smaller vocal microchip by heating the solder wire to the contact with the soldering iron, and the other wire to the second pin, directly beneath it. When you reassemble your Furby, the circuit bend will sound glitched out and produce alien tones.

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