Hardware Hacking Projects for Geeks

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Chapter 5, How to Hack a Furby (and Other Talking Toys)

Project Demo

Leave the modified toy solder for an unsuspecting child and watch their

reaction. Or leave it on your desk at work and see what your coworkers

say.

Extensions

You can use just about any talking (or non-talking) toy for this hack. I

chose a model that had a backpack that could accommodate the Radio

Shack audio circuit board. You could also choose a stuffed animal and add

a small activation switch to the front or on a paw. If the toy does not have

batteries and has the space for the entire circuit board, you can use a 9-volt

battery that the Radio Shack board normally uses.

The simple recording chip from Radio Shack will hold only a single phrase.

You may want to build a system that has several phrases triggered by dif-

ferent events. There are a number of ways to go about this—you could use

a microcontroller or basic controller, and a Chipcoder IC from Winbod

Electronics (you can buy these from DigiKey).

A remote control could also be fun. If you wish to buy a ready-to-use solu-

tion, Parallax Inc. offers a number of simple one-way radio control board

sets that can be used to trigger the sounds from the toy.

Extensions

ch05_furby.indd 97

1/21/2002 12:33:21 PM