Voice changer megaphone toy hack (+ module)

A megaphone toy with 8 combinations of voice effect (high pitch, down -1, -2 voice of robot, alien …), bending the toy clock and replaced by a pot, adding input and output jack,a volume pot, a feedback momentary switch and a little circuit with a 555 timer for an LFO with vactrol on the pitch pot, and we get a pseudo pitchshifter ? ring mod ? … according to the settings
In a box from an old voltmeter.

here with a looper (drum sample), and after an oscillator

it could make a cheap module too …?

8 Likes

Toy is $5.15 at Amazon Warehouse


I bought one… (would love to see any additional information you have on your mods)
6 Likes

Dude that sick. I want. Your enclosure is rad also!

4 Likes

it’s a bit old and i don’t have a note, but i can try to explain some simple mod

to replace the clock resistance, turn on the toy and pass your finger (slightly damp) on the resistance, when it changes the tone of the sound it is the right resistance to remove and replaced by a pot (tried several values, but at least 1M I think works well), I think that sometimes I connect the pin 1 of the pot to the ground to have a very low down (with a small trim pot or resistor to adjust the breaking time)

I removed the trigger from the megaphone and soldered the wires so that it works continuously

there is a position with the switches or the sound will pass through the toy without FX, a kind of byepass (marked NO FX on my box : C and D )

I left the toy switches on the circuit (too boring to unsolder) and made an extension with wires to new switches.

put a jack socket instead of the mic (add an input pot would surely be good)

a output jack socket instead of the speaker, with a resistor of the same value of the speaker (8 or 4 ohm) to tip to ground (the left jack on the photo below)
and add a volume pot for the output

for LFO , a little circuit with 555 like this (maybe not exactly the same ?)

or this (add a resistor for the led, and a pot instead the trimmer)

lfo_vactrol

with 2 led : one for the indicator led , and another for the vactrol (connected to the pin of the pitch pot

an attenator pot on the vactrol led for LFO mix i think

a switch for on/off LFO circuit power

for the feedback i don’t remember, but i put some schem which I must have been inspired

I also found this in my files for WET / DRY I did not make this mod, but it can help, i remember that it’s not for the same toy but …

i

if there are other questions don’t hesitate :slight_smile:

2 others i’ve made (not with the same toy)

a very cheap one (with only 3 positions)


and my fisrt (inspired by Simon the Magpie!) with a real byepass switch, a body contact and a pot action very strange

here’s with a glitch toy, at 0.45’

9 Likes

A couple of those diagrams are from here, there’s some more on megaphone bending though not this particular model:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170208044155/http://casperelectronics.com/finished-pieces/megaphone/megaphone-bending/
Some how to videos on YouTube but again I don’t see this particular one other than (I think)

3 Likes

yes for Casper Electronic i know, I thought that it could give ideas, because without diagram it is necessary to seek, test and inspired by something else, that’s why I posted them too.

Otherwise yes that of Magpie “crazynator”, it is the first that I made and it is blue but it is the same model as the red

but since you’ve already done Circuit bending, it’s a really easy toy to bend

3 Likes

i re found the pic i have taked on this video of Crazynator, who help me for the build

6 Likes

Inspired as always @Dud .
Thank you for sharing all of this information.

6 Likes

THX @Farabide :slight_smile:
it seems to please some, so I post from time to time old experience like this.

5 Likes

la musique, comme un synthétiseur, est un cadeau et un cadeau doit être donné. Merci encore pour le partage.

3 Likes

Definitely marking this for later. This is awesome.

3 Likes

I went ahead and bought the 5$ special @analogoutput found. It’s already on its way haha

3 Likes

Take me to your leader

5 Likes

Doesn’t come with a battery but at 5$ shipped I can’t really complain

4 Likes

Price has gone up to $5.47, we must be cornering the market

3 Likes

Lol supply and demand…those toy megaphones are so hot right now

2 Likes


Sure, let’s splice these two wires together and leave them dangling right over the PCB, why not?

7 Likes

Megamodule!
With pitch knob and pitch CV, feedback, dry/wet mix


10 Likes

:+1: :+1: :+1:
excellent !

2 Likes

have you made a little schem for the add for modular circuit, and would you to share it plz ?