Here the obvious things to check out if you’re having a problem:All the batteries are fresh, are tight in the battery pack, and face the
right direction.
No bare wires near the microphone or IR detector touch each other.If you need to troubleshoot your circuit beyond the obvious, here are some
options:See whether the LEDs are inserted backward or are burned out.If the sound isn’t loud enough, go with a 4 ohm, 1 watt or greater,
speaker.
If nothing’s shaking, make sure the IR detector wires are connected to
the correct terminal block pins.Make sure that the IC isn’t backward.To test that the circuit in the silent pumpkin works, place a standard LED into
the circuit instead of an IR LED. If you get a light, try a different IR LED or
check the connection to the IR LED.Taking It Further...........................................................................................
Aren’t talking pumpkins just so cool? (Sounds like a rap group, now that we
think of it!) You can morph these guys into something else or expand their
functionality in a few different ways:Obviously, you can change the containers for this light and sound event
to whatever your heart desires. Plastic Santas, scarecrows, or firecrack-
ers come to mind.You could have a one-two punch scenario for your pumpkins: One sound
goes off when somebody steps into the beam, and another sound hits
when somebody steps out of it. You need a receiver and transmitter in
each pumpkin. Then connect the signal output of the IR detector to Pin
23 of the voice chip in a receiver circuit in one pumpkin, and Pin 24 of
the voice chip in the receiver circuit of the other pumpkin.
Try using a voice synthesizer chip. Instead of recording your own mes-
sage, buy a voice synthesizer chip, such as the one we use in Chapter 7.
This allows you to put together custom sound effects such as a rocket
blasting off, a bit of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, or a red alert alarm
when somebody interrupts your IR beam.214 Part III: Let There Be Light