untitled

Taking Things Step by Step.........................................................................

If we were wizards like Merlin, we could probably snap our fingers, say “Abra-

cadabra,” and produce a talking puppet. Being simple electronic project geeks,

though, we (and you) have to do things the old-fashioned way. Building a talk-

ing puppet requires that you

1. Create the circuit.


2. Drill various holes in a box.


3. Place the circuit in the box.


4. Program the sound synthesizer.


5. Insert the box and switches into the puppet.

Creating Merlin’s circuit ....................................................................

Get your breadboard and other little parts ready to build the circuit that will

help Merlin murmur. Here are the steps involved:

1. Place the SpeakJet IC (IC1), the MAX232 IC (IC2), the LM386 IC (IC3),
   and eight terminal blocks on a breadboard, as shown in Figure 7-5.

IC 3 IC2IC 1

Figure 7-5:

Place the

ICs and

terminal

blocks

on the

breadboard.

Chapter 7: Murmuring Merlin 147