Making Music By Rewiring Devices and Toys: Circuit Bending

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This is a class about the joy of Circuit Bending.
In this class we will first talk about what Circuit Bending is, and how it works. Then, we will actually circuit bend an old keyboard from beginning to end, going step-by-step through the entire process. In the end, we will have a cool new keyboard capable of brand new sounds, and I'll even make a track with it.
This might just be the weirdest class I've ever made. In this class we will hit the road, going to some thrift shops to look for bendable instruments, I'll do some time-lapse videos of taking things apart (complete with Benny Hill), and we will melt down some Spongebob Squarepants.

What will I learn in this Course?

  • Fundamentals of Circuit Bending
  • Tools of the Trade
  • Safety! (How to do this without hurting yourself)
  • Finding the Perfect Things to Bend
  • Circuits, Resistors, and Compentents
  • Bending a Keyboard from Beginning to End!

Course Outline

  • Toys, Tools, and Safety
    • Let’s Go Shopping!
    • Safety: Batteries Only!
    • Safety Gear: Glasses & Shoes
  • Overview
    • What is Circuit Bending?
    • What is Bendable?
  • The (Lack of) Science to Circuit Bending
    • Making a Jumper Wire
    • Making Our First Connections
    • Circuit Mapping and Notation
  • Making The Connections
    • Types of Knobs and Switches
    • Soldering Tips
    • Connecting Wires to the Board
    • Switch Details
    • Closing it Up
  • Wrap Up
    • Exploring the Sounds of my New Bent Keyboard
    • Have Fun!
  • Open All · Close All

Course Information

Estimated Time: 2 Hours

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Course Instructor

Mary Hoskins Author
 

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Toys, Tools, and Safety

Tools We Will Need

Before diving in, lets talk about some tools we are going to need. There are not many – just a few things.
Let’s Go Shopping!

Ok – welcome to one of the weirdest videos I’ve ever made. In this video, we go on a covert field trip to a few different second-hand stores looking for children’s toys.
Safety: Batteries Only!

The number one rule to Circuit Bending: Batteries Only! I can’t say it enough.
Safety Gear: Glasses & Shoes

A few other things about safety when we are working with electricity.

Overview

Introduction

Welcome to the class! First a quick overview of the class, and then we will get started!
What is Circuit Bending?

What is Circuit Bending, and how can it be useful to you in your music making. In this video I’ll walk you through what it is, a little of the history, and some of the cool things you can do.
What is Bendable?

What is Circuit Bending, and how can it be useful to you in your music making. In this video I’ll walk you through what it is, a little of the history, and some of the cool things you can do.

The (Lack of) Science to Circuit Bending

Opening Up Your Device

Alright – now is the time to get down and dirty with this. First, we need to open up our device and see what we’ve got.
Making a Jumper Wire

A “Jumper” cable is just a simple wire that we will use to make some connections to find the right bends to make.
Making Our First Connections

Our first connections! These are just test points, but we need to find things that we like, and we will make them permanent later.
Circuit Mapping and Notation

Next we need to map our connections. This is a process that will help us to know what we are going to solder, and it will help us form a plan of attack.

Making The Connections

Types of Knobs and Switches
Soldering Tips

Almost time to get to the serious stuff. Before we dive in to soldering, let me show you a few quick tips.
Connecting Wires to the Board

Time to make some permanent connections. In this video we will solder our first wires to the board.
Switch Details

A few questions about connecting those switches you might have are answered here in this videos.
Closing it Up

Now that we have created our fully-functional circuit-bent keyboard, we just need to close it up and try to get it be one solid unit again.

Wrap Up

Exploring the Sounds of my New Bent Keyboard

Now that we have a cool new musical keyboard, here is a little snippet of a track I made using only our Circuit-Bent Spongebob keyboard.
Have Fun!

Thats all folks! In this video an important piece of info as some parting words.

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