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Christmas Present Shake Prank

Christmas Present Shake Prank
We all know someone who shakes their presents to try to figure out what's inside. This project is the perfect thing to give someone who does this. It's a box that plays prerecorded sounds whenever an internal shake sensor is activated.






 
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Step 1Materials

Materials
Materials:
  • Cardboard Box
  • RadioShack 9V recording module
  • 9 volt battery
  • 100µF capacitor
  • 2 short pieces of magnet wire
  • Hot glue and hot glue gun

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38 comments
Jan 5, 2012. 7:06 PMNicko30 says:
Thats great. I should add the audio of my mate Cal's reaction to my giant axe prank (see http://youtu.be/c3y4-H2l31Q ) . Then when the cheeky dude shakes his present he will he will hear himself
Dec 23, 2011. 11:04 PMtox1cchicken says:
I just finished mine. but I am having trouble getting the shake sensor to activate right, and to not shut off or repeat too quickly when shaken,
Dec 23, 2011. 11:05 PMtox1cchicken says:
oh and btw, thanks for this project.
Dec 23, 2011. 2:59 PMTinkerer87 says:
I attempted this, and it appears to work, though I can't seem to get any more then 3 or 4 seconds of playback time when the module supports up to 20.

What am I doing wrong?
Dec 23, 2011. 3:03 PMTinkerer87 says:
Ok, last post to my original. It appears sometimes it plays all the way through and others it stops randomly. I don't see a short anywhere in the wiring that would cause this to happen.
Dec 23, 2011. 3:01 PMTinkerer87 says:
Ok, just let it sit and tried it again and it played longer, but not the full clip I recorded.

PS - I tried using a single piece of ethernet cable but it's not flexible enough. It does work well enough to connect the capacitor to the board.
Dec 23, 2011. 12:42 PMbrandegor says:
how the heck do people figure this stuff out? I love it!
Dec 11, 2011. 7:28 AMceknight says:
LOL... so cool! Love the Meow! Meow! at the end. But you better have a REAL good present in there to make up for the kid tearing that box open and NOT finding a kitten in there.
Dec 20, 2011. 11:56 AMstatic says:
Then again the thinking person would pull this exact prank on a child.
Dec 13, 2011. 5:22 PMdiyer1234 says:
a gunshot sound would be great
Dec 12, 2011. 5:23 AMhyperr says:
I am doing this when I get home from school, only instead of recording me making the sound i have cut the microphone off of mine, and replaced it with an aux cable end(headphones) so I plug it into my headphones jack on computer, play real sound hold my record button and presto! Real sounding cat noises!!
Dec 11, 2011. 10:43 AM-A-N-D-Y- says:
Great instructable, I've been involved with electronics for 20+ years and never heard insulated (enameled) wire referred to as magnet wire! so you learn something new everyday :) I was thinking you need some magnetised wire!? then looking at your instructions I could not figure it out until a google revealed:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnet_wire

So you can learn something new everyday :)
Dec 11, 2011. 8:16 PMdropkick says:
It's called magnet wire for the simple reason that it's used to make the coils that form electro-magnets,

If you move a wire through a magnetic field (or the reverse) you generate a current in the wire. This principal used with electro-magnets is used as the basis for motors, generators, alternators, transformers, etc.

- You probably already knew this from the wiki, but I thought I'd clarify it for anyone else who hadn't read it and didn't feel like looking it up.
(I haven't actually read the wiki, but I would expect it would have had this information in an expanded and better written form)
Dec 12, 2011. 7:41 AMSilence says:
Solid core telephone wire works great for project wire.
Dec 11, 2011. 7:45 PMfredellarby says:
Before the electronic age, my mother was a dedicated present shaker.
One year I put a piece of glass and a heavy nut in side a smaller box inside the present. First shake - the sound of glass breaking. Oops!
Next package included a jar of thick motor oil and a weight inside the jar. Tip it and you're rewarded with a slow thunk. Tip it back, the same. Drove her nuts.
Dec 11, 2011. 8:20 AMdetnyre says:
How many volts is the 100uf capacitor? Radio shack has one that is: 100µF 35V 20% Radial-lead Electrolytic Capacitor but 50v seems a bit much?

Please advise.
Dec 11, 2011. 10:47 AMMr.Jay-D says:
I'm not the most experienced person with electronics, but I would say that the capacitor voltage rating just needs to be larger than the voltage applied to it (in this case around 9volts). The 35volt capacitor should be good for this project!
Dec 11, 2011. 5:22 PMcheesehead says:
really great job modding this! i love doing simple fun stuff like this!
Dec 11, 2011. 12:50 PMkintekobo says:
Ahhh. Now to record the sound of breaking glass!
Dec 11, 2011. 12:45 PMabeaton says:
Brilliant! I need to try this with the kids!
Dec 11, 2011. 12:16 PMTen Thumbs says:
That kitten mew would be infinitely more funny if combined with one of those weasel balls that move randomly, to go off at the same time for a second or two.
Dec 11, 2011. 12:06 PMPGrevie says:
I've thought about making a "low-tech" version of this concept. I want to line a box with aluminum foil and fill it with snap caps (granules wrapped in tissue paper that pop when you throw them on the ground) and small pebbles. The rocks will help the snaps go off and the foil will protect the cardboard from any sparks.
Dec 11, 2011. 10:19 AMBoulevard Park 916 says:
The ideal sound would be breaking glass or a whimpering puppy.
Dec 11, 2011. 9:48 AMDakotamouse says:
I've never made an electronic gizmo but this is so well explained I am really tempted to try it!
Dec 11, 2011. 9:42 AMsitearm says:
@DIYHacksAndHowTos; I like recorded mews at the end of the video. Schrödinger's Kitten? Cheers! Site
Dec 8, 2011. 4:46 AMMarcaine Art says:
Now I need to find an instructable to make the present wiggle a little on its own from time to time like there is something inside it moving.
Dec 11, 2011. 8:36 AMxenobiologista says:
Or you could just pull a vibrator out of an old cell phone. Some of them are pretty strong. My mum's old Nokia actually moves around.
Dec 8, 2011. 12:15 PMilpug says:
Get a servo and attach it to a weight of some sort. You could make it remote controlled so you can do it whenever.
Dec 8, 2011. 1:13 PMMarcaine Art says:
Good idea. I did find that radio shack sells a 3 volt vibration motor for about $4
Dec 7, 2011. 9:27 PMPenolopy Bulnick says:
That is really funny! Is there a video of it?
Dec 8, 2011. 10:48 AMPenolopy Bulnick says:
I look forward to it, but I'm glad you posted it before Christmas. It is awesome!
Dec 8, 2011. 4:41 AMMarcaine Art says:
So doing this to my nephew :-D
Dec 7, 2011. 8:39 PMmikeasaurus says:
Haha, great idea!

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Author:DIYHacksAndHowTos(DIYHacksAndHowTos YouTube )
Inventor, Maker, Hacker, Tinker, and occasional Mad Genius