DIY Old Timey Skype Phone

I happened upon this cool looking phone toy that looked like it was from an old phone booth. Inspiration hit, and soon I was dreaming up ways on how to use this toy. I finally decided on turning it into a Skype (or any online talk service) phone. Luckily, I also had a broken computer headset lying around too.

Items needed for this project:
~Old phone looking toy
~Computer Headset
~Hot Glue Gun
~Soldering Iron
~Dremel/Hacksaw

Please rate this if you like it!

Now in Popular Science Magazine, How 2.0 Section, July 2007 Issue, page 91.

Please vote for me in the book contest if you enjoyed this Instructable! Thanks!

Step 1 Putting in the Mic

I figured I would strip down the headset to get the smallest components possible. The headphone would go in the ear piece, and the microphone would be placed inside the microphone part.

After detaching the microphone from the broken headset, I got rid of all excess plastic casing and cut the wires halfway through. I cut the wires because I had to wire it through a small hole that the microphone jack wouldn't fit through.

Comments

[ttf-ent]

This would be a great idea if you could some how wire it up to use as a REAL phone. If you do this, please message me. It'd make a great movie prop.

[tylerbrainerd]

why would you need a real phone for a movie prop?

[Dr Qui]

Nice job.

The phone reminds me of Beaker from the Muppet show.

[bwpatton1]

Now all you have to do is wrap some cloth around the cord to give it that "authentic look", u know how old electronics have that cloth covered cord. actually been thinking about doing this myself, except with a real antique phone (to make it work with a modern phone line {the old phones dont have the dialer buttons})

[oktane]

Very cool! You could make it USB too if you wanted.. (see here)

[technick29]

That'd be pretty cool! I'll have to try that when I get a hold of one. Thanks for the input!

[DIY Dave]

Where did you get the old phone?

[technick29]

I found it at a second hand shop.

[DIY Dave]

thanks

[Trimaster]

LOL thats cool

[bullzebub]

a mini itx would be nice in that case :-)

[technick29]

That would be pretty sweet...

[Sgt.Waffles]

Cool, creative, inovative, but impractical. good job on the instructable!

[technick29]

Haha, thank you Sarge!

[Sgt.Waffles]

At ease private!

[LasVegas]

Pretty impressive! I would have cried had the phone had it's original interior hardware, but a great use for a previously gutted antique.

[technick29]

Yea, that would be terrible. Thanks!

[Weissensteinburg]

Just so you don't get your hopes up. I noticed that you put this in pop sci, and asked people to rate it...I put two and two together. Incase you didn't realize it, the contest is over. (again, just so you don't get your hopes up) But still, this was a GREAT idea. I really like it.

[technick29]

Thanks!

[cylver]

If anything, it's more of a casemod for a headset, but it's still pretty cool looking. If it were a real antique phone, I'd be getting very upset at the methods used, but it's alright for a replica. Perhaps you could put something in to make the crank answer calls?

[technick29]

Yea, that'd be pretty cool. Right now, the crank is merely a piece of metal stuck in a hole in the wood, so I'd have to figure that out. Thanks!

[jeffreyf]

Awesome!