Sonic Screwdriver

If you need to open a lock, or simply put up a lot of cabinets, the sonic screwdriver is the tool for you. If you don't know about Doctor Who, the most amazing sci-fi/everything series ever, go see it right now. This was my first attempt at making a sonic for myself, modeled after the 9th/10th Doctor design. I'm quite pleased with the results; it lights up, and beeps a solid tone. Producing that famous sound would require a microcontroller or the like, which just won't fit inside the body. So, here goes...

p.s. If you like this instructable, vote for it in the Celestron Space Challenge!

Step 1 The Stuff

Time to gather the stuff. You'll need:

A magic marker, probably crayola, since the body is wider than others.
A cheap pen. try and get one that narrows towards the end, but it's okay.
1 push button switch. Maybe a slide switch if you want.
1 small buzzer. the round case type is important; make sure it will fit inside.
1 audio jack, female. this will be used to recharge whatever small battery you can cram inside.
1 power source. get a small rechargeable battery, or a supercapacitor. It took me some time to find one.
And, most importantly, a Tirefly. It's a little bike light that clips to the wheels somehow; it has the perfect shape for the screwdriver head. Substitute something else if you have to. You can buy a set here.

The tools: 
Get some scissors, a craft knife, and some pliers. Also superglue. And a drill. Plus the regular soldering stuff.

Comments

[jessyratfink]

I love this! It's very simple, and could even be fancied up a bit by added more details to the marker before painting for added sonic-screwdriver-ness.

Definitely one of the quickest and nicest ones I've seen!

[akrishnan3]

Does this sonic actually open doors or is it just a prop?

[drabinowitz]

Will this make the well known sonic sound?

[drabinowitz]

Hey, if you (for charging) used an audio to USB cord and plugged it in a computer or apple power converter, would it charge that way?

[Alskf1]

It definitely would. I would recommend a resistor on the charging part that's appropriate for your power source, in this case one that'll reduce 5v to 3.3v. I recently burned up my supercap by plugging it into a 9v battery for too long.

[danielemur]

what do you mean by "Then use the knife to cut a 2cm gap in that"?

[danielemur]

dont get the uv ones. the led is a super tiny one directly attached to the board. if you solder wires on to the contacts you can get it to work but it is harder.

[ahrshin]

Your Sonic Screwdriver, My K9, Now all we need is a tardis :)

[avatar_i]

Alskf1-
Beautiful, just beautiful!
I love it!

[adam 101]

love it, spent 1/2 hour + looking for decent design to base my screwdriver on and then one falls in my inbox

[NickGriffin]

I am sure it will work if the Tardis is up and running...

[nomuse]

Or one of the ATtinys in 8-pin DIP form. Assembled dead bug style it might just barely slip inside. I've thought about trying something like that but working out wavetable synthesis is more advanced than anything I've done with one yet.

[drabinowitz]

I LOVE YOU!!!

[marvinsson]

Does this thing actually work, or is it just for show?

[kderusha]

No, it's not a real screw driver. It's just a light up replica.

[codongolev]

it's sonic. it makes a noise. *taps on door frame*

[claws.33]

I didn't even have to look at what this is but as someone who just recently found Doctor Who (2005 series of the 9th and 10th drs) I LOVE IT!!

[ejost]

Will it work on my dead bolt when I forget my keys?

[ChristinaW]

Awesome! You should gather the parts and sell them as kits. :)

[Seph Cameron]

You could probably get the correct sound using a 556 timer in the Atari Punk Console configuration. Make the circuit, turn the knobs until the sound's right then measure the resistances and replace pots with fixed resistors. If you used an SMD model and maybe wrapped the whole thing in heat shrink tubing, I reckon you could get that in the handle.