Urban Cricket 2

Intro: Urban Cricket 2

The Urban Cricket 2 is a solar powered sound generator built on low-end, analog electronics and produces sounds like a cricket. I developed Urban Crickets to practice Sound Tossing with it. Sound Tossing is an alternative type of street art that uses sound as a medium of creative expression in a public space. As the streets belong to the people, the intention is to appeal to anyone who wants to shape their acoustic space.

As tiny sound generator we use an Integrated Circuit (IC) called “Hex Schmitt Trigger Type 74HC14” which was never intended for making sound. It consists of six identical inverters and with two of them we will build one simple oscillator by using 1 resistor, 1 capacitor, 1 diode (optional), 1 solar cell and 1 piezo speaker.

It is a very cheap, loud and simple project that can be made in about 30 minutes.

STEP 1: Tools and Parts

Tools

Soldering Equipment
Wire Cutter
Drill Machine
Cutter
Double-sided sticky-tape
Wire-ties

Parts

A 1 x CMOS IC SN 74 HC 14 N DIP
B 1 x Capacitor 10 uF
C 1 x Resistor 1k or 10k Ohm
D 1 x Diode BAT 43 (optional)
E 1 x Solar Cell 4,5 V / 35mA (or use an old garden light panel)
F 1x Piezo Speaker (PIEZO-SUMMER KPI-G2313L-6260) or similar
G 1 x Wires
H 2 x old mini Speaker Cases, for Piezo Speaker and Circuit

Costs ~$5.00

STEP 2: Integrated Circuit (IC)

Take a short wire and strip of bough ends of the isolation.
Start with soldering it to Pin 1 and Pin 4 of the IC.
Make sure that the mark of the IC is on the left side!

STEP 3: Capacitor

Solder the capacitor to Pin 2 and Pin 3 of the IC. Don’t care about the polarity.

STEP 4: Resistor and Diode

Next on our soldering list are the resistors and the diode.
Solder the resistor to Pin 3 and Pin 4 of the IC.
Even if it is not necessary you can also solder the diode (in parallel to the resistor) to Pin 3 and Pin 4 of the IC.
This will make a nice saw tooth wave sound.

STEP 5: Solar Cell and Case 1

Take the red and black wire.
Solder the black wire to the solar cell (-) and the red wire to the solar cell (+).
Drill a hole into case 1 and make sure that the there is enough space to fix the solar cell with a Double-sided sticky-tape.

STEP 6: Solar Cell and IC

Solder the black wire of the solar cell (-) to Pin 7 of the IC (-)
Solder the red wire of the solar cell (+)to Pin 8 of the IC (+)

STEP 7: Long Wire and IC

The 50 cm to 70 cm long wire is the speaker cable.
Take it and strip of bough ends of the isolation.
Solder (-) to Pin 7 of the IC (-)
Solder (+) to Pin 4 of the IC

STEP 8: Case 2 and Piezo Speaker

Drill a hole in case 2.
Solder wire (+) to piezo speaker (+) red.
Solder wire (-) to piezo speaker (-) black.
Put the piezo speakers inside.

Test your urban cricket by holding the solar cell into light.
If you here some chirping sounds your urban cricket is alive!

STEP 9: Toss It!

Now let’s toss it!
…as high as you can….
And send me a picture and the location of your urban cricket.


Any problems?
Don’t hesitate to contact me!
At least I can send you a ready-made Urban Cricket for free.

Email: [e-mail]

Follow Sound Tossing activities under:

Blog: http://www.soundtossing.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/soundfiti
Facebook: http://facebook.com/soundtossing

Sound circuit inspired by Ralf Schreiber

Comments

[Kiteman]

(Watches news feeds for reports of suspicious devices causing terrorism panics.)

[soundfiti]

Let me know if you find something about devices hanging from overhead wires!

[ironorr84]

Shoes can be easily identified, and therefore the general public won't be in panic if a tied up pair of shoes are strung over wires. However, a strange looking device emanating weird noises? That's going to get a different reaction.

Plus, it's a pretty dangerous and stupid act of entangling anything on overhead wires. I know your picture shows it on a pole, but the way this device is built suggests that it be flung and caught on anything overhead, including the wires off telephone poles. I just hope to God that when and if someone flings this device and catches the power line, they don't get hurt and the power outrage isn't for long for the surrounding area.

IMO, this isn't art either...it's an irritant. The noises this device is only capable of producing would be obnoxious at best. You insult true artist in their own media by calling this art.

[shantinath1000]

while I agree with much of what you say (including that the noise is is irritating) I would like to point out that one man's art is another mans irritant! I would most certainly not want that thing hanging outside my window! While art can take many forms -not all of which I like- I find this work problematic in that the people subjected to the noise are not being subjected to it by THEIR choice but rather having it forced on them. This (for me) crosses the line from art to noise pollution. Having said that, I would like to add that this a very clever use of the IC chip.

[pieterpauwel.beelaerts]

Is noise pollution not forced upon us all the time? Cars, airplanes, trucks, the neighbour working in his garden... Or, some car radio playing House music very loud while street racing. That is for instance all forced upon people who love classical music. Well, surprisingly, I build a module like this one, recorded it's sounds, and blended it with a sample orchestra for an audioplay...

[soundfiti]

Thank you for your comment! and you are right. The urban cricket was a direct response to the use of ultra sound devices (The mosquito) to disperse young people form public space and shopping area. It is aimed as tool for them to reclaim public space as sonic version of street art.

[soundfiti]

Well, thanks for the constructive criticism! I'll keep your inspiring comments in mind.
Let introduce some new terms: "Street Art" "Sound Art" "Guerilla Art"
and yes, I studied fine art!

[shantinath1000]

Please don't take my comment the wrong way- I think the idea is very clever - I just think that people should have a choice about some things-- Imagine that you work nights and someone puts this up outside your house. I am all for art and expressing ones self- as long as it does not impinge on another persons rights as well.

[shantinath1000]

OK- not to beat a dead horse-- i just checked out your other video- the ambient noise in that setting was so much that the cricket was hardly noticed- that was a great example (to me) of how this would work as an art installation. I see your point- I just don't think the "frame" suits the "picture" in the second video.

[soundfiti]

Sound Tossing is a resistance movement. It is aimed a countering the dominance of acoustic advertising and new sound security tools intended to prevent young people from congregating in specific areas such as in public places and outside shops. Sound Tossing is instead a subtle sound intervention. It impacts and alters the normal course of urban life while encouraging discussion of topics such as acoustic overstimulation and public well-being. Moreover, Sound Tossing increases public awareness of the acoustic environment.

[sipsake]

Opposing acoustic advertising by sound tossing is like opposing the war by shooting civilians.

I've found an mp3 player and headphones to be a terrific (and non-intrusive) way of battling noise pollution, acoustic advertising, and tribal rainbow warrior acoustic arteests.

If I want to encourage a discussion on acoustic overstimulation, then I walk into the pub and say, "Gosh, it certainly is noisy outside these days, and that insipid chirping certainly isn't helping. What say we find the bloke who tossed the speakers in the tree and discuss with him his public well-being."

[soundfiti]

What an extraordinary comparison! I have to mention your comment in my master thesis.

[ironorr84]

I Googled "Street Art", and I looked at the images it produced. Strangely, many of the images were of the kind where it's an optical illution. I've seen these, and read many stories about the artists, especially the artist who made it popular. I think they are really creative and very well done, but these artists still need to be responsible and get permission to create this art on the streets! Either from the owners of the privately areas, or the city government. Otherwise, no matter how awesome it may be, it's vandalism...a crime, and that should be shameful to anyone who continues to do it.

Googled Sound Art. Got a good feeling that this form of art is hard to categorize. The images suggests that sound art could be anything, from what colored liquids look like when they are photographed as they are bouncing on a speaker, to old vinyls glued together to look like a wave from an ocean. The examples I would think would be true "Sound art" would be neat to experience. Like the array of speakers in a room. Definitely better then 7.1 Surround sound...more like 18.1 it looks like, lol. That would be awesome to hear.

Finally Googled Guerrilla Art. This is something I actually like to a point. This stuff can be insanely creative, and usually has a point that suppose to send a clear message the artists is trying to say. I like the stuff...sometimes I love it. Just as long as it's not infringing on anyone's property or rights. I don't think it's right for anyone to mark up and deface property that someone has paid for and owns, or a place that is public property. If it's public, they should still be respectful and responsible enough to go and get the proper permissions to display this art, and to again, be responsible enough to remove it after a certain amount of time...

What I'm trying to point out is that this device, while it may be considered art to one and an irritant to another, still has the design to be used in an irresponsible and defacing fashion. Even if your intentions are to mean no harm, and to try to enlighten any passer-byes, 99% out of the time it'll be just tossed up with no respect to property. Plus, the intentions suggests that your "audience" will be pleased that it's there...how can this be? Most may not notice it's there, or will see/hear it and not care. Out of hundreds of ppl passing by, I can only believe that a small few will be positively effected by it.

I understand, "one man's art is another mans irritant!" comment. But by nature, this thing will be displayed irresponsibly and with little positive effect.

An irritant most will say.

[JohnC20]

Best thing to try is using old tennis shoes lined with foil for sound travel and light catching. This less disturbing to people than seeing boxes hanging around.

[tzq33tdq]

do you have a schematic?

[soundfiti]

Look... here is a new version of a more sophisticated urban cricket...
incl. schematic...

http://wiki.happylab.at/w/Urban_Cricket

[RetroPlayer]

All this guerilla art is likely to do is cause laws to be made to jail and fine people vandalizing and harassing the public. And no...you do not own the streets. We have a government, which we the people created and fund to manage our streets to protect us from obnoxious, self-centered, self-interested people like these guerilla artists.

Sorry, but I would be one of those people saying 'send him to jail.' You have a right to express yourself and say whatever you want, but that doesn't mean there will not be consequences.

This idea is simply obnoxious. It's not art when you force it upon me. It's harassment.

[snotty]

Yeah! It's true there's a whole army of crickets by my house. They really should go to jail, damn insects.

Frogs too.

[DeanGallegos]

I couldn't agree more

[djbarista]

haters gonna hate,