Give The LED Throwie A Voice [Instructables How-To]

Back at Maker Faire in 2006, Graffiti Research Lab was demoing their simple (yet brilliant) LED Throwie while Pat and Ward Cunningham were presenting their Cybord circuit. Someone in the crowd mentioned that it would be cool if the LED throwie had a “voice,” so the Cunningham’s added a simple ATtiny45 chip to the Throwie, and thus the “Throwie Talkie” was born.

In honor of this year’s Maker Faire, happening this weekend in Queens, NY, we’ll be outlining the steps for this Maker Faire mashup. Find out how to win tickets to the Faire here.

Some materials you’ll need for the “Throwie Talkie” are 10mm diffused LEDs, a programed ATtiny45 microcontroller, a CR2032 3V Lithium Battery, a NdFeB Disc Magnet, and some 1-inch wide strapping tape.

First, program the ATtiny45 chip with the Morse Companion code using the free-to-download Atmel Avr Tools software.

Take off the middle leads of the chip and bend the remaining leads to match those of the LEDs.

Solder the LEDs’ leads right across the chip by holding one side with needle nose pliers. The longer LED lead should be soldered to the “VCC” (power) and “RST” pins of the chip. Reference the wiring diagram in Step 4 to get the pins correct.

Finally, snip the LED lead between the ground and control pin so the chip can complete the connection and send messages. Wedge the battery in between the LED’s leads and wrap with tape. Then unleash your Morse Code-speaking throwies all over town.

Visit the Instructables How-To for further instruction, more detailed photographs, and tips on where to buy materials.