SOUND EFFECTS FOR 30cm TARDIS

[fruns]

I'm at the painting stage of a 30cm model which will have an internal flashing LED display but, as yet, no sounds.

Can anyone suggest a relatively simple method of achieving noncontinuous sound effects at, say, the touch of a button?

I live in hope.

[greatwazoo42]

There is a sound effects keychain for sale that you could use.

[action_mat]

That's a great tip, I just bought one for my 'mini console'.

Here's the link, I'll let you know if they're any good when mine arrives:) 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Doctor-Dr-Sound-Effects-Key-Fob-Ring-K9-TARDIS-11th-/270658586332?pt=UK_DVD_Film_TV_TV_Memorabilia_LE&hash=item3f048246dc

[action_mat]

It arrived.  The quality is on a par with a happy meal toy I'm afraid.  Really cheap plastic.
It's also rather quiet(half the volume of the flight control TARDIS), which might mean me going back to the drawing board unless I can increase the volume.  Does anyone know if changing the speaker for a slightly larger one would make a difference, or would I need a small amp? 

[jamesb]

I ordered a few of these late last week to see if I could use one to add sound to my TARDIS. I'll let you know what they are like when they are delivered.

For an order of 10, the 200 second push button usb models cost me about CAD$6 each including taxes and delivery.

[rocket]

It arrived.  The quality is on a par with a happy meal toy I'm afraid.  Really cheap plastic.
It's also rather quiet(half the volume of the flight control TARDIS), which might mean me going back to the drawing board unless I can increase the volume.  Does anyone know if changing the speaker for a slightly larger one would make a difference, or would I need a small amp?  

Increasing the speaker size won't help, if anything it might make it worse. The problem is you need more power to push a bigger speaker. And while I haven't tried it, I can't imagine connecting something like that to an amp would produce a good quality sound. My suggestion would be to get a cheap MP3 player (I used an iPod nano in my Tardis) and run a cable out the bottom which can then be plugged into a stereo amp, or even a set of computer speakers (I use the PA in my studio when I want more power).

EDIT: An old mobile phone might also be a simple solution if you have one.

[action_mat]

Thanks for the advice chaps, I appreciate it.

[eddyc]

It may sound crazy but...

Buy one of those birthday cards that let you record the message,(these things are LOUD) and take the sound unit and speaker out of it.

Record the sound you want off of a DVD or other source and then put the unit into your TARDIS model. You can hook up a button to activate it!

[jamesb]

The "200 second" sound modules I ordered arrived on Friday. I'm pretty pleased with them.

The module, speaker, and switch are all separate and hooked together by wires that could easily be extended, and each component comes fitted with foam self adhesive mounting tape.

Dimensions:
Module - 57mm x 37 mm x 6 mm thick (the 57 mm measurement could be reduced to 48 mm by cutting of unneeded protruding connector pins)
Speaker - 42 mm diameter x 6 mm thick (0.5 watts / 16 ohms)

Depending on the sound duration/quality you want, the uploading software will convert your wav or mp3 audio file into different sample rates before uploading to the device. There are 12 different choices for sample rate that vary from 4.8k (allows 349 seconds of audio) to a 22k sample rate (76 sec audio).

[joeranger]

How did it work out? It looks like you bought 10, care to barter for something?