How to Drill Switch Holes for Circuit Bending

Circuit bending is a fun and somewhat addicting hobby involving the disassembling of an electronic musical or talking toy to make new sounds by playing with the circuit board. One application in circuit bending is to add switches to the ones already there. For this, you will need to drill holes for the switches to be placed in.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Soldering iron
• Solder
• Batteries
• Screwdrivers
• Electronic toy
• Heat-resistant surface
• Drill
• Serrated knife
• Dremel tool
• Switches
• Permanent marker

1. Gather the tools you will need for your circuit bending project and set up your work space on a heat-resistant mat.

2. Dismantle the toy you are bending and decide where the switch you want to install will go. You should take into consideration where the components rest when the toy is reassembled. You don't want to compromise the circuit board when you screw the casing back together.

3. Use a permanent marker to mark where the switch will go on the inside of the casing. This will look better than marking up the outside of the casing. Trace around the switch to ensure the hole will be big enough.

4. Drill a couple of pilot holes into the area you marked and then use a Dremel tool or serrated knife to cut away the plastic casing from the area you marked. Take care when doing this to avoid cracking the casing or damaging the exposed internal parts.