How to Insert an Audio Jack for Circuit Bending

Circuit bending is a popular hobby involving rewiring and changing the sounds an electronic toy or instrument makes. You do this by bending the circuits and creating new switches and contacts for playing the sounds. One popular technique is to add an audio jack, allowing you to plug the toy into an amplifier.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Soldering iron
• Solder
• Batteries
• Wire
• Jewelers screwdrivers
• Audio jack
• Audio cable
• Drill
• Drill bit
• Amplifier

1. Find or purchase the toy you want to bend, set up your work area and gather the items you will need for your circuit bending project and installing an audio jack. The work surface should be heat resistant. If the work surface you have is not heat resistant, you can purchase a heat resistant metal mat at most hardware or craft stores.

2. Use the jewelers screwdriver to take the battery cover off and replace the batteries. Then test the toy to make sure it works.

3. Take out all the screws in the casing and carefully remove the back. There may be wires connecting to a battery pack or speaker on the opposite side.

4. Find a place where the audio jack will fit and where you can solder wires between the jack and the speaker. Drill a hole in the casing large enough for the audio jack to fit in.

5. Place the jack in the hole from the inside of the casing and place the washer on the threads that stick out the other side. Screw the nut onto the threads and you are ready to wire it to the speaker.