Cyber Voice Recorder Tutorial

Ever had trouble remembering something? With this month's kit, you can save those important memories, at least 15 seconds worth! Once you build this kit, you'll be able to record a small voice message and play it back any time.

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Cyber Voice Recording Kit

First, you should refresh yourself on soldering safety!

WARNING: SOLDERING IRONS ARE HOT. SOLDERING IRONS ARE NOT TOYS. ALWAYS WEAR EYE PROTECTION WHILE USING A SOLDERING IRON.

IC → This is an all in one IC that allows us to send signals from the microphone directly in to be recorded.

Microphone → The condenser microphone uses a pair of charged metal plates to form a capacitor. When a sound wave hits the diaphragm the distance of the two plates change which produce a change in capacitance.

Speaker → Speakers convert electrical energy into mechanical energy. A current is sent through the voice coil which produces an electric field that interacts with an existing magnetic field of a magnet attached to the speaker. This gives the motion which produces audio.

For your reference, here is a copy of the resistor color code. The resistors in this kit use the 4-Band Code.

Preparation

Count all of your parts and verify everything is in your kit.

Item

Quantity

Description

14 Pin IC

14 Pin Socket

14 Pin IC Socket

100k Ohm Resistor

Brown Black Yellow

1k Ohm Resistor

Brown Black Red

4.7k Ohm Resistor

Yellow Purple Red

0.1uF Capacitor

Yellow/Orange Dome (104)

220uF Electrolytic Capacitor

Black and Silver Can Shaped

47uF Capacitor

Black and Silver Can Shaped

Blue LED

Blue Dome - Long Leg is Positive

Microphone

Black and Silver Cylinder

Speaker

Large Black Cylinder with Holes

Button

4 Pin Square

Battery Holder

Black Holder

CR2032 Battery

Battery

PCB

Printed Circuit Board

Step 1

Locate the two 4.7k Ohm Resistors and install them in positions R3 and R4. Bend the legs slightly outward will help hold them in place while you solder.

Step 2

Locate the two 1k ohm resistors and install them into locations R1 and R5.

Step 3

Next we will install the 100k ohm resistor. Locate it and install it into location R2.

Step 4

Install the 0.1uF Capacitors at locations C2, C3, C5, C6 and C7.

Step 5

Locate the 14 Pin Socket and install it at location U1. Be sure to align the notch on one edge of the socket to match the PCB.

Step 6

The microphone will be installed next. Notice when you install it on the PCB, that it should match the silkscreen footprint. If you install it backwards, it will not seat completely inside the silkscreen circle.

Step 7

Locate the 220uF Electrolytic Capacitor and install it into C8. Be sure the white stripe (negative) matches the silk screen on the PCB.

Step 8

The 47uf Electrolytic Capacitor will install in location C1. As with the previous capacitor, the polarity is crucial. Install with the white stripe (negative) matching the white location on the PCB.

Step 9

Locate the Blue LED and install it into location D1. Be sure that the long leg of the LED goes into the round marked hole, while the shorter leg goes into the square marked hole.

Step 10

Line the battery holder up with the matching silkscreen on the PCB and solder in place.

Step 11

The two buttons will be installed next. These will install into locations SW1 and SW2.

Step 12

The speaker polarity matters when installing. Be sure to line up the correct pins to match + and - on the PCB.

Step 13

Install the Voice Recorder IC chip into the socket. Be sure to line the notch up with the socket and the PCB silkscreen.

Step 14

Install the battery with the writing (+) side up. You can now press the REC button and speaker into the microphone to record your message. Once done, press the PLAY button to hear your message!

Schematic of the Kit