Important news about HackSpace

We have some important news to share about HackSpace: Issue 81 was the last issue of HackSpace as a standalone magazine, and HackSpace has become part of The MagPi, the official Raspberry Pi magazine. Starting with issue 145, We’ll be adding pages to The MagPi to make room for the stories and tutorials you’ve come to expect from HackSpace.

Making an electric Kazoo

By Andrew Gregory. Posted

There's something just cool about electric instruments, whether that's the black Les Paul of Slash, the white strat of jimmi Hendrix or the green Kazoo of Billy Prosise. Ok, that last one might not be as famous as the others, so we got in touch with Billy to find out a bit more about this noise maker. This is what he had to say:

In addition to being an avid circuit bender and instrument builder, I am an elementary school music teacher in Nashville, Tennessee.

I’ve tried several different ways to electrify a kazoo, all with mixed results, as the hardware inside the kazoo can dampen the sound or narrow the range in which the kazoo will ‘buzz’. This method, I’ve found, results in a very dynamic, responsive noisemaker that can be plugged in to an amplifier to amaze your friends and neighbours! Here are the steps involved in the build:

  1. Prepare to paint
  2. First coat of paint; hydrodipping
  3. Prepare the piezo
  4. Attach wires
  5. Prepare the plastic cap
  6. Attach piezo and cap
  7. Install and secure the 1/8” jack
  8. Plug in and play!

You can see it in action at youtu.be/JdLlEEXOsAg 

From HackSpace magazine store

More articles from HackSpace magazine magazine

See more articles

Subscribe to our newsletter