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Songbird
By Andrew Woodfield
Here’s a decades-old design brought up to date in a new package and
made to appeal to beginners as well as experienced builders. It’s quick
and easy to build and a great project if you’re new to electronics.
W
hen the festive season or
birthdays approach, those
interested in electronics
often look for a small, easy-to-build
project to give as a gift. Something with
flashing lights or a variety of sounds
has universal appeal, especially for
our (grand)children. Helping a beginner to build one of these is the perfect
way to spark an interest in the hobby.
The problem is identifying a suitable
design. During a recent search, I came
across an ‘electronic canary’ designed
by Ron de Jong, published in Electronics Australia way back in May 1981.
Unfortunately, the 74C-series CMOS
chip used in the original design is
not as widely available as 74HC-series devices. Also, the original design
used a large square PCB mounted in
a very large plain rectangular plastic
box with a mostly bare aluminium
front panel. I felt it lacked the visual
appeal to capture the imagination of
today’s younger audience.
This revision was my solution.
Along with migrating the circuit to
the 74HC-series CMOS logic family,
I also redesigned the printed circuit
board (PCB) into a more compact and
attractive bird shape – something
between an overfed festive budgie
and a kookaburra!
Modern PCB manufacturing provides a choice of PCB solder mask
colours. I chose purple, but you could
also go with something like green, yellow or red (after all, it was initially a
‘canary’). Contrasting with the colourcoded bands of the resistors on the
PCB, the overall effect is bright and
cheerful. The double-sided PCB design
The ‘inspiration’ for the
Songbird project came
from the May 1981 edition
of Electronics Australia. The
image shown is the lead
photo used for that article.
Practical Electronics | May | 2024
also makes it much easier to build than
the original design.
I removed the original large and
costly 8W speaker and its driver transistor in favour of a modern, inexpensive piezo speaker. Mounted on the rear
of the PCB, it produces a bright sound
without driving parents to utter despair.
The original used a somewhat
expensive 9V battery, while a pair of
inexpensive AAA cells power my new
version. The new 3V supply also significantly reduces the current draw to
under 2mA.
What makes it sing?
The Songbird consists of two almost
identical sets of three coupled oscillators, ie, circuits that produce a continually changing voltage level. Each
oscillator uses one of the six CMOS
schmitt-trigger inverters inside the
74HC14 integrated circuit (IC). Fig.1
shows the basic oscillator circuit used
in each case.
The inverter (triangle) produces a
low output voltage when its input voltage is high and vice versa. Connected
to it are a resistor, ‘R’, and a capacitor, ‘C’. The values of C and R vary in
each oscillator.
When power is switched on, capacitor C is discharged, and the inverter
input is at ‘ground’ potential (0V,
or logic ‘low’ level). As a result, the
33
Fig.1 (above): the Songbird circuit
uses six oscillators, all based on
this simple RC (resistor-capacitor)
oscillator configuration.
Fig.2 (right): these three
waveforms are created by each
set of three schmitt-trigger
inverter-based oscillators.
output of the inverter is near +3V (a
logic ‘high’ level). The voltage across
capacitor C begins to rise as current
from the high level at the inverter output flows via resistor R.
When the voltage across C rises
above the schmitt-trigger low-to-high
transition voltage (about 1.5V in this
case), the inverter input recognises
that the input has gone from a logic
‘low’ to a logic ‘high’. It immediately
changes the inverter’s output to a logic
‘low’ voltage, almost at ‘ground’ potential or 0V.
The voltage across capacitor C starts
to fall as current flows from the capacitor back to the low-level output via
resistor R. When the input voltage falls
below the schmitt-trigger high-to-low
transition voltage (about 0.7V), the
inverter input voltage is detected as
a low, and output suddenly switches
to high. The whole cycle then repeats.
Over many such cycles, the result
is a sawtooth voltage at the input pin
varying from 0.7 to 1.5V, and a square
wave at the output ranging from almost
0 to 3V. The frequencies of these waveforms are identical and proportional to
the product of the values of resistor R
and capacitor C (the ‘time constant’).
The basic bird sound is made from
two pairs of three of these oscillators
coupled together. In each tri-oscillator
group, one sets the basic timing, the
second creates the chirp, while the
third makes the tone of the bird sound.
Other components around each oscillator modify and combine these three
to produce the final sound. The resulting waveforms are shown in Fig.2.
At the top of Fig.2 is shown the
timing oscillator, in the middle is the
chirp oscillator and at the bottom is
the note oscillator.
34
The full Songbird circuit is shown in
Fig.3. In each oscillator, a series diode/
resistor combination placed in parallel with resistor R results in an asymmetric square-wave shape by changing
the resistance depending on whether
the capacitor is being charged or discharged. Different capacitor and resistor values in each set of three timing-
chirp-note oscillators produce two
slightly different bird sounds.
These signals are combined by
using each output to drive one side of
the relatively high-impedance piezo
speaker, which produces the final
desired bird sounds.
The circuit is powered by a battery,
shown at upper-right in Fig.3, comprising two 1.5V cells in series to produce
3V. It is connected to the circuit via
switch S1, which acts as a power on/
off switch. A 100μF capacitor stabilises the battery voltage so that it does
not vary in the short term as the oscillators draw varying currents.
Building the Songbird
Remember that this is designed to
be an ideal beginners’ project, so the
following description is primarily
written for those with limited experience. Children from around nine
or ten years of age can build it (with
help). However, it’s equally suitable
for those interested in building a little project that is just a bit different.
Simply put, you can never be too old
to build the Songbird!
The basic version of the
Songbird uses a simple
unetched PCB as the base.
If using the battery box
with an integral switch,
the base will need to be
slightly wider (63mm) as
the box is longer than the
holder shown here. Still,
it does save you from
having to mount and wire
up the switch.
Practical Electronics | May | 2024
Silicon Songbird
Fig.3: the full circuit of the Songbird replicates the oscillator configuration shown in Fig.1 six times. This is convenient
as IC1 contains six inverters, so only one chip is needed. Each triplet of oscillators uses a different set of feedback
components to produce different frequencies. They are ganged up via resistors and capacitors, ultimately feeding the
piezo speaker together via connector CON2.
Children and beginners will need
help from a more experienced builder,
given the inherent risks of a hot soldering iron and other possibly dangerous
tools like side-cutters.
The instructions assume it will
be built in four stages, each taking
between 20 and 45 minutes. You might
prefer to make it in several shorter
10-to-15-minute bursts to better match
a younger child’s concentration. For
the more experienced, you can probably build the whole thing in about
1½ to 2 hours.
Still, there’s no rush. The Songbird
will happily wait to burst into song
until you’re finished. You will likely
make fewer mistakes if you take your
time. Check each part before soldering and enjoy the relaxed pace of the
construction process.
5 A soldering iron holder – it helps
you to avoid accidental contact
with the iron’s hot tip! A good soldering station will come with one.
6 A ‘solder sucker’ desoldering tool
and/or solder wicking braid – these
help you to remove solder if you get
it in the wrong place or incorrectly
place a part and need to remove it
(that can happen to anyone).
7 A multimeter – you might find this
helpful for checking resistor values, checking battery voltages and
testing for shorts and open circuits.
They start under £5 (eg, Jaycar Cat
QM1500, Altronics Cat Q1053B)!
Some tools you’ll need include:
1 A 15-25W soldering iron with a fine
to medium tip. Keep this clean by
carefully wiping the tip periodically on a damp rag or sponge.
2 0.5-1.0mm fine rosin-cored solder.
If this is your only project, a 15g
‘hobby tube’ will be enough
3 Sharp pair of small side cutters.
Find a clear space to build the Songbird, such as a kitchen table, with
plenty of light. Also, ensure you have
good ventilation because soldering
will create some fumes. Place a cloth
or a layer of newspaper (or similar flat
disposable material) over your working area to avoid marking the tabletop
with your tools, the PCB or molten solder during assembly.
A helpful way to handle the parts
during construction is to place them
in a small plastic tray, say 300mm ×
200mm, on one side of your workspace.
Other useful tools include:
4 Fine needle-nosed pliers or a component bending jig (Jaycar Cat
TH1810 or Altronics Cat T1495);
these bend the component leads.
Construction step #1 (resistors)
The location for each resistor is
shown in Fig.4. It’s usually easiest
to install the resistors in groups.
Double-
c heck the value of each
Practical Electronics | May | 2024
resistor using its coloured bands
before fitting (or even better, verify
the value with a DMM set to measure ohms) because different resistors have very similar bands (eg, 1kW,
10kW and 100kW).
Your parts supplier may only have
(smaller) 1/8W resistors or (more precise) 1% tolerance resistors, which
will work just as well. 1% resistors
have five bands rather than four. See
the table in the parts list, which shows
how they vary.
You will need to bend the leads of
the resistors into a U-shape so you
can insert them into the pads on the
PCB, as shown in Fig.5(a). You can do
this with your fingers or pliers, but it’s
more precise to use a lead-bending
jig (available at low cost from stores
like Jaycar and Altronics), as it will
form the bends precisely the right distance apart. Then, insert the resistor
as shown in Fig.5(b).
Solder the leads, making sure to
form a shiny fillet like in Fig.5(c), then
trim the excess leads using side-cutters
at the height indicated by the dashed
line. Protect your eyes when doing
this, as the cut leads can be sharp
and will fly off if you don’t hold them
while cutting.
Note that there are two ways to
insert each resistor but the circuit
will work either way. Still, it’s neater
to place them all in the same orientations, as in Fig.4.
35
Fig.4: this shows the
shape of the Songbird
PCB and where each
resistor is soldered. The
colour bands are shown
for four-band (5%)
resistors; see the parts
list for the equivalent
five-band codes. It’s still
a good idea to check
them all using a DMM
set to measure ohms,
as some colours can be
easily confused (eg, red
and orange).
Construction step #2
(diodes and capacitors)
Next, fit the six diodes as shown in
Fig.6. These are all the same type, but
your diodes may have a slightly different body colour to those shown here.
Their size is exaggerated for clarity in
Fig.6; the important thing is that, in
each case, the black stripe on the end
of the glass body must face down or
to the right as shown.
Bend each diode’s leads as you did
for the resistor. When you insert it,
make sure to align the diode’s black
band with the band printed on the PCB
overlay. Solder and trim the leads in
the same way as for the resistors.
Next, fit the four ceramic capacitors,
shown in yellow in Fig.6. Two have the
same value. Take care to place the correct part in the right location, although
they are non-polarised, so it doesn’t
matter in which of the two possible
orientations you fit them. The PCB
silkscreen overlay shows the value of
each capacitor to help you.
Ceramic disc capacitors may be
marked in various ways. The most
common markings are shown in Fig.6.
After fitting each component, solder
and trim the leads similarly to before.
Next, fit the three smaller axial
electrolytic capacitors, which are
mounted on the top side of the PCB.
They come in metal cans with a plastic
covering except at the top. Electrolytic
Fig.5: each resistor should be (a) bent
to shape, (b) placed down on the PCB,
soldered, and then trimmed with side
cutters (dotted line height) to produce
the result at (c).
36
capacitors are polarised, meaning you
must orient them correctly. The negative lead is marked by a stripe on the
capacitor body, while the overlay diagram indicates where the longer positive lead is inserted.
Once they are in the right places and
have the correct orientations, solder
each capacitor and trim the leads. The
two larger electrolytic capacitors go on
the rear side, allowing the Songbird’s
eye to be more clearly seen. Mount
them last.
Construction step #3
(the integrated circuit)
You must fit the 74HC14 CMOS IC
to match the pattern shown on the
white PCB overlay. One end of the IC
is marked by a notch in its body (some
ICs have a divot or dot in the nearby
corner instead). This end goes closest to the Songbird’s eye, as shown
in Fig.8.
Before trying to fit the IC, it’s helpful to slightly bend each row of IC
pins until they are close to parallel.
Gently roll each side of the IC towards
the ends of the pins on a hard flat surface, as shown in Fig.7, so that the IC
pins lie parallel (or close to it). You
can also buy a tool to do this (again,
check Jaycar and Altronics), which
is easier to use, but the flat surface
method does work well provided you
are careful.
Fig.6: this diagram will help you to fit the diodes and the capacitors on the
Songbird’s PCB. The ceramic capacitors are not polarised and can go in either
way around. However, the electrolytic capacitors must have their longer
leads inserted in the pads marked with a + (the stripe on the can indicates the
opposite, negative lead). Similarly, the diodes must be fitted with the cathode
stripes facing as shown.
Practical Electronics | May | 2024
Parts List – Songbird
The ‘basic’ version of the Songbird.
The main PCB is soldered along its
base to a single-sided unetched PCB.
The battery holder and slide switch
are also mounted to the unetched PCB.
Now fit the IC into the PCB as
illustrated in Fig.8 and solder all the
pins. You don’t need to trim the pins
after soldering, as they should only
just project through the other side of
the PCB.
Construction step #4
(speaker and battery)
There are two ways to complete the
Songbird. You can use a simple square
PCB for the base. This version is quick
and easy to build. Alternatively, you
can create a more elaborate birdcage
and base. That will take more time,
but it gives a more attractive finish to
the project.
Option 1 – simple PCB base
The photo at upper left shows the
basic version with the PCB mounted
to a single-sided, unetched 52 × 45mm
PCB base by soldering a few spots
Fig.7 (above): bend the IC pins
carefully to be approximately parallel
before inserting them into the PCB.
It’s better to use a lead straightening
tool, but easy enough to do it with a
flat surface as long as you don’t apply
more force than needed.
Fig.8 (right): the 74HC14 hex inverter
IC must be fitted with its notch (pin
1 marking) matching the pattern
printed on the PCB, as shown here.
Practical Electronics | May | 2024
1 double-sided purple, green, yellow or red PCB coded 08103231, 61 × 75mm
1 2×AAA switched battery box with flying leads (BAT1+S1) OR
1 2×AAA battery holder and toggle or slide switch (BAT1/S1)
1 27mm diameter piezo loudspeaker (SPK1)
1 52 × 45mm (63 × 45mm if using battery box) unetched copper-clad PCB
(optional; stand for basic version)
Resistor Colour Codes
Semiconductors
1 74HC14 hex schmitt-trigger inverter, DIP-14 (IC1)
6 1N4148 75V 200mA diodes, DO-35 (D1-D6)
Capacitors
1 220μF 16V radial electrolytic
2 100μF 16V radial electrolytic
2 10μF 16V radial electrolytic
2 1nF 50V ceramic
1 680pF 50V ceramic
1 470pF 50V ceramic
Resistors (all 1/4W axial, 5% or better)
2 1MW
2 680kW
1 470kW
3 330kW
2 100kW
2 68kW
2 47kW
2 39kW
2 10kW
2 1kW
along the lower edge of the Songbird
PCB. The result is surprisingly robust.
The double AAA-cell battery holder
and slide switch are then mounted
directly to this blank PCB, the former
with a couple of drops of epoxy glue
and the latter by soldering three of the
unused lower tags of the slide switch
to the blank PCB base.
Note that kits will include a battery
box with an integral switch, simplifying construction somewhat. The kit
will also have a double-sided tape pad
that you can use to stick that box to
the base very easily and quickly. Since
the battery box is a bit longer than a
simple battery holder, it would be best
to use a 63 × 45mm unetched PCB for
the stand in this case (not included
in the kit).
Alternatively, you could use hot
melt glue or silicone sealant to attach
the Songbird PCB to the side of the
battery box. Just make sure you can
still open it to replace the cells!
The piezo speaker can be mounted
on the rear of the main PCB using
a 3D-printed speaker mount (see
Fig.9) and a couple of dabs of hot
glue. You could print this yourself
if you have a 3D printer – STL files
for all the 3D-printed items used in
this project are available from the
May 2024 page of the PE website:
https://bit.ly/pe-downloads
The two piezo speaker wires may
be connected either way around to the
PCB at the two points marked ‘Piezo’
on the overlay, as shown in Fig.10.
You can trim the wires slightly if they
are too long before soldering them in
place. These wires may be almost any
colour, and some can be pretty delicate, so a little care is required.
Finally, add the battery and switch
wiring; the switch is not required for
the battery box included in the kit, as
it is already integrated into the box.
In that case, you just need to connect
the two wires from the box to the PCB
but watch the polarity; the red wire
must go to the terminal marked + on
the PCB.
Option 2 – bird cage
I designed a 3D-printed base for the
prototype. Those with a lathe may
prefer to create a more elegant base
from suitable timber. Alternately, a
careful hunt around the supermarket shelves may locate a suitable
15mm-tall, 70mm diameter screw-on
plastic jar lid.
The battery holder and switch can
then be mounted in this base. I used
a toggle switch for this, rather than
a slide switch, because it’s easier
37
The 3D-printed piezo speaker mount
The piezo speaker recommended is a low-cost 27mm diameter part commonly
used in greeting cards and small toys. They are readily available from a variety of suppliers. Slightly more expensive piezo speakers are made complete
with a thin pressed metal enclosure to form a resonating chamber, but they
are harder to mount to the Songbird.
The 3D-printed holder used here has three benefits. It simplifies mounting
(just use glue!), the sound is significantly improved, and it’s all quite cheap and
easy to do. It’s surprising the difference this simple piezo mount makes to the
overall sound volume. The piezo sits on the circular lip of the mount facing
outwards. A tiny drop of super glue holds the piezo to the mount.
It’s also possible to make a 5-10mm-high 27mm -diameter tube speaker
mount using rolled-up paper. Produce a wall thickness
of about 1mm, gluing the paper with PVA or similar
glue to give it a little rigidity. Glue the circumference of the piezo speaker to the top surface of
this tube with a drop of super glue, then hot glue
the assembly into place on the rear of the PCB.
Fig.9: this simple 3D-printed speaker
mount improves the sound quality and
simplifies construction.
to mount on a curved surface. The
Songbird is then mounted on the base
using two small PCB off-cuts measuring about 3 × 6mm. These are soldered on the lower edge on the rear
of the main PCB, separated by a gap
of about 10mm.
This method allows the Songbird to
be mounted into the slot in the base
and then adjusted from side-to-side in
the slot to centre the Songbird in its
cage. The gap in the slot is used for
the wiring to the switch and battery.
The wiring details inside the base are
shown in Fig.11.
The piezo speaker is mounted in
the same way as the basic version
(Option 1). The battery and speaker
wiring to the PCB is the same as shown
in Fig.10.
If you prefer that the speaker is out
of sight, there is enough space in the
base for it to be glued there using the
3D-printed speaker holder. However,
the bird sounds will be less audible.
The birdcage is made from 18-gauge
(1.2mm diameter) galvanised wire and
a 20mm diameter piece of tinplate.
You can obtain the galvanised wire
from most garden centres or hardware
stores. I cut the circular piece of tinplate from a discarded tin can.
It’s easiest to begin by unrolling
about a metre of wire from the wire
roll. Get this as straight as possible by
holding one end of the wire in a vise
and pulling on the other end with a
pair of heavy-duty pliers. Modest force
is sufficient. Then cut eight 105mm
lengths from this straight piece.
Fig.11: if building the birdcage version, glue the battery holder into the base
before installing the switch and completing the wiring.
38
The ‘bird cage’ version of the
Songbird uses a 3D-printed base and
some wires to act as a ‘cage’. The
speaker is attached to the rear of the
PCB using the mount from Fig.9.
Fig.10: the battery and piezo speaker
wiring are shown here. This diagram
also shows the overlay markings for
these connections to help you identify
them. If your battery holder has an
integral switch, you don’t need the
external switch; just run the red wire
from the battery holder straight to the
pad marked + on the PCB, parallel to
the negative (black) wire.
Practical Electronics | May | 2024
Adding signs
You can add the optional ‘Please Do
Not Feed The Bird’ sign. This, and
the equally optional extra sign for the
other side, can be glued to the front
and back of a piece of card or onto a
3D-printed frame (the latter is also
available as a download). This can
be glued to a suitable location on the
Songbird’s cage.
Operation
Turn on the Songbird’s switch and
the Songbird will burst into song
almost instantly. The prototypes I
made were joined by several additional copies as budding builders
added their own efforts. The chorus of the Songbird birds produced
a fantastic sound. Parents will be
‘delighted’ to learn that battery life
is at least six months of regular use!
If you want to adjust the Songbird’s
sound, changing the value of the
330kW and 470kW resistors in series
with the 1nF capacitors will have the
most significant impact.
Fig.12: the optional signs for the
birdcage version of the Songbird. You
can download the sign artwork and 3D
printer (STL) files from the PE website.
Reproduced by arrangement with
SILICON CHIP magazine 2024.
www.siliconchip.com.au
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Using a piece of waste timber or
plywood, place these wires radially
around the circular tinplate as evenly
as possible. Tape them in place temporarily using short pieces of painter’s masking tape. Once everything is
nicely aligned – the tape really helps
with this – solder the wires to the circular tinplate. The timber insulates
the soldered wire and plate and protects your work surface.
Bend each wire into the final birdcage shape by hand. The wire is very
easy to bend yet holds its shape
well. You can then ease the ends
into the eight holes in the base of the
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It all sounds complicated, but in
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time and effort and gives a pleasing
visual finish to the project.
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Meet the Cricket:
making IoT designs
super easy!
Programmable
Thermal
Regulator
Make your own PCBs
with our precision
Solder Reflow Oven
PLUS!
Audio Out
<at>practicalelec
Jun 2021 £4.99
06
9 772632 573016
practicalelectronics
Constructing the PE
Theremin amplifier
Circuit Surgery
Micro-Cap 12
simulator review
WIN!
Microchip
MPLAB Starter Kit
for Serial Memory
Products
WIN!
Clever Controller
for dumb chargers
Hi-Fi amp on
the cheap!
Completing the
High-power 45V/8A
Variable Linear Supply
Building the
Low-noise
theremin PSU
PLUS!
Cool Beans – Even cooler ping-pong ball lights!
Net Work – IP security cameras
Techno Talk – The perils of an enquiring mind...
www.electronpublishing.com
Audio Out
<at>practicalelec
Sep 2020 £4.99
09
9 772632 573016
practicalelectronics
Making a
splash with
NeoPixels!
Fun LED
Christmas
Tree offer!
PLUS!
Techno Talk – Triumph or travesty?
Cool Beans – Mastering NeoPixel programming
Net Work – The (electric) car’s the star!
www.electronpublishing.com
<at>practicalelec
Dec 2020 £4.99
12
9 772632 573016
practicalelectronics
We can supply back issues of PE/EPE by post.
We stock magazines back to 2006, except for the following:
2006 Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jul
2007 Jun, Jul, Aug
2008 Aug, Nov, Dec
2009 Jan, Mar, Apr
2010 May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Oct, Nov
2011 Jan
2014 Jan
2018 Jan, Nov, Dec
2019 Jan, Feb, Apr, May, Jun
Issues from Jan 1999 are available on CD-ROM / DVD-ROM
If we do not have a a paper version of a particular
issue, then a PDF can be supplied – your email address
must be included on your order.
Please make sure all components are still available before
commencing any project from a back-dated issue.
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