duckly_do_all ([info]duckly_do_all) wrote in [info]circuitbending,
@ 2005-12-04 16:04:00
Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
hello from a young circuit bender
i'm [info]ruhue. i'm posting for my son, he is too young to be on here alone so i look at stuff *with* him and we post from this account, which is his. i'm posting as myself right now but he'll be dictating later.

his name is niko, and he is all of six years old. he likes to INVENT things. he has been busting electronics and sorting out the usual parts (capacitors, resistors, etc.) and putting them into little boxes by type since he was four. he can make simple circuits on his own.

so niko and my boyfriend [info]riven_memory have been working a lot with electronics. this simple little circuit is our first bend, made from a light from an annoying light up toy and a switch from a walkman tape player.

we love this group and look forward to getting more ideas from you all.

(Post a new comment)


[info]acidbathlove
2005-12-05 01:09 am UTC (link)
hats off, that's so wonderful to hear :)

(Reply to this)


[info]cementimental
2005-12-05 01:18 am UTC (link)
Wow, the next generation of circuitbenders! :) Good Stuff!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]duckly_do_all
2005-12-05 01:28 am UTC (link)

thanks! i'm not sure i have even portrayed him well enough. i say we do this stuff with him, but basically we show him once and then he just is able to do it on his own and does little experiments with attaching different things to his circuits... fans, leds, etcs from all the parts he has busted in the past couple of years. it really is his own thing. all the parts are in his room in bins and he just goes for it on his own a lot.

so that's why we're here, to learn and build build build and so he can have more ideas to choose from and spin off of than just the ones in this household.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]ruhue
2005-12-05 01:29 am UTC (link)

and i really should post as myself from now on.
:)

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]relaxing
2005-12-05 04:12 am UTC (link)
that's really wonderful. it's so good of you to encourage and support his curiosity!

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]ruhue
2005-12-05 05:27 am UTC (link)


thanks! i can't wait to see what he does - he loves music (adult and kid) and bending...

he was excited about posting and finding other people who like to mess with circuits. after we posted, he got all nervous... "wait, they won't like my circuit, it's not good enough!" and i told him that he was doing great and a lot of people hadn't learned this by the time they were six, and people learn this stuff even when they are old so no worries he was doing fine.

he was SO happy when we read the responses. he spent the rest of the evening bending up a get down with elmo toy with my boyfriend. it sounds very... distant thunderous, or hyper, depending on how you set it. they loved it.

:)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]i_am_smrat
2005-12-05 06:52 am UTC (link)
Thats awesome!

(Reply to this)


[info]4floorsherpa
2005-12-05 02:29 pm UTC (link)
That is really cool that you encourage him. It's also really cool that he's getting good at it at such a young age!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]jonnyshawnstone
2005-12-05 05:49 pm UTC (link)
i agree, i didn't start getting into this stuff until i was like 17 and i wish i did when i was young. it's so much easier to learn things when you're young.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]3droboticwalrus
2005-12-05 08:16 pm UTC (link)
my mom and dad just called it "not taking care of things" or "destroying things"

(Reply to this)


[info]naturaldeath
2005-12-06 09:14 am UTC (link)
Hi Niko and Ruhue!

Welcome to the laboratory.

I remember, when I was 5, I built a model of a lighthouse, with a flashing light and horn. I was so proud of that, and I wish I'd carried on. Stick at it, Niko, and I'm sure you'll be teaching us a few things soon!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]ruhue
2005-12-06 04:04 pm UTC (link)
Thanks so much for the welcome!

I just read it to him, he was very happy. I don't know if this is bendy enough, but I think over Christmas break we will make contact mic together. I don't know how long it will hold up, but it seems like it could be a LOT of fun.

:)

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]shinokou
2005-12-06 07:15 pm UTC (link)
This is a great project for young'ns. I say this because when searching on Google for contact mic projects, a great many were plans for elementary school teachers to use as classroom projects. One was even complete with guidelines for short reports from the kids about the sounds found by experimenting with the mics!

Your son definitely has the right mindset for a soon-to-be genius. Thinking out of the box so early is a sign of great things to come.

To follow the sentiment expressed in these comments so many times already... I wish I was as inventive as a young child. I would be in a very different, more accomplished, successful place right now if I was.

Keep showing us the circuits!

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]cementimental
2005-12-06 07:20 pm UTC (link)
Contact mics are great... one tip I read which does seem to work OK is to use scissors to cut away some of the excess metal from around the piezo element; this way the sound has less of the resonance of the metal plate apparently..? THo of course this results in edges even more sharp than the original unmodified piezo disk! (I have managed cut myself on one before while stripping the wires... nasty!)

i've heard some people coat their contact mics in rubber, the sort you dip tool handles in to make a grip... this would protect the piezo element somehwat, but I guess would muffle the sound slightly? Maybe good if you're using them for drum triggers etccc... ?or recording very loud sounds?

Anyway, contact mics are very fun... all sorts of great noises can be got from different objects! And so easy to make... Especially here in the UK as you can buy various sizes of piezo element from Maplin without any plastic houseing. For that matter, get them for free by ripping out of old phones or toys...

(Reply to this)


[info]i_am_smrat
2005-12-07 03:29 am UTC (link)
http://www.getlofi.com/2005/12/6-year-old-circuit-bender-found.html

(Reply to this)


[info]bruise_lee
2005-12-08 08:38 pm UTC (link)
Check out the yahoo circuit benders group as well, hopping place.

(Reply to this)

awesome
[info]spliffrd
2005-12-15 07:57 pm UTC (link)
If you need help, let me know! Niko rules!@!@

(Reply to this)


[info]ppotter
2005-12-25 06:48 am UTC (link)
That's well cool.

Paul

(Reply to this)

Create an Account
Forgot your login or password?
Login w/ OpenID
English • Español • Deutsch • Русский…