Copper Talk » Open Forum » Archived Messages » 2002 » 09/01/2002 to 09/30/2002 » Space Bird: 70's Noise Toy? « Previous Next »

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Ohiobiker
Posted on Thursday, September 12, 2002 - 7:47 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

In the mid 70's I purchase a Noise Toy which was/is called a SPACE BIRD, this item is installed in the microphone and on initial keying of the mic it produces a whistle sound starting low pitch then tapering off to nothing. (not a ping) It also has a hammer button to make it repeat making a siren like sound. Does anyone remember these? The one I have still works on the "hammer button" but on the inital keying of the mic it doesn't produce the sound any longer. What I want to do is 1) fix the one I have makeing it work on the key down of it, 2) find a place to by a new one.
Between the "hammer button" on it there is a small something that looks like a small "lemon drop". I assume that this is the part that is bad? Can anyone tell me what this might be or what to replace it with to allow it to work? I am guessing that this part allows a momentary surge of current to the toy making it operate for the brief amount of time making the inital sound when it is key. I would like to install this in my D-104 like I had "Back in the day". Any advice would be helpful at this time. Oh by the way I promise not to use it to annoy anyone in your area...LOL...Thanks for your help, Ride Free, Die Free...God Bless America !
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Funtimebob
Posted on Monday, September 16, 2002 - 12:48 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

If its the same as my old tweetie bird I once had there was a small electrolytic capacitor mounted across the 2 switch connections that would discharge on key up for the initial chirp. pressing the button would supply additional electricity to make it "warble". that capacitor probably went bad or is missing
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Ohiobiker
Posted on Tuesday, September 17, 2002 - 6:55 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yes that is the capacitor that is bad, What I need to know is the value of this capacitor or what I should use in its place? Some were called "Tweetie Birds" or "Space Birds" they were basicly that same thing. I want to fix it with out damaging anything else in the sealed area containing the chip itself....Thanks for your help F/T Bob....Looking forward to having this work again.....73's and God Bless America
..................OhioBiker...aka "BARTENDER"
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Funtimebob
Posted on Tuesday, September 17, 2002 - 11:31 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

You can try different values to give different lengths of "Ping" time. I think they used 4.7mfd but could be wrong. there so cheap you can get a bunch of different small value capacitors from radio shack and try them till you find one with the sound you like.
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2600
Posted on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 - 11:33 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Last one I saw had a 10 uF capacitor. This is an electrolytic capacitor, and the polarity will be marked on it. The ones from RatShack will usually have the minus (-) side marked, sometimes with a stripe lengthwise, the minus sign printed inside the stripe. American-made capacitors (not found at R-S) will usually have the plus (+) side marked that way.
Usually one side of the switch goes to the positive wire on the mike battery, the other side to the tweety-bird. If your capacitor is marked with a minus sign, that side goes to the tweety-bird wire side of the switch.

73