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Archive for the ‘Toddler Toy’ Category

Peter Turczak’s toddler son loves “technical stuff,” especially things like keyboards and computers that adults use. After discussing this with other likeminded technical parents, the idea of giving new life to an old (PS/2 or AT) keyboard as a teaching tool was hatched. 

The hacker thus added an Arduino Nano, a speaker, and an SD card reader for WAV files, allowing the device to say letters in various voices based on the keys pressed. It is also capable of playing tunes, and presumably other sounds, that one could imagine to facilitate retro learning and fun.

All the electronics fit within the keyboard’s shell, which has ample space inside, and even features a built-in speaker grill for audio output. More details on the project can be found in Turczak’s blog post.

Like most one-year-olds, CodePanda’s son really likes pushing buttons. Rather than purchasing a so-called busy board that might teach him skills like unlocking doors or plugging in electrical outlets, he decided to build his own custom device controlled by an Arduino Uno.

The resulting toy features a wide variety of lights, buttons and switches, and makes sounds to keep the little guy entertained. In the center, a big green button activates an analog voltmeter, which not only looks cool, but actually indicates the battery level of the unit.

While you probably won’t want to build this exact interactive box, CodePanda’s project is available on GitHub for inspiration and/or modification!



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