The Altoids tin

 I ordered some parts from Mouser, and picked up some from Radio Shack. The wife asked what I was up to which came with the usual... Nuthin... She knows better. I saw this link on one of my Favorite Websites I saw what he had done, but I thought with a few changes I might be able to do a bit better. I decided that instead of a normal open switch that you have to set it off to disable the alarm, I would instead use a reed switch. This would allow me to open it up to get one out, while palming the magnet, then hand it to the intended victim (let's say, my wife) and it goes off when she opens it up. 

 So the whole thing runs off a 555 timer. Here are a pair of them. I bought the stuff for two so that I could make two (and sell one) I also picked up a smaller speaker. UNFORTUNATELY the 1N914s I picked up were surface mount, and I didn't actually order a reed switch, just the magnet. Well I'll have to use the magnet anyway, I picked up some through hole diodes  (and a PCB) at Radio Slack and began the process of bread-boarding. I wanted to breadboard it so that I knew that it would work before spending time soldering it. That makes sense. I would love to say that it went together smoothly... Alas it did not. It got pushed aside, and forgotten. Over time parts got moved, project got set aside, picked back up, put back down...  I finally (after the tardis light even) got back around to working with this. I soldered it all onto a protoboard and it didn't work. I poked, prodded, cussed, stamped my feet, left it, came back, and gave up.

I gave up hope for real and set about to desoldering all the components. By the time that was all done I had decided to 'dead bug' it. For the rest of the world, that is an artful composition of components, harmoniously placed together... for me it's two vodka and cokes, a hot soldering iron and a ton of hot glue.

it worked

Most bizarre thing I've seen, but it worked. I've shown it around had a few laughs with it, surprised a few people, and played a tune that was exactly like the Dr Who theme doesn't sound like. I didn't post a pic, because really... its a 9v battery lead going into a giant blob of hot glue wired to a speaker... I doubt the TSA would let me through with it... 

a quest for a home for TBP

I had it housed in an Altoids can (thought it fitting) but I was at the store and saw Altoids smalls... The can looked like it was the right size, so I bought one and brought it home. I'm pretty generous with them so it doesn't take me long to go through them. Before I knew it I had it cleaned out and was trying to fit the bus pirate in... and it didn't fit. 

 So not wanting to start over, and being SO close.. I picked up my trusty dremmel and started shaving off the corners, being careful not to shave off anything important... A few minutes and an annoyed wife later it fit snugly in the tin. (protip: the wife doesn't like you grinding pcb board in the dining room)

 After finishing with the board, I marked where the holes for the I/O cable and the USB cable were. I don't have some fancy calipers or anything... I have a jusabout. That hole goes jusabout here... this hole goes jusabout there... another dremmeling and I have two new holes... the holes aren't perfect but neither am I. Just ask my wife... (another ProTip: if your not allowed to grind PCB in the dining room, you probably aren't supposed to cut metal either, so make sure the wife isn't home.)

So to keep it from shorting out I added some electrical tape. I'd like to put in some tiny holes and use some hotglue and perhaps even some fiberoptic wire I have somewhere to make light pipes for the status lights, but this works so far. It's much more compact, fits in the box I keep it in better. Now to find things to use it on... MUAHAHAHHAHHAAA!