Have you seen the Repco V8 Doorbell advertised on TV? Does the
sound of a powerful V8 instead of a boring 2-tone doorbell appeal to you? Then
forget the Repco doorbell – it sounds puny. The SILICON
CHIP V8 doorbell really does sound like a V8 and it is loud as well, with an
inbuilt 5-watt amplifier.
Not only does it sound like a proper V8, it also lights up an
8-LED "V" display, each time you press the doorbell pushbutton. In fact, you can
have a V8-LED display at your front door and another on the doorbell case.
The V8 Doorbell is housed in a plastic case and is powered by a
plugpack. For normal use, the internal 100mm loudspeaker can be used and this
provides a good simulation of the V8 sound, particularly if the loudspeaker is
tuned using a length of PVC pipe – more on this later. For more volume, you can
use a larger loudspeaker or if you want to go the whole hog, connect a bigger
power amplifier and loudspeaker.
If the V8 Doorbell does not sound quite how you like it, you
can easily tailor the circuit to make small changes to the way the V8 sounds.
Altering the software can make even greater changes. That way, you may be able
to reproduce the Cleveland engine, Holden Monaro, Corvette or something
else.
