I have an original Merlin game by Parker Brothers (1978) and would LOVE to know if it can be circuit bent and modified to extract more sounds and variations of noises. As some of you might already know, Merlin has one of the most sturdy cases of all handheld games and is almost indestructable (except for the power switch, which has loosened up on mine).
I think the Merlin is a fantastic looking device and really looks great sitting next to all my Yamaha and Casio keyboards. It just sits there BEGGING to be turned into something more!
I read a reference somewhere about a guy who turned his Merlin into a fully-fledged MIDI controller! I have also had my eye on those Do-It-Yourself micro-mini synths and noise-boxes that can be wired up inside almost anything and thought my Merlin would look cool with a set of large, black dials on either side and buttons along the top to control another circuit built entirely inside it (turning it into a real synthesizer!). Or perhaps there is a circuit one can build and put inside a Merlin to take all of it's sounds and layer effects on them, essentially turning it into a modified, space-out musical device! Perhaps the LEDs could be wired up so that an internal synthesizer operates them and provides visual feedback as the sounds or notes change and are manipulated... much like a matrix synth.
Ideas... Ideas... Ideas... !!!
Does anyone here know of anyone who has circuit-bent, modified, upgraded or altered a Merlin handheld game and gotten some seriously good results? Out of all the games I have seen so far, Merlin seems to have one of the most attractive and musically themed boxes out there. It also has a very open and clean interface that can be used for a multitude of operations and situations and that gives the bender a very large range of possibilities to work with!
I really want to see it sitting on my rig and being used as a professional piece of equipment some day.
Ideas please... anyone?