Get Smart With a Banana Phone

If you're thinking "Why would anyone need a banana phone"?, then chances are you would never build or own one. On the other hand, if you see that someone made a banana phone and think "I bet I could do that better", then this project may be for you.

I saw a post about a banana phone and thought when my cell phone has Bluetooth, I'd have to make one. Perhaps the best reason for owning a banana phone is to see someone's expression when they see you talking into a banana. Of course, it also gives you an excuse to use the banana phone song as your ring tone. To me however, the banana phone is really just the beginning – a first step to see how hard it would be to incorporate a headset into many other things such as a shoe, a stapler, or a can of soda.

To make a banana phone you need two things, first you need a banana. I chose the fake kind, as I didn't want my phone to rot. Second, you need a Bluetooth headset; I got the cheapest one I could find at a local discount store.

The first thing you need to do is open the headset and add longer wires to the mic and the headset. Once the longer wires are soldered in place, you cut into the banana with an exacto knife. I made two slits one on the top and one on the bottom, although the details can be up to you. I wanted the earphone on one end and the mic on the other, so I pushed a coat hanger from one slit to the next and pulled the earphone wires though it.

The inside of the banana was made out of Styrofoam so I was able to easily carve out a space for the earphone. I also poked some holes in the banana skin for the sound. On the other side I did the same for the mic – I made a much larger space on the back side for the headset to fit into. I tucked and soldered everything into place and glued the openings shut. I cut a small hole so I can charge the banana. The Bluetooth headset sits right below the skin and you can still press the buttons through the skin, you can also see the lights from the headset to know when it's on.

Now that my banana phone is done I gave it a test, and it works. The sound quality wasn't that great as the headset is meant to go in your ear, but then again what kind of sound quality do you expect from a piece of fruit.