I recently ran out of the original TWANG shields. I took the opportunity to make a few changes.
Audio Jack
The internal speaker is powered by the Arduino I/O pins. This limits it to the low voltage and current that those pins can provide. In normal environments that sound has plenty of volume. I have used it at some very loud events where that sound level is not loud enough.
This version adds a standard 3mm (1/8 in.) audio jack. You can connect this to a powered, external speaker.
Power Capacitor
Some old LED strips like the WS2812 are very sensitive to voltage spikes that might come from lower quality power supplies at turn on. They recommend adding a large capacitor to reduce voltage spikes. A larger 1000uF capacitor has been added to the PCB, so you do not need to install it externally.
Life LEDs
The TWANG firmware supports the use of remaining life LEDs. The firmware normally shows the remaining life LEDs on the LED strip. This has the advantage of making it easy to change the lives per level without having to change your hardware. On version 1, there was a place to install (3) life LEDs, but the LEDs were never installed. This version removes that feature.
Where to Get One
They are currently for sale on Tindie.
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