20 years ago circuit bending was all the rage, and many people hoping to cash in on that trend started applying the term “circuit bent” to any type of modification made to an electronic device. This might surprise you to learn, but the Mechlabrat is a bit of a stickler when it comes to how we use words. He believes that the best way to communicate is to use words that align with their common definitions. When we co-opt words and use them imprecisely, we muddy the waters (if you’ll forgive us the idiom) and create confusion around those definitions.

To this end, we’ve committed to making a distinction between “circuit bending” and “modifying”, when documenting ways in which we have altered an off-the-shelf electronic device. Put simply, we will use the term “circuit bending” to apply to the act of adding passive components to an existing circuit, in a way that alters the flow of electricity within that circuit. We will use the term “modifying” to apply to the act of adding passive or active components, or replacing existing components, in a way that alters the original design specifications of the circuit.

Why? Well, we believe that the spirit behind circuit bending, as originally described by Reed Ghazala, is one of exploration unfettered by pre-existing knowledge. This precludes the need to know electrical engineering, or even know what to call that little colored cylinder or that black blobby square. The joy of circuit bending is in serendipity and not knowing how things might turn out.*

Whereas modifying a device, whether it’s replacing specific components to improve the tone of a distortion pedal or swapping out a crystal with a carefully designed variable oscillator circuit, requires some degree of understanding how electronics work.

One activity is not inherently better than the other. We often use them both in a project, such as replacing the speakers in a circuit bent keyboard with an output jack. But, circuit bending is imminently more approachable for beginners and people who don’t have the inclination to learn electrical engineering. Which is why we don’t want to confuse it with circuit modification.

We believe there is room in everyone’s repertoire for both of these activities. We also believe in empowering beginners and non-experts to explore and find new ways of expression that doesn’t overwhelm them by expecting some degree of knowledge or expertise. Hopefully this distinction will help readers better choose the types of projects they’re most comfortable attempting.

*It’s not lost on us that our bending guides ruin this outcome. There’s little serendipity for others if they’re following our guides like prescribed instructions. We offer these guides for people who would like to replicate the outcomes we’ve achieved. We also offer them as starting points for your own journeys. In our experience, a little bit of success helps to encourage further exploration, so these bending guides are available to guarantee a little bit of success and hopefully encourage you to push further to find new bends and modifications.