New
#391
I will be using the "solenoid switch" that I made instead of the first one.
I initially had an issue with the solenoid switch that it sometimes misfires. It turns out that the solenoid is firing up too fast and does not make good contact to trigger the switch. So in order to make a good contact, I added a timer in between push and pull action of the solenoid to keep them in contact for 1 second before pulling back to open switch position. No more misfires.
The motor that I initially used is going back to Amazon. I don't need it anymore.
This is what I like with Amazon. You can order stuff and get it delivered to you the following day, try it out, then return it for full refund (with free return shipping) if it doesn't work for you. You won't be stuck with something that you don't need. :)
Time to finish up this project. It's not complete until it looks nice.
As originally planned, the casing will be a toothbrush holder from Dollarama
But before putting the case on, I need to put my signature on it.... an LED light (LOL!). I soldered a female jumper wire in parallel with the power source and inserted a single LED light in it.
I used an old iPhone USB charger cable to match the white color of the case.
Added some chrome sticker to easily identify where the LED light is facing.
And now for the fun part....
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Last edited by badrobot; 16 Feb 2018 at 00:24.
Looking good. I did something similar but not as good looking. I used a large pill container to put a power supply in. I bought a network switch from Pimoroni. The power pack had a UK plug on it. I striped the guts out, put them in the pill container and wired up a US power cord to it. Mine isn't visible so no big deal. I'll have to keep my eye open for stuff like that next time I'm in Dollar Rama.
If you have a spare USB cable, or audio cable kicking around you could use that instead of the jumper wires to connect to the PC. The cable from an old corded mouse may be ideal. The end that connects to the mouse may have the female header on it. You only need two wires, a USB cable has 4, room for future expansion.