The Tall Tinkerers Tales

Philips N4416 taperecorder disassembly

2012-01-22T23:32:00.002+01:00

One of the 16 tape recorders I got from the Radio and TV design museum in Haarlem(The Netherlands)is a Philips N4416 from the 1970's.Plenty of useful electronic components in here:a nice big 4700 uF capacitor and 7 sliding variable resistors to name just two.Also 3 motors,two of which are the same and two solenoids.Some useful aluminium sheet metal and,of course,screws and spacers.The two wooden side panels could also come in handy in feature projects.

Akai VC X2-E disassembly

2012-01-15T22:47:00.000+01:00

One of the video recorders I got from the Radio and Tv design museums depot clearance is an Akai VC X2-E from September 1982.Taking it apart doesn't reveal too many useful parts,the electronic components of course,the aluminium chassis but most useful are the two gear motor assemblies.

New loot

2012-01-14T19:12:00.000+01:00

Today I went to a depot clearance from the Radio and TV design museum in Haarlem(The Netherlands).Plenty of things to get there but I was after the free stuff(well,they needed to get rid off it right?)I had a pleasant few hours there,which included a quick tour through the museum(a visit is needed in the future).The things I took away included:16 tape recorders,3 video recorders,3 answering machines,a phone,a car radio and a clock in parts,but with a very nice sound to it.Many hours of disassembling lay ahead!

New(ton)project

2012-01-10T22:53:00.000+01:00

I'm working (still)on the large coil magbot but need some good sun to test it and that has been scarce lately,at least when I'm home.Fingers crossed for next weekend then.
Also work has started on the Newtons Cradle,it'll be made with brass ,wooden dowels,copper and Oak wood.

A new year......with new projects

2012-01-01T21:49:00.000+01:00

A new year has started..so it's time to think about new projects.....and finish some old ones from the last year.The first projects will be the magbot pendulum with the large coil and a new lamp.I want to do more sheet metal work and of course there will be pummers.A Newtons cradle is on the list,probably more than one.Parts for another rolling ball machine are slowly being gathered,that one will involve some sheet metal work too.I'm also thinking on trying to sell one or two pieces,see if there's an interest in them.

Metalamp....

2011-12-18T16:39:00.000+01:00

Another lamp is finished....this one was sitting on the shelf of unfinished projects...(SOUP..... )It is a very simple square box made with perforated metal sheet,and some aluminium sample sheets/Inside there is a white LED,a 3V coin cell,and a 50 Ohm resistor.The metal wire the lamp is hanging from is a temporary solution until I get some chain.

Working on lamps....

2011-12-13T23:16:00.001+01:00

I finally finished one lamp,had to flatten some more coins,and redesigned the other slightly.The LED light that was in that one wasn't very effective.So I removed it,and put a piece of aluminium sheet in its place.
Strictly speaking it's not a lamp anymore but a.....lantern I guess.
The other one was only waiting for some Egyptian coins I bought online,and a few flattened coins.
Now the projects I'm working on are :a magbot pendulum with a very large coil and some more lamps.

The redesigned lantern,without light but with flattened coins......

Making it in (The) Style......

2011-12-04T21:14:00.000+01:00

In this case The Style refers to a Dutch art movement from around the 1915's.Its most famous member was Piet Mondriaan (aka Mondrian) and it is his work I'm using as an inspiration for two new projects:a Mondrian Magbot Pendulum and a Mondrian Pummer.For the Magbot I'm trying to incorporate the stand into the design.
More information can be found here.

Flattening the Queen......

2011-11-27T21:10:00.001+01:00

Queen Elizabeth that is,and not the real one but her image on 1 and 2 Pence coins.I've been flattening coins for different projects for awhile now and found an easy and safe way to do this.It still involves putting them on railtracks but not the ones use by trains but by trams.

When a train drives over your coins they have a tendency to fly away in every direction(unless it's a really slow moving one).The tram in my town drives very slowly where I put the coins on the tracks.

The 2 Pence coins will probably have to be driven over for a second time to get the desired result.

Tubular bells.....

2011-11-22T23:21:00.001+01:00

I was planning on making a xylophone with some pieces of conduit pipe I found in a skip(aka dumpster)but it eventually evolved into tubular bells(making it out of metal pipes would actually make it a Glockenspiel).The base is the old favourite : Oak.Wooden dowels with Oaken connection pieces form a stand.Then seven pieces of pipe are hanging off the stand.

Incense burner with green LED

2011-11-20T21:13:00.001+01:00

The base a piece of Oak from a table.Brass fittings,copper plated conduit pipe and copper fittings were made into a stand.The 3 Volt coin cell is covered by a ceramic fitting,a vintage,ceramic knife switch turns the green LED on and off.A small brass box,which I found at a second hand store ,is used to put the incense cones in.The brass chain comes from American Science and Surplus and the stone egg which sits on the top as well.

New lamp in the making......

2011-11-10T22:47:00.000+01:00

I just started working on a new lamp.Once again it's octagon shaped with colored acrylic panels,but not battery powered this time.It'll have a real cable.......with a energy saving lightbulb,at least that is the idea for now.....subject to change.......as usual.

Time flies.........

2011-11-07T21:50:00.002+01:00

Not only when you're having fun but also when you are making things and go on holiday.Both of which I did.I finished the incense burner,well almost,just need to glue some things in place.During my holiday I went to my favorite place in Chicago:the American Science and Surplus store,and bought the following items:steel balls(for making a Newtons cradle,brass chain,glass ampules and bottles,an alcohol burner,brass hooks,wooden dowels,a set of aluminium boxes,guitar string,a glass ribbed lampshade,glass dropper and glass nailpolish bottle.

Updates and a great site

2011-10-08T21:01:00.000+02:00

I've been working slowly and surely on different projects simultaneously:a storage unit for all my components(with 55 drawers),the incense burner with LED lighting,a bicycle cart and today I've bought some acetone to experiment with making glue.....
Also some days ago somebody on the Brassgoggles forum posted a great link:
Tinplategirl.com where they have great instructional video's and plans you can buy with a few freebies as well.

New fifty pound note (Bank of England)

2011-09-30T23:59:00.000+02:00

The bank of England will issue a new fifty pound note in November featuring a steam engine and the portraits of Matthew Boulton and James Watt.

Article here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/sep/30/bank-england-new-50-pound-note?newsfeed=true

George,the Nespresso-bot

2011-09-29T22:45:00.000+02:00

George,the Nespresso-bot's,upper torso is made from a part of a Nespresso coffee maker.The lower torso is from an old enlarger.He has two crocodile clips as hands.His head is made out of a radio valve of which the glass was broken,and a upturned shot glass.

Shelf one project,start another project

2011-09-20T21:26:00.000+02:00

Or SOPSAP (maybe this acronym will catch on)Anyway,I've decided to work on the hourglass project(s) later,was not happy with the way the one with the wheel was going too.So,next project(s):incense burner.
The first one will be in combination with a green LED,maybe it'll be a Pummer or just a simple lighted LED.

Hourglass project and Magbot pendulum in the spotlight

2011-09-16T21:45:00.000+02:00

First let me say thank you to the people at Solarbotics (www.solarbotics.com) for putting my Magbot pendulum on their site.
Then on to current projects:at the moment I'm working on a hourglass with a wheel in the middle(the sand from one glass moves the wheel before falling into the other glass).Next will be a more standard hourglass,and then I might make another one,since all good things come in threes(or so they say).

New Magbot pendulum

2011-09-04T21:49:00.000+02:00

The last few days have been spent on building a Magbot pendulum for the instructables.com magnet challenge.The instructable can be found here.Just half an hour after I published it,it was featured,so that's two in a row now.Pretty pleased about that.

Happy September!

2011-09-01T22:45:00.000+02:00

Well,the summer is allegedly the wettest in about a 100 years(here in The Netherlands),but hopefully the fall will be better.So,plenty of time spent in the workshop.My windchime is finished and I entered it in the Instructables.com Steampunk challenge.Didn't win though but it got featured and earned a 3 month pro membership.It isn't that Steampunk in my opinion but I might add something to it later.

The next challenge is interesting too:make something -anything,which incorporates magnets.So,I'm working on a Magbot pendulum.

Salvaging parts from a Betamx recorder part II

2011-08-22T21:25:00.000+02:00

Part 2 of the Betamax autopsy deals with this Betamax hi-fi recorder(I don't know the exact type anymore).

Opening it up it looks like this(it lacks the big transformator in the previous post).

The hardware salvaged:various pieces of sheet metal,big piece of sheet metal(the bottom)housing from the power supply, aluminium parts and two large ceramic disc magnets

The electronics salavaged:lots of wires with connectors,circuit boards with plenty of different value capacitors and resistors,some interesting switches,motor with gear assembly,sliding potentiometers,LED's,coils.

Salvaging parts from a Betamax recorder

2011-08-14T21:07:00.000+02:00

Recently I got 6 Betamax recorders for free,very useful machines to get parts from.I will describe two of them and the parts I salvaged from them.The first one is Sony's SL-F30 from the mid 1980's and the thinnest of the Betamax line.

This is the inside of the machine with the big transformator visible top left.

The hardware salvaged :big piece of sheet metal(the bottom),smaller pieces of sheet metal,large piece of box shaped metal(where the powersupply is),various Aluminium parts,some brackets,three ceramic disc magnets,spacers and a very interesting gear assembly.

The electronic parts salvaged:of course various circuit boards(many ceramic disc capacitors),big transformator,lots of wire with connectors,motor with gear assembly,solenoid(not sure how useful this is for me),interesting remote sensor,lots of coils(the red ones are easy to remove) and a nice piece of opaque glass.

Yet more projects

2011-08-11T21:46:00.000+02:00

I have finished the Arabic style lamp,and it turned out pretty good.Only the inside lighting is not very bright so that needs some work,but I think it looks the best in the daylight anyway.Two projects I'm simultaneously working on are a windchime and xylophone both made out of old heating pipes which I'll copperplate.
Last week Make posted a great project :the floating glow display.Basically a piece of plastic sheet which is engraved and when illuminated from below makes a great display.I already made some of my own(without lighting so far)and the results are encouraging.

Current projects

2011-07-30T15:55:00.000+02:00

Way back in January I wrote about about the Zendulum,a Solarbotics product,and that I was going to make my own version.Well,it was one of those projects that was started but never finished and eventually abandoned.I'm taking another shot at it,have built the circuit and the rails the ball rolls on.The magnetic ball I haven't ordered yet but am wondering if a steel ball coated with very small magnets would work too.

Next project in the making are Arabic style lamps using coloured pieces of Acrylic.I just started the first one.

Headbot.......take four

2011-07-14T22:08:00.000+02:00

Well it seems that my latest headbot after been put together doesn't function,so I have to look into that.
Meanwhile I tried another headbot circuit:the Power Smart Head V3......and yes it works on the breadboard.Maybe,because this one works different mechanically,the result will be better.
The circuit and batteries will be sitting on the motor shaft in this one.Fingers crossed then........

Headbot ........ take three......

2011-07-03T19:25:00.000+02:00

After two failed attempts to build a functioning headbot I'm now working on what is hopefully,third-time-lucky, a new one.So far tests on the breadboard were hopeful so now I have to translate that to the freeform circuit and more important:have it work correctly mechanically.....

New projects in the making.......

2011-06-25T21:48:00.000+02:00

It has been awhile since my last post and in that time I have been on holiday and didn't any tinkering at all.I did,however,visited the American Science and Surplus shop in Chicago and bought a few things.Mostly small boxes to put electronic circuits in.
I'm still working on the Beetlebot and the line following robot,but I think I need some gear motors for that.Other projects I'll be working are:a new Rolling Ball Machine,a pendulum like this one and of course some Pummers and Magbot Pendulums.

Simple line following robot.

2011-06-06T22:00:00.001+02:00

This is my latest project and one I wanted to build for awhile.Since this the first line follower I'm making I choose for a simple circuit:

I got the design from this source.It took me a bit of troubleshooting on the breadboard to make it work.

Even though this is supposed to be a black line follower,my motors stopped when the LDR's were covered.So it seems to be turning into a white line follower.

First Rolling Ball Machine finished ...with quirks...

2011-05-29T21:35:00.000+02:00

Well,it took me hours to design,build,redesign and trouble shoot,but the first RBM is finished.It doesn't run always smoothly since certain marbles seem to have their own ideas where to go.But the general idea works,this RBM is definitely one for the "it-ain't-pretty-but-it-works" category.

Rolling Ball Machines or Marble Machines

2011-05-21T17:52:00.000+02:00

I've always had an interest in Rolling Ball Machines or Marble Machines but didn't quite come to the point of actually building one.But that has now changed,I'm in the process of making my first.

This one will be relatively simple,I'm using parts from a bicycle wheel and some other salvaged metal parts.

What won't be simple is the lift I'm building to bring the marbles to the top again and have everything working correctly.

While I'm working on my RBM,here is a video of some very beautifully made ones:

Yet another pummer.......

2011-05-13T22:29:00.001+02:00

Part....number ?I don't know how often I've said that I would stop making Pummers for a while,but here is a new one.Made with a glass lamp shade,spring,test tube,ceramic fitting,brass fitting and wood.The battery is from an old mobile phone and the LED is a green one.

Yet Another Pummer.......

2011-05-01T22:38:00.001+02:00

I'm getting quite a good supply of project housings,some ready bought and others made by myself.They are waiting for something to make them complete,and so can sit for some time on the shelf.
This one had not such a long wait:the housing is a tall rectangle made form Aluminium and wood,what made it complete was the glass pyramid I bought not too long ago.The name is not hard to guess then:The Pyramid Pummer,inside the glass is a very bright blue LED and the battery is a 3.6 V lithium-ion one from a mobile phone.

Happy Queensday.....

2011-04-30T21:55:00.001+02:00

The time for everybody to wear orange and sell your junk is the joyous holiday we call Queensday in The Netherlands(to celebrate the birthday of the mother of our current queen...).This year I didn't buy very much,one thing to be precise(a brass Arabic style candle burner)but the free loot made up for that.
Because it's also a good tradition to leave your unwanted and unsold stuff behind.I found:4 car radio's/cassette players,3 phones,one shaver,one router(i think) and a very long stemmed glass/vase.

Yet more project updates...

2011-04-25T21:27:00.000+02:00

Finished: the remade solarspinner:

Also finished : The red balls pummer:

New loot with a sad reason........

2011-04-20T23:06:00.001+02:00

The reason being that my favourite antique shop is closing down.This is the kind of shop where you still could buy things for an Euro(or Dollar for that matter).The "good" thing about this is that everything is on sale.So my loot consist of:three glass lamp shades,two glass lamp shades for an oil lamp,two ceramic fittings,wooden knob,glass knob,two golf balls and a glass cloche(?).

The infernal device..........backers wanted!

2011-04-18T19:14:00.000+02:00

New solar spinner

2011-04-04T22:29:00.001+02:00

I made a new Solar spinner,to replace the old one which has been standing on the windowsill for maybe two years now.This one has a much more heavier propeller so it will probably not spin so freely as the other one did.I also put a voltmeter in the wooden housing(really a dB meter from an amplifier),for the rest it is a very simple design.
I'll remake the old one too,make it a bit smaller but with the same propeller.
For the rest of the projects:still working on the Pummer with the wooden balls,about to start on the Hall effect project(not sure if I will use a Pummer circuit for that).

Earth hour 2011........

2011-03-26T14:51:00.000+01:00

Today is Earth hour day.......join in,it's only one hour......

New idea's for old circuits........

2011-03-25T22:33:00.000+01:00

Last year I had the brilliant (ahum)idea of using a Pummer circuit for a Solaroller.Well,that didn't work quite as I had envisioned:the Solaroller went back and forth while flashing a LED.This time however the back and forth motion is part of the grand plan.The idea is this:a motor with a wooden ball fixed to its shaft,from the wooden ball four smaller wooden balls are hanging.I'm not sure if I'll use a LED in this project.
As usual from this project two other project ideas sprouted:one of which has two motors,with or without balls attached I don't know yet.The other project uses a Hall sensor(magnetic switch),so what will happen is this:a disc is attached to a motor,on the disc are two or more magnets.The disc rotates forwards LEDs go on,the disc rotates backwards LEDs go off.........

Your grandmothers oak furniture reincarnated....

2011-03-07T21:25:00.001+01:00

As a Magbot Pendulum of course,since that's all I seem to build these days.This one,which will probably be called ......The Oak Magbot Pendulum(until I come up with a more original name),has been made with some salvaged wood from a chair and table.I decided not to show the LED,would have been a bit mismatched.

Edit April 25th:I've decide to call it the OMa pendulum(oma being the Dutch word for grandmother).

Bending it like.......

2011-03-05T21:16:00.001+01:00

Well,I don't know if Beckham ever has bended plastic,but that is what I have been practicing these past few days.Mainly in connection with the magbot pendulums I'm building.The results are not bad at all,getting the ends of the strip lined up properly is the trickiest bit.
Of course I'll be using this technique in other projects in the future as well.

Yet Another Update......

2011-02-27T23:04:00.001+01:00

I've been remaking some of my past projects lately:Newtons 3rd law of psychics magbot and the fun with VU-meters one.Newtons has been very simple:redrilling some holes and fixing the wooden frame so it is straighter.The VU-meters one is more of a remake:the metal housing will now be made of wood,there will be back lighting and the wooden housing will be clad with white Dibond sheets.

Failure is always an option.....

2011-02-19T17:32:00.000+01:00

Especially if you try out things that haven't been tested before(at least not that I know of).In this case it's my two magbots I'd built,there's not much movement in either of them.Also the Zendulum with the wooden ball which had magnets in it didn't work.So I guess ordering some magnetic spheres is the next step.
New projects coming up to replace these are:a very small magbot pendulum,a magbot pendulum with an obstruction(don't really know how to explain this properly),a magbot pendulum with a piece of copper tubing as the pendulum and a magbot spinner..........

Not a lot of sun but plenty of wind

2011-02-07T22:46:00.000+01:00

So,I haven't been able to test the new Magbots yet.We had a lot of wind during the weekend though,I had to repair my whirligig,but after I done that it held up very well in the strong wind.
These are the two new Magbots I have built so far,that is without the electronic circuit.

Magbot's

2011-02-01T22:52:00.000+01:00

Even though I'm still working on the zendulum project,i've already started a new one.It seems I'm in the magbot building phase right now.This one will be a wheel with magnets around the rim.I just have to see if this will work and if it does then the next wheel will be larger,possibly a bicycle wheel......
And this will be my inspiration:

Solarbotics Zendulum

2011-01-24T22:18:00.000+01:00

http://www.solarbotics.com/products/k_zd/ A great new product from Solarbotics,and one that I'm keen to make myself.Using the same circuit as the Magbot Pendulum it looks like a very interesting build.So,that will be my next project.

New magbot pendulum:The wrecking ball

2011-01-17T22:46:00.001+01:00

At least that is the object of this one if there is enough power to swing the large wooden ball.As of yet it is untested.......Very simple set up yet again:the base is a wooden box in which a wooden dowel(made out of two separate ones)is attached,a large wooden ball hangs on the end of this.

New Pummer in the making.......

2011-01-04T23:13:00.002+01:00

Of course the first project of the new year has to be a Pummer,although I started it last year.I'm not sure of the name yet,it could be the Goldberg Pummer,because of all the wires going everywhere or the Plath Pummer(extra points if you get the reference.....).I'm using one of my Aluminium boxes for this.
In short it is a Pummer under a glass jar,build with a very large 6800 uF capacitor,cell phone battery and blue LED.

Happy New Year! and new loot......

2011-01-03T18:02:00.001+01:00

From American Science & Surplus I obtained this loot,among which:wooden balls in various sizes,wooden dowels,wooden beads,cell phone batteries,glass vials,chain and flickering LED tea candles.

Let's make some noise.......

2010-12-20T22:26:00.001+01:00

The first of a series of noisemakers is just finished.It's powered by a Miller solarengine.Four former phone bells are used mounted on metal rods salvaged from old printers.

The PuMa project,progress report.....

2010-12-12T23:13:00.000+01:00

It's progressing slowly but surely.I've made the wooden housing,placed the copper pipe on it,built the Pummer circuit(I'm reusing an existing magbot circuit)and put the coil and solar cells in place.
Unfortunately I can't really test it until next weekend......these days with not enough daylight are not useful for experiments with solar cells.......

The PuMa project

2010-12-07T22:00:00.000+01:00

Or the combined Pummer/Magbot pendulum build.Phase one has started which consist of finding the parts and see which shape I like best.In the end I choose for this:

Now I'm soldering the whole thing together.

Current and future projects......

2010-11-30T21:45:00.000+01:00

Because winter is the time when you spend most of your time indoors I've started some projects to keep me busy for awhile.I'm making some aluminium boxes which could be the base for other projects.Then I'm also working on three copper and brass based things:one will be a combined Pummer/Magbot pendulum,the other a lamp and the third one is still undecided.
The Pu/Ma project will have two separated circuits,the combination is the LED they will share.
I have also made a simple solar battery charger which I can use to plug in two Pummers(or other battery powered things),so they don't have to sit on the windowsills(which are getting crowded).
The Pummers have yet to be build,they will ofcourse differ slightly from regular Pummers(ie. no solar cell and batteries).

Back to BEAM.......

2010-11-22T22:50:00.000+01:00

After my lamp building spree(an ongoing project)it's time to return to BEAM.And of course the first project is a Pummer.The circuit has been,mostly,built and now I'm working on the aesthetic part.
The base is wood on which a part of a motor housing is screwed.I mistreated the housing by copper plating it,or at least that was the plan.But this particular part didn't want to receive any copper ....the result was still interesting though.I gave it a finish with boiled linseed oil,the wooden base was also treated this way.

Yet another lamp........

2010-11-21T16:50:00.000+01:00

The last few days I've been working on the lamp pictured here.It started it's life as a water can which I cut in half.The gears were then bend in shape and soldered on the can.With a Dremel tool the copper inside the gear was removed.
Holes were then drilled in the shape of a circle on the can.
The most work went into the fabrication of the chains which were all made from scratch.
The light switch is on top of the can,I used a white LED with two 3 Volt button cells and a 150 Ohm resistor for the lighting.

Metal 1920's truck finished........

2010-11-13T20:32:00.001+01:00

Have been putting the latest details onto the truck today:headlights,radiator grille.All in all I'm pretty pleased how the end result turned out: definitely ye olde rusty,beaten up truck.
Now on to the next project,but what it is I'm not sure yet.

New project:Broderbunds toy shop but now in metal

2010-11-08T21:05:00.005+01:00

I think I wrote about Broderbunds wonderful toyshop before and that I built a few of the models.One of them was the antique truck.My plan was to make this one from sheet metal some time and I have now started on this project.Right now I'm working on the cab which is the most work.

If you are interested in these models,they can be found here:

http://mikeandlace.wordpress.com/2007/12/30/the-toy-shop/

New lamp,The Octagon.

2010-10-16T00:01:00.000+02:00

Following the fun I had with making the two previous lamps,I'm now working on another one.This is not made with brass or copper,my favorite materials but with wood and aluminium.The aluminium came off an old oscilloscope and was cut in 20 x 5 cm pieces.The two pieces of wood were sawed in an octagonal shape.
The lighting will probably be a white LED powered by a 3V button cell again.

Making Arabic lamps/lanterns part II

2010-10-10T22:15:00.001+02:00

I have finished two of my lamps and am now starting on the 3rd one,and have already ideas for a 5th and 6th..........Anyway the second one which is finished is this one:

As I've said in the previous post materials used were a brass plantpot,part of a oil lamp chandelier,the chains used I made myself(except for the black ones,the decorations hanging on the chains were cut out of scrap brass and copper.
For the lighting I used a white LED with two 3V button cells.

Making Arabic lamps/lanterns

2010-10-03T22:49:00.002+02:00

Or you could call them Moroccan....Anyway,I'm a big fan of those types of lamps.You know the kind that project all kinds of interesting shadows on the wall when lit.But since these can be quite expensive I decided to make them myself.Gives me a good reason to abuse metal again.
So,as usual I'm working on multiple projects at the same time.One might even turn out to become a Pummer.
The first one is made out of a brass tea can with the top removed.On the four sides I hammered out different designs:star and moons,a mosque,a hand of Fatima and a random Arabesque design.

The second one is more complicated and consists of more parts:a copper plantpot,and a part from a oil lamp chandelier.I'll be making most of the chain myself and of course the copper and brass decorations.
And the third will probably the Pummer.......

New magbot pendulum type.....

2010-09-20T23:32:00.000+02:00

I've been working on a different type of magbot pendulum the last few days.The idea being that part of the stand moves with the swinging of the pendulum.You could call it Newtons 3rd law of motion pendulum..or for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.So the pendulum swings forward and the stand swings backward,then the pendulum swings backwards and the stand swings forward..etc.Nice idea,I thought,but it doesn't quite work that way.
Because when the pendulum swings forward and the stand swings backward,the pendulum drops down.It's that thing called gravity.....So I reckoned if I restricted the movement of the stand that would sort out this problem.But it didn't,it just stopped the movement of the pendulum.
I had a better result with weighing down the bottom of the stand,the movement of the pendulum is not as smooth though.Research continues.......

The Potmeter Pummer

2010-09-16T23:08:00.000+02:00

My latest pummer is one with a difference,but what else is new?With this one I wanted to be able to change the LED and capacitor(the one closest to the LED).So these can now easily plugged in,a sort of plug and pum so to speak.

Also the 47K and 100K resistors are exchanged for potmeters of the same value.I used one of those aluminium housings which are so useful for my projects.The end result is looking very retro I think.

Solafloater....the sequel

2010-09-02T22:34:00.000+02:00

The Solafloater is finished......but in the end it became an amphibious solaroller.Hopefully the the Miller solarengine works with a gear motor.I haven't been able to test it yet.After trying it with different other motors I found out that those were spinning too fast,making the driving belt slipping on the shaft.

Solafloater....

2010-08-28T23:18:00.000+02:00

I guess that is what you can the aquatic equivalent of the solaroller........This project is going very smoothly so far:the boat was made out of sheet metal(courtesy of a cooking oil can),the paddlewheels are constructed out of jar lids with pieces of aluminium epoxyed on there.The electronic part is up next....

More progress on the sundancer

2010-08-24T23:12:00.002+02:00

The good news is that it is almost finished:I made the stand using green Plexiglas® and only need to add the magnets to the dragonfly.The bad news is that the circuit stopped working and so far troubleshooting hasn't been successful.So now I have replaced the two 500 uF capacitors with a single 1000 uF one.See if that gives any results.

progress on the sundancer

2010-08-16T21:56:00.001+02:00

I have spent many hours testing,building and rebuilding this project.The sundancer circuit I couldn't get to work(shameful admission),I tried it soldered together and on the breadboard,but both times it was a no go.
So I resorted to the trusted magbot pendulum circuit and after two tries it is working,which a bot of surprise considering the age of the components I'm using and how I'm using them.
The project is a dragonfly type creature where the components are part of the body,3 large capacitators(2 in parallel to make 1000 uF),some very old resistors,two LEDs(in parallel),two solarcells(also in parallel)and lots of long leads.
At the moment I'm working on the wings........

New projects coming up......

2010-08-05T20:56:00.000+02:00

For a competition on BEAM Bot forums(only a very few people participate alas..)a solar dancer,and to make things complicated for myself I'll make one with two flapping wings......Also planned is a box for my Dremel with it's many pieces.And finally a paddle wheel boat powered by a solar engine.......

The latest pummer

2010-07-28T23:21:00.000+02:00

As mentioned before it's another one of those record player pummers.This one with a large glass encased solar cell and a yellowish LED.This will probably be my last pummer for awhile,but I have said that before.......The next project will be a solarfloater(?)or basically a boat powered by a Miller solarengine,with paddle wheels.

Finishing and starting magbots and pummers

2010-07-24T23:52:00.001+02:00

I've finished two magbot pendulums:the Circle one,which has a big pendulum bob and doesn't swing that freely(I might have to change that one)and the wooden balls one,now with two solar cells.
I've also started to build another record player pummer,soon I'll be running out of room to put all these pummers........

The circle magbot pummer

2010-07-15T22:13:00.001+02:00

This is still a work in progress,but is almost finished.Obviously the pendulum bob itself is missing in the picture.And some minor adjustments to the electronic circuit have to be done.

It's been awhile.....

2010-07-04T23:25:00.001+02:00

but I just came back from a two weeks holiday in The USA.As usual I brought some parts back which I ordered from various suppliers.For example wire-glue and E6000,which are not easily available here(The Netherlands),some rainbow LEDS and some magnetic Hall effect sensors(hold a magnet near the sensor LED goes on,LED goes off when you hold the other side of the magnet near it again).
An update on the magbot pendulum which I was working on:I found out that I need a bigger solar cell to make two circuits work,or use two solar cells.
I also started making a new magbot pendulum.More about that later.

Pendulums continued

2010-06-07T22:55:00.002+02:00

I finished the pendulum with the wooden balls.Of course Version II wasn't the last,the record player arms were still used though.So you might call it VII.3.I didn't knew if I should point the arms downwards or upwards,so decided,can you guess?,to have one upwards and the other one downwards.
I used one,big,solar panel to power both circuits.In the pendulum bobs are 3 1/2 " diameter magnets each.

Building a new magbot pendulum......

2010-06-01T23:16:00.006+02:00

So it seems I've hit the magbot pendulum phase of my projects with 2 being build right now and a couple of ideas floating around in my head........
The most recent one started out as an all wooden one: a few weeks back I bought some wooden balls to be used as pendulums.Then I thought it would be interesting to use the wooden balls as a reoccurring part in a magbot pendulum.Version1 was: a large size ball on a stand,a wooden dowel inside it and at the end a medium size ball,then two wooden arms with small size balls at the end and

then smaller size balls as pendulum bobs.
But I found out I hadn't enough material to build this(the aim always being to use recycled parts as much as possible)and one arm just didn't look right.
So,enter Version 2:up to the medium size ball it's the same as V1,the two wooden arms are replaced by the arms of a record player stylus.With the advantage that they have a nice bend.

Magbot pendulum research......

2010-05-23T23:55:00.000+02:00

I'm keeping myself busy with testing out some ideas I have for magbot pendulums.Questions that need to be asked are,for example,these:
-will covering the coil with a particular kind of material stop it working?
-will a larger size coil and magnet make for a larger swinging pendulum?
-will a double pendulum work efficiently?
In the meantime I made parts for pendulums to be build in the future........

Steam festival 2010,Almere,The Netherlands

2010-05-14T23:59:00.001+02:00

Yesterday the annual steam festival started again in Almere(that is in The Netherlands.....)Since I missed it last year,I was not going to miss it this year.Even though you tend to see the same engines and trucks each year,there are also new ones to admire too.

For example this year there is a Stanley steam car present and another steam powered car rebuilt with Stanley parts.

The pictures I took can be seen here:

Stoom festival Almere 2010

Copper and brass magbot pendulum

2010-05-09T00:35:00.001+02:00

This pendulum is in the making at this moment.The wooden base came from an old amplifier,on it will be a stand made from copper pipe and brass fittings.The electronic circuit will be housed in a small aluminium box which sits next to the stand.
I'm planning to make this with three different pendulums:a string,a chain and a solid rod.
Edit,May 14th,it's ready!:

Pendulums........

2010-04-30T22:46:00.000+02:00

After trying and testing my magbot spinner I came to the following conclusions:
A.I can not build a magbot spinner(yet)
B.I can not build a battery powered magbot circuit........
But the good news is that I can build a magbot pendulum so I guess that is what I am sticking to.
So the next project is a copper and brass magbot pendulum,and the one following that(or simultaneously )a double pendulum.

Improved noisemaker

2010-04-25T22:22:00.000+02:00

In one of my previous posts I wrote about a rotating wind chime I made.But after a few months of winter weather I found out that the foam sheets I used were not meant for outside use(it's all part of the learning process),so I decided to remake it.

Instead of having four pieces it now has two curving aluminium ones(from a tanning bed).I also mounted it on the side of my shed about 7 feet up where it can catch the wind very easily.

The double pendulum

2010-04-23T22:26:00.000+02:00

Not too long ago Make magazine No.22 hit the shelves,I have the digital version,and one of the interesting things in it was the double pendulum.Something I wanted to build for awhile and I guess this was the sign it was time to do so.
I didn't had enough good bearings,just three instead of the 6 or 7 you need.But luckily I have enough spacers and other salvaged parts to create a pivoting point.After a few hours of work I cobbled together a working pendulum,but it needs some improvements and I'm thinking of buying some more bearings because these double pendulums are really fun things to make and watch.

New project:magbot non pendulum

2010-04-16T21:47:00.000+02:00

One project which has been planned for a long time is a magbot spinner.I have one magbot pendulum already but a spinner needs less space(obviously).I have a couple magbot circuits already soldered together,so can go straight into the building of the frame part.......

New energy sources for Pummers....part II

2010-04-05T23:02:00.000+02:00

So after creating the single voltaic cell,I made 5 and wired them in series,or in other words a battery.This worked out much better giving me 2.2 V which was enough to light up a red LED(but not brightly)but turned out not to be enough to get a pummer circuit working.
The next step therefore is constructing a larger battery,which I've just done:this time with 10 cells.In theory this should give me almost 4.5 V.We'll see.......

New energy sources for Pummers....

2010-03-24T23:25:00.000+01:00

Just fun I try sometimes alternatives for batteries or solar cells in my pummers.So far I tried using windpower but that didn't create enough voltage to charge the batteries.Although I do know that you can use it,I just haven't build a wind turbine which creates enough energy(yet).
Today I took a step back in time and made use of one of the earliest battery forms:copper electrode,zinc electrode and a salt water solution.Later I added some vinegar for good measure.
All this goodness created a staggering 0.270 Volts!But a few of these cells in series should be able to charge a capacitor....We'll see......

New Pummer

2010-03-21T18:09:00.000+01:00

This new Pummer is the first thing to come out of my workshop after what seemed to be a long time to me.But in all fairness,I had this one already sitting on the shelf.The only thing what was lacking was the circuit.Normally I don't make dual Pummers,this one is only the second one.
Again Wilf Rigters improved Pummer circuit was used with some changes:C1 and C2 are now 2.2 uF and the 47K resistor is now 33K.
In this photo the solar cell is not attached yet.

A quick update.....

2010-03-09T22:42:00.000+01:00

As I haven't blogged in awhile due to being away on holiday and sort of taking it easy,here's a quick update.At the moment I'm very interested in urban exploring as written in the last blog and looking for new locations.
As for new projects in the making:more Pummers(of course),robots and generally do more metalworking.

Urban exploring.....

2010-02-15T23:04:00.000+01:00

Is what I have been doing this last weekend,and despite the freezing conditions had a great time.Belgium is an urban explorers paradise so that's where I was headed.Visited,or walked around,an old coal mine in Beringen(where the Flemish mine museum is also located),and a tannery.

Beringen coal mine

The Schotte tannery.

More pictures can be found here.

Metal ATC cards.......and the finished BEAM bots forums project

2010-02-03T22:08:00.001+01:00

Well,here it is:the finished entry for the BEAM bots forums competition.More pictures will be posted on the site,together with the write-up I did of the whole project.

For the next Steampunk forum ATC exchange I'm making embossed metal cards which I am copper- or zinc plating.So far with mixed results,have to try different kinds of metal I have.

Making paper from paper and......

2010-01-24T21:16:00.001+01:00

As a little side project I started making paper from old paper,a step further in recycling.I found a great tutorial on the Flickr site,but knew the basic steps already.Tear up paper,put in foodprocessor or blender,put pulp in a tray,get a screen,dip screen at angle in tray,remove excess water with sponge,turn over on a towel,fold towel over paper and press,then let it dry.......
I also used sawdust and used coffee filter bags.
Quite a fun thing to do,especially when using the dreaded blue tax envelopes....

Update on the BEAM Bot forums competition project IV

2010-01-19T22:11:00.001+01:00

I finished this last weekend,the only thing that is lacking is the sunshine to charge the batteries of the Pummer.Ideally I would like to make a plastic cover for it,so it would be protected from the dust etc.

As a short break from building I've started doing the opposite:taking apart.I still had/have two video 2000 recorders waiting to be dismantled so that is what I'm doing at the moment.And while I'm at it taking photo's of the process which will be used in an article I'll be writing about this.

Meanwhile while you all wait in eager anticipation have a look at this German artist who makes wonderful lamps:
http://frankbuchwald.de/index.html

Update on the BEAM Bot forums competition project III

2010-01-14T22:57:00.000+01:00

Yes,it's another update.You probably think the only thing I'm doing right now is working on this project and you're right.That and doing a write-up about it.Last weekend I finished putting all the electronic circuitry in the robots.
The wooden base is the thing I'm now building.It is being clad in metal sheets screwed on to the base and almost ready.Then the next step is attaching the robots.

Update on the BEAM Bot forums competition project II

2010-01-10T01:06:00.000+01:00

Work progresses slowly but surely.I continued work on the second robot,the one that has the audible light probe in it.The circuit is now in place,after some troubles with fixing the photo resistor in place.
Tomorrow(or really today) I'll be soldering the Pummer circuit,then putting it in the other robot and finishing that one.

Update on the BEAM Bot forums competition project

2010-01-04T23:24:00.000+01:00

This turns out quite the extensive project.I started on both the robots,although I'm tackling the biggest one first.When it is finished it should look like some raygun and axe wielding robotic monster(hopefully).So far the head is attached to the body,two upper arms and one lower arm are attached to the body also.The lower arm has the raygun mounted to it and I wired it up.
Next will be making the axe and fixing that to the other lower arm,then attach the whole thing to the upper arm,and starting on the legs.......

Happy New Year!Happy new waterwheel....

2010-01-01T23:06:00.000+01:00

So the first day of the new year started with a "new" waterwheel.Although it isn't really new but the rebuilt version of the old one.The bicycle wheel itself is a new one and sits a bit higher up for the cans to pass through.The stand has been reinforced and is now much sturdier.
Projects which are lined up for this year:the Pummer plus for the BEAMbots forums competition,the light-in-a-jar for the Steampunk forum challenge and I have to pick up building pop-pop boats again.

A final post.....

2009-12-28T22:14:00.001+01:00

Well not really....but of the year I reckon.
I was planning for awhile to make a windmill-soundmachine,but the end result is not what the first idea was.Originally I had planned for metal pieces to be attached to the windmill which then would hit objects hanging around the windmill.
But I thought there wasn't enough space in my garden to set this up.So,instead,I opted for mounting both on the windmill.Although the metal pieces are now hard disk platters with aluminium rings hanging next to them.
So basically it's a rotating wind chime ......

The Siemens Superstar

2009-12-25T23:35:00.000+01:00

I love windturbines and I love LEDS so a combination of those two is a fantastic thing.Artist Michael Pendry designed an art piece using a windturbine and 9000 LEDS near Munich,Germany.Together with the good people of Siemens he made it work.

The windturbine can be seen in this state till January 6th 2010.More information on the Siemens website.

Found objects I -an update

2009-12-16T21:53:00.003+01:00

I almost finished the project I used the light assembly in.That is ,everything except for the solar cell.Normally I build the circuit first and then the rest.But this time it worked out to be the other way around.

It'll be,surprisingly,another pummer.And then after that another one will follow,but that one will be a bit different.But more about that later.

The circuit is,once again,Wilf's improved one with a 33K resistor instead of the 47K,and a single red high intensity LED.

Found objects I

2009-12-13T21:03:00.000+01:00

Yesterday on my way to the supermarket I found this interesting looking light assembly laying along side the road:

Which can be used for a wide variety of things,the most obvious some kind of light sculpture.Unfortunately the glass is cracked,but thick enough so that it still stays in place.Today I started on a project using this object.

Another Pummer nearing completion......

2009-12-12T22:05:00.000+01:00

And that should end this Pummer building extragavanza for now.In this one I used an electroplated steel base,an electroplated spring,lightbulb and copper tube.
The circuit is the "old" one with a purple LED.

P.B.S.

2009-12-06T19:52:00.005+01:00

Or Pummer Building Spree,which is what seems to happen now.I'm building three at the same time:one is with a spring and lightbulb,another one is with a porcelain insulator,copper tube and brass nut and the odd one out is a robot holding a lightbulb.
After these I'll probably build two more and then move on to something different.

New pummer,new solaroller (WIP)

2009-12-02T21:15:00.002+01:00

I just (well a couple of days ago)made a new pummer.My first one with the improved circuit by Wilf Rigter.I made a few changes though:
the 1 uF capacitors are now 2.2 uF,the 1000 uF capacitor is 6800 uF,the 10K resistor near the LEDS is now 1K,the 47K resistor became a 33K one and it is a single LED Pummer.
The most noticeable thing about this pummer is the very large capacitor which is also part of the body.
I haven't attached the solarcell yet.
Then,a new Solaroller and another first:my first direct driven one instead of belt driven.And also the smallest one I built to date.The circuit is a 1381 freeformed one,the body came from a recordplayer-stylus case.The solarcell is missing here as well.

The new Pummer with the improved circuit by Wilf Rigter and some changes by me.

New uses for old circuits.......but not as intended

2009-11-25T23:24:00.001+01:00

After testing the Pummer circuit in a Solaroller I now know why you don't see them:because it doesn't work.What happens is that the Solaroller moves forwards and backwards with each "pumm",and while this makes for interesting behaviour it won't win you any Solaroller contests.
So,I'm keeping the one,already finished,one but added a LED which doesn't pumm but flashes,making a mobile LED flasher.
The others will be finished with the normal solar-engine circuits.