*Attempting* to make a vibrating pick

[Minion]

This is my first time soldering anything...

I'm using old x-box controller motor vibrating motors as the vibrators



For this 'motor', I used 2 of the large motors zip tied together and wired together, with the WO/O (white-orange/orange) wires from a cat5 rollover cable that I made and had spare in the drawer (I have A LOT of cat5 in that drawer) trailing off to go to a power source

For this one, I used 3 of the smaller motors ziptied together and wired together.

This is a closeup of the final wiring, it has the cat5 WO/O wires attached and ready to be lead to the power source.


I'm going to use this as the power source:


It's 8 'AA' batteries with a 9v power jack.
I'm about to head off to radio shack and get myself the 9v connector head to solder to the xbox controller trigger and motors, then I'll figure out whether or not my pvc pipe housing will provide room for a pick and such.



If anybody has any comments or suggestions, please, I need them

[geno]

I don't have any experience with vibrating picks, but here are a few things to think about.

As you can tell, the vibration is produced by purposely making an imbalance on the shaft of the motors.

First thing is that by attaching 2 or more motors together you might end up cancelling out some of the vibration.

The other thing is that you are going to want to isolate the motors and pick tip from the body. You want all the vibration to find its way into the pick, and not your hand.

I think your pcv pipe idea will work nice. Rigidly mount the motor inside a length of pvc pipe. Then fit the pipe into a larger diameter pipe. Your going to want to isolate the inner pipe from the outer. You could use bits of rubber or foam.

Let us know how it turn out.

[Minion]

This is how it turned out (I didn't see your post before I began )

The vibration is very, very strong. However, the isolation of the pick did not exist (must rebuild... MUST REBUILD), but it still vibrated considerably. The switch that came with the trigger burned out, and made a funky smell (12 volts was too much to handle for the little guy ).
What else... Ah yes. The jack for the battery pack to connect to... it wasn't re-inforced enough, so it pushed back into the pvc pipe when trying to connect (just barely reinforced to snap in after some pushing).

I don't know how to work it to the point where it'll open a lock, probably couldn't open a lock if I wanted it to.

[cracksman]

I've seen a pick made out of an old hard drive, don't give up!

p.s. a nail file on your thumbnail wouldn't do any harm either

[Minion]

I've seen the same thing. I don't have a hex driver that small (lost the bastard) or I'd be doing that. Then again, I wouldn't want to be carrying an atx power supply with an extension cord around with me.

And this thing looks like some sort of bomb detonator.

[cracksman]

Yeah, looks a bit like a pipe bomb too
I'd expect the Feds to be at your door by morning

[kodierer]

I made a vibrating snake rake with a mach 3 vibrating hand razor. I just pulled off the blade part, and glued on the rake. I then pulled the battery, and taped 2 copper wires stripped at the ends the proper terminals of a C battery.
It works a little better than standard raking

[SFGOON]

M'kay when you're soldiering you don't heat the solder with the iron, you heat the ends of the wire, which you should twist together then clamp with a heat sink. Then you feed the soldier wire onto the heared copper and allow it to melt. You should also put caps on those contacts so they don't get fatiguied and break. Try to use as short a wire as possible and, ummm, oh yeah, when you're soldiering wire to a plate or a contact scub it with an emery board to remove oxidized copper and insure a good eletrical contact. M'kay?

[skeleton]

minion, it seems all that has been acomplished is a personal vibrator, although i will hand it to you, nice concept with the trigger, only problem being the trigger has an analogue micro pot designed to handle +5v (usb voltage being an xbox controller) and you connected +12v ???
May i suggest buying a cheap electric razor, the ones that have the foil on top and the pop out sideburn trimmer, these have small gears that will cause a backwards/forward motion. If you pull out the gears and mount a diamond pick, it should work fine

[Minion]

Yup, shortly after, the switch burned out.

Oh, and SFGOON, the soldering iron that I have is that coldheat soldering tool
(the freaking resin makes it so you can't solder! ) which insta-heats when the two sides of the tip make a circuit.

I'm generally displeased with the tool, only because of the fact that I have to take my leatherman and shave off melted resin (or is it rosin? it's flux in either case).