uselessbox manual v13 gm3 oct122011

8/10/2019 Uselessbox Manual v13 Gm3 Oct122011

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Useless Boxseless Box

www.solarbotics.com1-866-276-2687

Document Revision: Oct 2, 2011SKU: 60005 http://www.solarbotics.com/products/60005/

Want to make something Useless?Its not quite totally useless, especially if you like flipping switches.

This machine will happily fix your attempts to turn it on.See the feature articles and videos online at Youtube.com andMakezine.com

GM3 Hinge EditionM Hinge Edit ion


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Disclaimer of Liabilit yS olar bot ics Lt d . is no t res pons ib le for any s pec ia l, inc ident a l , o r conseq uent ia l damag esres ult ing from any brea ch of wa rra nt y, or under any lega l t heory, including los t profit s , downt ime,good-will, da mag e t o or rep lac ement of equipment or p roper t y, a nd any cos t s o r rec over ing ofan y ma t e r ia l or goods a s s oc ia t ed w it h t he a s s emb ly or u se o f t h is p roduc t . S o la rbo t ic s Lt d .r e se rve s t he r igh t t o make s ubs t it u t ions and changes t o t h is p roduc t w it hou t pr io r not ic e .

Par t s L is tU s el es s B o x

1 - S e t of Acr ylic B ox Pa r t s1 - Mot or s e t (GM3 Mot or a nd Acc es s ory Wheel)1 - Double-Pole, Double-Thro w pow er s w it c h1 - S ingle-P ole, Double-Throw re t r a c t limit s w it c h1 - 4 -c onduc t or r ibbon wire

1 - 2xAA Ba t t e ry Pa ck1 - Do uble -s ide d S t ic ky Ta pe4 - Minia t ure Hing es4 - Rubber Feet(A) 2 - # 4 x 1 /2 Mot or-mount ing S c re w s(B ) 5 - # 2 -3 2 x 3 /8 Limit s w it c h /Finger mount ing S c re w s(C) 1 - # 2 x 1 /4 a nd # 2 Wa s her s e t for Acc es s ory Wheel

(D) 22 - # 4 x 3 /8 Bo lt s a nd # 4 Nut s e t s(E) 1 6 - # 2 x 1 /4 Hinge -mount ing S c r ew s

(C)

(D)

(E)

(B )(A)

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Good question.

It is an illustration of the pointlessness of mansexistence. A demonstration of the classic Greeksisyphean task (yes, we looked it up. Neat story; checkit out) The ultimate in self-defeat.

In short, you turn it on; it turns itself off. The ultimate inlazy, where the only energy expended is spent inmaking it as power-efficient as possible (ie: OFF!). Nomatter what you try to wake it, it does the equivalentof trying to crawl back into bed (perhaps it should becalled the Teenager-in-a-Box?).

This circuit uses clever logic wiring to create this effect,which has roots waaay back in relay logic circuits.

Were using a limit and double-pole, double-throwswitch. These two switches route to the motor in a waythat ... well, make it want to turn itself off!

Yes, your significant-other may think this is a peculiarwaste of time, but well bet the attraction to the switchwill irresistible. Our experiments have shown that it

takes 3 toggles before the user breaks out in a hugegrin!

Wh at t h e H ec k is Th is ? !?

U s el es s B o x

To o l s :Assembly is quite straightforward, but youll still need:

Soldering equipment

Wire cutters/strippersPhilips #1 Screwdriver Tape to assist construction

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Pr in c ipl e o f Oper at io nU s el es s B o x

The circuit is quite straight-forward. Follow along this schematicdescription:

Motor is toggled on, turningclockwise, moving the arm to theswitch.

When the arm starts extending, thelimit switch inside closes.

CLICK!

The motor successfully toggles theswitch, and the power reverseddirection.

The arms starts retracting back intothe box.

Limit Switch

Closes

BUMP!

Fully retracted, the limit switch ispushed down, disconnecting powerfrom the motor.

Now its ready for another cycle!

ToggleSwitch

Battery

Motor

Motor

Motor

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Ass embl y - Th e Mo t o rU s el es s B o x

Lets start from the inside and work out. Get the motor, motormounting bolts, motor mount, the 4-conductor wire, and prepareto build!

Step 1 - Motor Mount: Prepare themotor mount by popping the limit-switch mount out from thecenter portion - keep it!

Pop free& save!

Step 2 - Split Wire: The ribbon wire actuallyhas 4 wires side-by-side. Split the ribbon inhalf by tearing two wires away from the rest.

Step 3 - Solder Motor Wire: Take one set of wires,and split the ends a bit, and peel back theinsulation. Solder one pair of wires to the motortabs (dont worry about wire color)

Step 4 - MotorInstallation:Install the motor usingthe two #4 x motor

mounting screws. Arrangethe motor so it fits with the wires face-in to

the motor mount, so the shaft with the Dshape pokes through the hole.

FIRST TH ING: Remove the protective brown paper from allthe acrylic pieces. Yup, its not brown, but actually shiny plastic!

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A s s emb l y - Th e Fin g er & Cir c u it r yU s el es s B o x

Step 5 - Finger

Installation: The double-thickness finger makes

hitting the switchmuch easier andreliable.

Take the two fingers,and sandwich themtogether against the white accessorywheel. Screw them together with 3#2-32 x 3/8 screws. Before youtighten the screws down, make surethe finger tips sit flush with each other.

Mount the whole assembly to the motorshaft with the #2x 1/4 screw andwasher, and make sure the finger pointstop-pointing-right! Just like picking yournose, its hard to do from the wrong

direction...

Finished motor

& finger assembly

Step 6 - Circuitry: There really isnt much to the circuitry, as its justpoint-to-point soldering some wire bits! Gather your finished motorassembly, the lever switch and limit switches, and the battery pack,and well get started!

Begin by looking closely at this wiring diagram. The only wire colorsthat matter are the battery packs. Well test and correct shortly.

Use only the2 outside pins

Red

Blk

Dont forget thecross-wire here!

Solder to the tabs on the reverse side

Wires on the battery pack arelong enough to connect directly

to the switch.

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A s s embl y - Wir in g u p t h e Cir c u it r yU s el es s B o x

Step 7 - Soldering: This is the hardest part - the niggly wire-stripping and soldering of connections. Heres some tips to make iteasier.

Secure the switch in a vise, or use some tape to hold it still whilesoldering. Moving targets are much harder to solder.Snip 2.5cm (1) off of the black wire from the battery pack tosolder the cross-jumper on the switch.Dont trim the wires back at all - leave them as long as possible

to make installation later easier!

To limit switch

ToBattery

ToMotor

All done? Great - now lets see ifwe got lucky with our motorconnections by running this assemblythrough a test!

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Tes t in g t h e Cir c u it s B eh av io rU s el es s B o x

Step 8 - Testing: Were going to pretend theres a box around thisassembly just to see if we got lucky and everything is wired upright!

Pop in the batteries and the motor should start turning.

Test 1: Hold the limit switch down and toggle the toggle switch.Find the position where the motor stops. This is the r e t r a c tposition.

If the motor does not stop spinning in one of these two positionswith the limit switch down, recheck your wiring, especially to thelimit switchs outer two pins.

Test 2: Release the limit switch, and flip the toggle switch toposition e x t e n d . Is the motor rotating the fingertip clockwise(fingertip going to toggle switch)?

Yes: All is well! Carry on!No: Desolder and reverse wires connect ing to the motor

If you have had to modify your circuit, confirm again the operation:Extend toggle position ignores the limit switch, and turnsclockwise.

Retract toggle position is interrupted by the limit switch, and turnscounter-clockwise.

LimitSwitch

Finger

ToggleSwitch

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As s embl y o f t h e B o x !U s el es s B o x

Step 10 - Exercising the Hinges: Before putting the acrylic partstogether, we have to loosen up the hinges.They may be a bit toostiff to allow the box lid to fall back properly, so bend them gently(but firmly) fully back and forth 5 to 10 cycles. You do not have totry to make it so loose that it flops down. Trying to do so maybreak the hinge. Trust us - just some wiggling will do wonders.

Step 9 - The Hinged Parts: Lets get the more technical box-endscompleted first. Gather together:

2 narrower acrylic top box-ends

2 narrower acrylic bottom box-ends4 hinges16 #2x1/4 screws

Since we will be building both box ends, make sure you build themopposite to each other so they will mate properly duringconstruction (see below note regarding the vertical slots).

Note the vertical slots are mirrored to each other!

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Gather the remaining parts, and the motor control circuitry wetested earlier. Time to get it all together!

Step 12 - Limit SwitchMount: Find the smalllimit-switch mount fromstep 1, and the tworemaining #2-32 x 3/8screws.

Put the assembly togetherwith the screws passing throughthe mount, and threading into thelimit switch body.

Step 13 - Arranging Main Box Parts: Lets make sure everything isready. Youve got the tested circuitry & motor mount, two

completed box ends with hinges, and the long, large box sides.Good! Lets start final assembly!

All bottom basepieces aligned for installation

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About T-Slot Constr uction: The box is built using the T-Slotconstruction, which is a common technique used with laser-cutprofiles (see http://bit.ly/T-slot_laser for more about this method).

General A ssembly Technique: Slide a nut into the top slot of thet, using a little tape if necessary (mostly for tight spots whereyou cant fit your finger). If you still find it hard to press the nut in,try going in from the other side.

The notches in the box are aligned so mating parts nests together.Align them, and put a #4 3/8 bolt through the hole into the nut.Be careful when tightening the screw! Just a turn more thanfinger-tight is fine! Do NOT over-torque nuts/bolts . Use onlyhand-screwdriver (not powered) for assembly!

We will send out a free replacements parts for ones broken duringassembly (please send photo of part, if possible).


1 . Insert nut

2. Place 2nd pa rt, screw in b olt

3. All secure & tight!

4. Finished Connection

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Step 14 - Limit Switch and Motor Mount: Using your new T-slotassembly skills, install the Limit Switch to the mounting holesnearest the center of the box base. Make sure to have the switch

body facing towards the motor.

Secondly, install the motormount behind the limitswitch, and screw it to thebase. Take a moment, andconfirm that the motorfingers squarely hit the limitswitch.

Limit Switch under fingers

Step 15 - Main Box Walls: Start with the hinged end pieces, alignand install them to the tabs on the box base and tabs on the motormounts. Again, use the #4 nuts and bolts and lock them down!

Finish the bottom assembly by adding the big side-pieces, lockingthem to the base and end pieces with more #4 hardware.

Finished BaseParts Installation

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Step 16 - Build the Lids: Lets the lids built. The only thing to becareful of is to arrange the holes on the end of the side parts be onthe same side as the holes on the lid tops.

Note holepositions!

FinishedBox Lids

Step 17 - Install the Lids: Mount the lids to the hinged end pieces,with the On / Off hole lid to the right of the motor, so the fingerwill swing over top of the hole. When the lids are both installed,make sure they are sitting squre to the frame, and tighten down

the hinge screws.

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Tes t & Tun in gU s el es s B o x

Step 18 - Alignment Check: Lift the lid labeled Useless Box 20degrees, and see if it slaps back down. If not, re-loosen and re-alignthe hinge screws (loosen, open lid a bit, re-tighten), and repeat

until you get a nice closing action.

Open... ...release, andthunk!

Step 19 - Toggle Switch Installation: Remove thenut on the switch, and install it to the top plate.Before you tighten it down, close the lid and test

the operation.It has to turn on by flipping the switch toward themiddle, so the fingers can push the switch tothe Off position.

If its the wrong-way around, simply spinthe switch 180 degrees in the hold, andtighten the nut!

Step 20 - Battery: Either tuck your batteries into the pocket next tothe motor, or use the included double-sided sticky tape to glue itdown to a spot within the box that doesnt bother the fingers.

Step 21 - Final Tuning: Watch the finger come out of the box. If theyarent exactly dead-on to the switch, loosen the toggle switchagain, and move it side-to-side to get the alignment right (thentighten it back down).

If that isnt enough adjustment, you can loosen the motor mountbolt on the bottom of the box, and shift it left/right to assist inalignment.

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Tr o u bl es h o o t in g & Wr ap u pU s el es s B o x

Hopefully, your Useless Box is fully functionally...useless! If not,theres only a few things that might cause problems:

Does the finger push up on the lid while its trying to turn itself of?Some switches need more force than others, which can make thefinger lift the lid with the toggle switch.

There are 3 solutions. The easiest is to tape the lid closed (on theinside of the box so it looks clean). The next is to use the heightnut on the switch to make it a bit shorter,but this is a fiddly process. The preferredmethod weve found is to use a file orsandpaper to shape a more aggressiveangle to the fingertip.

Does the finger skip off to one side of the switch? As mentionedbefore, you can adjust the alignment of both the switch and motor.

Motor not able to activate switch? Chances are you need a freshset of batteries!

When youre fully happy with how itsworking, use tape, wire or zip-ties tobundle the wires, which will make themless likely to snag, and break. Besides, itmake the installation look so muchcooler when your guests finally open upthe box!

As with most things useless, have funwith it!

Old tip

New tip

Solarbotics Lt d.

Calgary, Alberta T2E 6M6Canada

3740D - 11A Street NE, Suite 101

Visit us online for more info and cool stuff:

w w w. s o l a r b o t i c s . c o m Toll Free: 1-866-276-2687International: +1 (403) 232-6268

Fax: +1 (403) 226-3741

This work is licensed under a Creative CommonsAt t r ibut ion-Shar eAlike 3.0 Unport ed License.

uselessbox manual v13 gm3 oct122011

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