Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #11768
To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
From: "Kelly Petriew" kelly.petriew@sask1.com
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2000 16:38:22 +1100
Subject: Vibration sensor from Silly Slammer
> Hey all,
> Has anyone seen those "Silly Slammers"? They are basically a bean bag
> filled with plastic beads and an electronic device that says one of 2 or
> 3 pre-recorded messages when thrown on the ground. I bought mine for
> $2.00 at the local Dollar Store just so I could rip it apart and see how
> it operates.
> After removing the device from the bag I found the following:
>
> a cheapy 8 ohm/.1 watt speaker about the size of a Loonie (or new 1$US
> coin, heheh)
> circuit board (approx same size as speaker)
> 3 batteries (like a watch battery but thicker - 8mm?)
> the voice chip (or whatever it is) doesn't seem to have a package, just
> a blob of black crap
> the simple vibration sensor is a metal tube with a spring inside it. If
> hit hard enough, the spring hits the side of the tube, causing the
> switch to be closed and the circuit to activate.. so simple..
>
> Just thinking this setup could easily be adapted to BEAM to trigger a
> chirp or yelp if the robot is bumped too hard from any horizontal
> direction. You will have to experiment with the spring and tube to get
> the sensitivity you want based on the speed of your bot.
>
> PS: the Silly slammer I bought was "Bigmouth Bennie", he's blue and
> (oddly enough) has a large fabric mouth). He says "Ouch!", "Cut it
> Out!", and "Quit it!"
>
> --
> Kelly Petriew
>
> Systems Support Analyst
> The StarPhoenix
> 204 5th Avenue North
> Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
> Canada
> S7K 2P1
>
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