2015-06-17 (W) Vibrating Distance Sensor

The intention of printing an insert for the flashlight was to have a single drop-in piece which would hold the ultrasonic distance sensor and a switch of some sort. Logically this piece would hook onto the lip of the flashlight's opening and affixed by the flashlight's bezel. This proved to be troublesome so a two piece unit was draft which sandwiched the ultrasonic distance sensor between them but it still didn't do an effective job of holding a switch.

Instead of coming from the opening of the flashlight a new idea was to insert a piece of PVC into the battery chamber. Schedule 40 1" PVC had approximately the same outside diameter as a D-cell. A simple tactile button was placed on a spare segment of PVC and the fit was tested. With no modifications, other than a 1/4" (6mm) hole, the flashlight's built-in switch was able to press the button. This size PVC doesn't have room on the inside diameter to store a battery so the shape will have to be modified to hold a battery. Simple slots the size of a 9V cut into the PVC would allow for the battery to be held securely. A sketch was made which looked like a toy lightsaber handle.

Tactile button on PVC in a flashlight handle

Tactile button positioned under flashlight switch

Rough sketch of internal PVC piece

Files for Vibrating Distance Sensor:
The OpenSCAD files below are not necessary unless you want to change something

To Do:
  • Get a working switch
  • Find a better way to mount batteries
  • Build parts to go in flashlight
  • Write instructions
    • Make a linkable parts list
    • Draft schematic 
    • Draw dimensioned flashlight adapter

The rest of the posts for this project have been arranged by date.

First time here?

Completed projects from year 1.
Completed projects from year 2



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2015-06-16 (Tu)

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