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Are you tired of changing the batteries in your infant/baby swing?
This instructable covers how to convert your baby swing to wall power, so you can just plug it in and not have to change the batteries.
It's designed so that you can choose wall power or batteries, depending on your needs.
This Instructable requires soldering--There are other instructables covering that if you need help learning.
This instructable covers how to convert your baby swing to wall power, so you can just plug it in and not have to change the batteries.
It's designed so that you can choose wall power or batteries, depending on your needs.
This Instructable requires soldering--There are other instructables covering that if you need help learning.
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Signing UpStep 1Tools & Parts Necessary
Tools
Screwdriver(s)--Used to open up the motor/switch/battery housing
Wire Stripper/Cutter--Used to cut and strip the old and new wiring
Soldering Iron--Used to solder the new switch and wires to the existing wiring
Heat gun or Cigarette Lighter--Used to melt the heatshrink tubing
Parts
5 VDC Power Supply--I used an old cellphone charger. It needs to have a similar voltage output to the batteries in your swing. Count the batteries in your swing. Each one puts out 1.2VDC (Whether AA, C, D, ect). Obviously 9V batteries are a different animal. Mine used 4 "D" batteries, so I needed at least a 4.8VDC power supply.
Double Pole Double Throw (DPDT) Switch--A small one from Raido Shack, etc. is fine.
Solder--Used to secure the new wiring
Heatshrink Tubing--Used to protect the solder joints
Epoxy or Super Glue--Used to secure the switch to the housing
Screwdriver(s)--Used to open up the motor/switch/battery housing
Wire Stripper/Cutter--Used to cut and strip the old and new wiring
Soldering Iron--Used to solder the new switch and wires to the existing wiring
Heat gun or Cigarette Lighter--Used to melt the heatshrink tubing
Parts
5 VDC Power Supply--I used an old cellphone charger. It needs to have a similar voltage output to the batteries in your swing. Count the batteries in your swing. Each one puts out 1.2VDC (Whether AA, C, D, ect). Obviously 9V batteries are a different animal. Mine used 4 "D" batteries, so I needed at least a 4.8VDC power supply.
Double Pole Double Throw (DPDT) Switch--A small one from Raido Shack, etc. is fine.
Solder--Used to secure the new wiring
Heatshrink Tubing--Used to protect the solder joints
Epoxy or Super Glue--Used to secure the switch to the housing
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It may work fine, it may burn something up as that's double voltage it was designed for.
Regarding amperage, a 5V ~1.5 amp would be great. More amp capacity is better.
What I would add is this when you have the DPDT (Double Pole Double Pull) switch and you have identified which side your going to put your positive and Negative cables on in a row, use the wires that was originally coming from your battery pack to the control as the wires going to the motor. On the one end you would have wires going to your battery pack, the other end wires going to your 5V (or whatever voltage you require) power supply and the center poles (originally your battery wires) going straight to your control panel.
This way you have full control whether you use batteries or AC power.
I have this exact swing and the same exasperation with the repeated purchase of "D" batteries!
I do not know how to solder, however, so I probably won't try this at home. :-/
I have never seen a baby swing with an AC adapter and all the hand-me-down swings we got are battery operated. I looked for swings with AC adapters in local (Pittsburgh) stores and found none. My sisters actually didn't believe that they existed, and they almost had me convinced. We figured there had to be a law against them, because who would want a battery powered swing if plug-in swings were available?
Are you listening, Fisher-Price?! (Probably not. Sigh.)
It's a shame that they don't make both options.... It's probably a "safety" issue with having a corded product... they have to go through UL certification I think.. or something probably like that..
If you only want the wall power, then the DPDT is not necessary. It allows one to toggle between wall and battery supply.
So feel free to wire the wall power directly in.
A "less than ideal" way to do this (without buying a lower voltage charger) is to use a resistor to drop the voltage. The downside is that your failure mode isn't ideal (the resistor fails/shorts and your electronics get full voltage), and it's not efficient (the resistor gets hot).
I have this beautiful large Wall Clock with music and lighting which turns on every hour and has a sensor that automatically shuts the music and lighting off at night or in darkness and back on in any lighting. The clock requires 4 C-size batteries and have changed them several times within just six months whilst taking clock off the wall and adjusting the time each time. Would appreciate the response. Thanks.
To try it (prior to soldering wires/messing with the housing), you could hook up your power supply to the contacts the batteries touch, and make sure it functions normally.
Have fun!
To further clarify and upon noticing, the clock has two sections adjacent to each other in a compartment each requiring two C-size batteries; a total of four. I believe that one section is for the clock and the other for music/lighting - in conjunction. I can see two wires (black/red) passing through each section. I just hope it doesn't require two separate adapters.
I have a cell phone LG AC Adapter that has an input of 100-240 VAC, 50-60Hz, 0.2A and an output of 5V, 1A. Can this be used?
You would want to hook the positive lead of the power supply to both of the positive leads to the batteries, and same for the negative leads. Essentially you would connect the two sections to the power supply in parallel.
Good luck
Cost about $5 in parts- batteries are $10 a pop and last for 1-2 weeks, so I figured I saved easily $100!
I was lucky enough to have pretty much the same model shown here, but mine has an extra function. So you know, that has no effect on how this fix works.
The adapter is an AC adaptor:
P/N: PSA12D7P5P7-A
Model: MKD-4175700
In Put: 120VAC 60 Hz
Output: 7.5VDC 700mA
ITE power supply.
I just want to make sure I don't blow myself up when attaching the wires to the swing or at the very least touching them to the positive and negative areas of the battery faces to test it.
If the display states "7.5" then the red lead is on the positive wire, and the black lead is on the negative.
If the display states "-7.5" then the red lead is on the negative wire, and the black lead is on the positive wire.
Good luck.
Can I Still do this?
What parts do I need?
Here's a link to the 800 mA unit.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3807942&filterName=Category
Use this in lieu of the 5 VDC units mentioned in the instructable and you should be good.
This one isn't cheap; you may be able to get one on eBay for a lot less.
Hope it helps.
One thing didn't seem to work out for me - it doesn't appear to be rocking. Manually, it freely moves and continues rocking, but for some reason it's not working via the controls.
Lights and music work fine.
Good luck!
the one that I am having trouble with worked with batteries before I took it apart.
I have the polarity right. when you turn the swing on the motor turns on for 1-2 seconds then quits. when you turn the swing off the motor turns on for 1-2 seconds.
I swapped the motor with another swing and the motor is good. something is messed up in one of the 2 circuit boards. one board only have the power switch and the speed setting. the 2nd board has all the caps, and resistors, ect..
It would be nice to get this last swing working again.
I cut the end off and attached the wires to the back of the battery pack. now the swing dosent work. is 1800mA to much?
Regarding the swing. You can't have too much amperage capacity--the swing will only draw what it needs.
Your swing is designed for 4.8 volts (1.2v per battery x 4 = 4.8v).
I'm doubtful that the swing would not work with the extra voltage that a 6 VDC supply like you linked too would supply.
Easy question, do you have the polarity right (positive to positive, negative to negative)?
If you have a multimeter, you could measure the voltage going to the swing and see if you are getting a big voltage drop (which could be causing the symptom of music skipping)
I have a question though, I went to Home Depot to buy some wire to extend the ends, but couldn't find any wire as thin as the one present in the swing, so the only thing close to that was Bell Wire, is that safe? It works great, just want to make sure it's not going to cause issues...
Thanks
Radio Shack is a good place to find stranded smaller diameter/higher gauge number wire.
Auto parts stores, like Autozone may also have wire, but generally it will be in the 10-12 gauge size.