Reviving Dead MailMate Shredder

Here is one way to inexpensively bring a shredder into your home office!

I always wanted to get a shredder to dispose of sensitive documents, so when I stumbled on  an ad for a broken shredder to give away, I jumped on the occasion!

Basically, the electronics inside were shot, but the motor was in perfect working order. The simple fix is to make a basic circuit that will run the motor forwards and backwards.

This is my first published instructable, yay!
The downside is that this project was done way back in February 2010, and the first steps were not documented with photos... let's say that I hadn't quite grasped the mindset of photographing for instructables yet...

Materials needed :

DPDT switch
On-off switch - optional if your DPDT switch has an off position
Insulator for some connections - heat shrink, electrical tape, marettes...

Tools needed :
Crazy long philips screwdriver - I used an 8 inch #2, but it was tight, so maybe a #1 would work better
Cutting pliers
Soldering iron and solder - recommended, but it's possible to do without.
Dremel - again, recommended, but it's possible to use other cutting tools

Step 1 Open it up!

First thing to do is to find the hidden screws under the feet. The feet are the foamy adhesive type and are hard to remove without trashing them. Had I known better, I would have just made a hole through the foam to get to the screw after felling for a depression in it with my finger. Especially since that part of the foot doesn't support anything. In addition to being hidden, the screws are very deep, and this is where the super long screwdriver comes in handy. After the screws are removed, it takes a bit of muscle to pop the top off, giving access to the guts.