Tilt Activated Switch

It's a 3 position SPDT switch that closes (on) when tilted. Made with 3 pieces of plastic, a washer, and three machine screws + nuts. I made this switch as a hack for a cheap r/c car controller, inspired by the wiimote controlled car.

I just realized, this can also double as a pedometer or a shake sensor

See the Hand Motion Controlled R/C Car Instructable

Step 1 Materials and Tools

two #8-32 machine screw, 3/4" long
four #8-32 machine screw nuts
one #10-32 machine screw, 3/4" long
two #10-32 machine screw nuts
a sheet of 1/8" thick TRANSPARENT plastic, lexan or acrylic can be found in home depot
a washer, 5/8" wide on the outside, with a 3/8" hole in the middle

a 1-1/2" doorknob hole saw (it's a special drill bit, see picture)
a 1" forstner drill bit (or flat wood bit but i am not sure if it works)
a drill, drill press is best, and some standard drill bits
metal files, a thin round one and a larger flat one

Comments

[dkalaichelvan]

so basically it works like a normal switch excepy like a see saw.....i want to make one for a project

[frank26080115]

LOL this Instructable got featured today but it was published back in 2007!

[Amit Tulshyan]

I dont understand wats the use of the ring can anyone explain it to me

[icsnerdics]

you tilt the thing, the ring touch the center screw and one of the side screws, that's it, you have a tilt sensor.

[Jedx]

Clever! Almost as good as a mercury tilt switch, and can be modified to suit your needs.

[bertus52x11]

This is very smart!

[Neodudeman]

It's the same table he uses to chop up his murder victims.

[homepago]

lol

[robot797]

i see it is blood

[Koil_1]

...in a word... WOW!

[astro boy]

 man this is awesome just what i needed thanks. : D

[anakuron]

super! what a great idea! and what's best, really cheap. thanks for sharing

[vlad_tepesch]

nice idea, thanks

[homestarrunner247]

so... would it be possible to make a wireless "in-air" kind of mouse with this? that'd be cool! or hang this from a string with a pulley connected to the ceiling for a really unique switch!

[casey321b]

ill work on somthing that would do that ok..

[homestarrunner247]

that'd be tight!

[technodude92]

this kind of switch would make a very crude and jerky mouse(it only has on or off) a better idea for a tilt controlled mouse would be the tube with a ball bearing and a strip of resistive material(like a slider pot). that way it moves faster the more you tilt it.

[frank26080115]

Me and my friend are experimenting with a resistor consisting of two strips of paper covered in pencil, the paper will be rolled up and there will be a conductive roller inside, this is to make a crude accelerometer

[Johenix]

How about this: Take a round plastic box, like a snuff box, put a metal disk on the bottom so that it not quite touches the edges, securing it with an electrical contact screw in the center of the box and the disk. Take a piece of electricaly conductive plastic foam (Anti static foam used for shipping ICs etc.) and cut a strip that fits around the inside wall of the snuff box. Secure the foam with two electrical contact screws, leaving a small gap between the ends of the foam. Drop in a marble sized steel ball bearing and allow it to roll around making contact between the disk and the foam making a tilt sensing pot or resistor.

[NyXx]

I have had some luck creating a very crude and simple in air mouse using a joystick (this one actually has a builtin tilt sensor) and using a software driver which enables you to use a joystick to controll your mouse functions. I guess doing something like this is easier than learning how to program a microcontroller. Though I guess code for this must be easily findable on the net.

[bman]

Whats the driver? I've been looking for something like that forever.

[NyXx]

look for something called joystick2mouse: http://atzitznet.no-ip.org/Joy2Mouse3/

[bman]

thanks

[hongkongfong]

why did you make 2 rings in step 4? i only see one being used... maybe i'm not understanding something.

[frank26080115]

i made two switches, you only need 1 ring per switch

[frank26080115]

apple is making a mouse that uses accelerometers.
http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/apple_granted_patent_for_hybrid_low_power_computer_mouse

if somebody can program a microcontroller to out put data like a mouse, i guess it can be done.

[dean-101]

does this mean the washer will always be hitting one of the other screws or if you tilt it enough will it be out of contact with both screws

[casey321b]

frank didnt quite seem to understand what you were talking about and no as long as you use a washer that is not as wide as the screws are apart it wont touch and even if it would that would mean you did it wrong and they would always touch from then on

[frank26080115]

there will be moments when the washer is disconnected due to vibration, but for purposes that does not require precision, this is ok.

[QwertyuioLP]

can u do it wirelessly?

[casey321b]

what do you mean by wirelessly?

[casey321b]

doesnt seem like too much work. i dont see what the deal is with the other guys but i was wondering could i do this with cardboard instead of plastic? ill probly stick with plastic but i was planning on using nails instead of screws and just some how fastening them on the other side

[ootsae]

Seems like a lot work but, no mercury and it looks great.

[Kydoes]

Sorry but the solution for all this hard work was created long ago. It's called a mercury switch. ;)

[hondagofast]

Is that blood or a stain on the table?

[frank26080115]

yes, and my body is made of wood see if you get that joke

[HardCoreHacker]

HaHa That means its a stain?

[budsiskos]

what home depot are you shopping at? i cant find plastic any where except from big manufacturers

[frank26080115]

it's in the window glass section

[Liquidhypnotic]

I'm sorry; I think the last step needs a lot more clarification. As I understand it, the center screw is one pole while either outer screw is the outer pole? And then the washer hangs off the central screw a little bit, and so when the thing tilts to either side a certain amount, then the washer hits one of the side screws, and then the current is conducted through the outer screw, the washer, and the central screw. Is this all correct? Ah, I think I get it. That's pretty damn ingenious! ...I do have it right, yeah?