Saturday Night "Compleatables"- Power Thief "Incan Man"
Intro: Saturday Night "Compleatables"- Power Thief "Incan Man"
A silent house somewhere down-under, way down-under is awoken with a noise. A strange noise not your usual squeaking of floorboards or shifting of footings but an unusual noise, not one heard before by whom that resides here.
"WooF! WooF!!!" Hunni, LftnDbt's puppy awakes from her slumber.
"HUNNI stop it!" LftnDbt replies.
The noise continues, not a bump or a whine but a scratching sound. Scratching, dragging, moving...
"WooF! RRRrrrrr WooF!!!" Hunni barks again, with authourity this time.
LftnDbt stirs from his slumber, to investigate this now recurring noise of sorts.
"What on earth is that??" LftnDbt asks himself, as him timidly edges down the darkened hallway.
"Hello?? Is anyone there?" LftnDbt enquires.
"I've got a bat!" LftnDbt lies.
LftnDbt suspiciously manuvers his head to peak around the corner into the lounge room.
"Oh my jumpin' LeD's!! What the hell is that?!!??" Lftndbt thinks.
This my friends, is an Incan man.
I caught him fair and square!! So he's mine!!
Ever wondered where those valuble volts are going?
Have you cut down all your power usages, but just can't figure out why your still using to much power?
Got one of those fan dangle energy consumption meters, but still can't figure out the leak?
Well I've have, it's this little bugger and his mates...
Got him last night. Tried to run away and everything.
Put up quite a struggle!! I caught at 12:05am, so I think it's midnight thing.
Now you too can capture your energy thief and stop this un-necessary wastage of our precious resources!!
"WooF! WooF!!!" Hunni, LftnDbt's puppy awakes from her slumber.
"HUNNI stop it!" LftnDbt replies.
The noise continues, not a bump or a whine but a scratching sound. Scratching, dragging, moving...
"WooF! RRRrrrrr WooF!!!" Hunni barks again, with authourity this time.
LftnDbt stirs from his slumber, to investigate this now recurring noise of sorts.
"What on earth is that??" LftnDbt asks himself, as him timidly edges down the darkened hallway.
"Hello?? Is anyone there?" LftnDbt enquires.
"I've got a bat!" LftnDbt lies.
LftnDbt suspiciously manuvers his head to peak around the corner into the lounge room.
"Oh my jumpin' LeD's!! What the hell is that?!!??" Lftndbt thinks.
This my friends, is an Incan man.
I caught him fair and square!! So he's mine!!
Ever wondered where those valuble volts are going?
Have you cut down all your power usages, but just can't figure out why your still using to much power?
Got one of those fan dangle energy consumption meters, but still can't figure out the leak?
Well I've have, it's this little bugger and his mates...
Got him last night. Tried to run away and everything.
Put up quite a struggle!! I caught at 12:05am, so I think it's midnight thing.
Now you too can capture your energy thief and stop this un-necessary wastage of our precious resources!!
STEP 1: What You'll Need..
I tried to keep this all as simple as possible, so we can all complete it in the same night...
Got to catch him quick!!
What we will need-
A coat hanger. To get 2 x 15cm pieces of wire from.
An Incandescent light globe.
Some type of hole making device (we are all experimentors here, so you decide.)
Super glue.
Gloves.
Saftey glasses.
Got what you need?? Let's go!!!
Got to catch him quick!!
What we will need-
A coat hanger. To get 2 x 15cm pieces of wire from.
An Incandescent light globe.
Some type of hole making device (we are all experimentors here, so you decide.)
Super glue.
Gloves.
Saftey glasses.
Got what you need?? Let's go!!!
STEP 2: Creating Holes for Arms and Legs.
This where those saftey goggles and gloves need to go on.
We now have to make some holes in the base of the globe to insert the arms and legs.
You'll find the metal is quite thin and easy to penetrate with a nail etc.
A drill would be another option, yet vibrations may be an issue.
Create two holes in the fitting.
You need to makes sure they are below the rim where the globe is bedded and above the solid bottom piece.
In the picture it shows the best position. There is not much variance available in selecting a position for the holes, as any higher or lower and we will start destroying the delicate insides.
Once one side is done, repeat on the other in the exact same position.
Note: Apparently these little devils also have the ability to mess with macro-modes on your camera, so be careful!!
That was the 1/30. Trust me it would not focus on those holes. Yes even in macro.
We now have to make some holes in the base of the globe to insert the arms and legs.
You'll find the metal is quite thin and easy to penetrate with a nail etc.
A drill would be another option, yet vibrations may be an issue.
Create two holes in the fitting.
You need to makes sure they are below the rim where the globe is bedded and above the solid bottom piece.
In the picture it shows the best position. There is not much variance available in selecting a position for the holes, as any higher or lower and we will start destroying the delicate insides.
Once one side is done, repeat on the other in the exact same position.
Note: Apparently these little devils also have the ability to mess with macro-modes on your camera, so be careful!!
That was the 1/30. Trust me it would not focus on those holes. Yes even in macro.
STEP 3: Inserting Arms and Legs.
Now that we have finished makes the holes, insert the two lengths of wire through the holes.
It may take a little twisting and force to insert the wire through the base.
Be as careful as possibly not to damage anything.
You can see in the picture that it has suffered small fractures through the bottom element. A dab of super glue should ensure the pieces don't fall out.
If your holes are a little large and the wire doesn't fit tightly, apply another few small dots of super glue to hold them in place.
Although I have used a bayonett fitting here, I believe it to be also possible to use an edison screw fitting.
It may take a little twisting and force to insert the wire through the base.
Be as careful as possibly not to damage anything.
You can see in the picture that it has suffered small fractures through the bottom element. A dab of super glue should ensure the pieces don't fall out.
If your holes are a little large and the wire doesn't fit tightly, apply another few small dots of super glue to hold them in place.
Although I have used a bayonett fitting here, I believe it to be also possible to use an edison screw fitting.
STEP 4: Creating Joints and Final Position.
This is the fun part!
Now that you have your wire secured in place, you can experiment with what position you would like your little thief to be caught in.
It is probably a good idea to sketch out the position first, as there are only so many bends and re-bends before your wire will eventually break.
Now that you have your wire secured in place, you can experiment with what position you would like your little thief to be caught in.
It is probably a good idea to sketch out the position first, as there are only so many bends and re-bends before your wire will eventually break.
STEP 5: Finished!
After you have set his position, proudly display him as a warning to the other thieves to stay away!!
So did he put up much of a struggle?
Sneaky little critter isn't he?
Now that you know where those wasted volts are going, you to can put an end to this madness.
Thanks for reading and I hope to see some of yours when your done.
LftDbt.
So did he put up much of a struggle?
Sneaky little critter isn't he?
Now that you know where those wasted volts are going, you to can put an end to this madness.
Thanks for reading and I hope to see some of yours when your done.
LftDbt.
13 Comments
JellyWoo 15 years ago
menace 15 years ago
Lftndbt 15 years ago
bumpus 15 years ago
Lftndbt 15 years ago
Kiteman 15 years ago
I think we're starting to see the early trickles of a flood of what to do with a dead incandescent bulb projects.
Take that, Altoids Tins!
Lftndbt 15 years ago
Lftndbt 15 years ago
killerjackalope 15 years ago
Kiteman 15 years ago
killerjackalope 15 years ago
uguy 15 years ago
Lftndbt 15 years ago