I added a small vibrating motor to the pinpointer. I also removed the white LED and added a toggle switch in its place so that I could switch between the buzzer and motor. The motor was hot glued in place with a piece of soda straw covering the spinning weight at the end. I took measurements and for my setup I used a 51Ohm resistor to get the current of a little over 50mA. My motor was a random one I collected in my 'box-o-parts' but here is one from Radio Shack that appears to be similar but keep in mind your resistance value may need to change if using this one.
I got lucky and the switch barely fit in the casing. I had to drill the hole where the LED was slightly larger. Also I broke off a spare peg near the speaker to allow room for the switch.
Results:
Before modifying, it was pulling ~22mA idle (no metal detected). Since I took off the white LED it now it pulls a little more than 4mA idle.
When detecting metal it pulls about the following:
30mA - buzzer
60mA - motor
Overall I am happy with the results and it seems to work pretty well. Also I saw on another forum (I can't remember where) where they added a plastic 5/8" plastic chair tip to the end. This was to protect the tip from wear and tear and to prevent leaks. Lowe's has a 4-pack for $0.96. Wiring the switch is pretty straightforward but if a quick diagram is wanted I can draw one up.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks,
maddog
I got lucky and the switch barely fit in the casing. I had to drill the hole where the LED was slightly larger. Also I broke off a spare peg near the speaker to allow room for the switch.
Results:
Before modifying, it was pulling ~22mA idle (no metal detected). Since I took off the white LED it now it pulls a little more than 4mA idle.
When detecting metal it pulls about the following:
30mA - buzzer
60mA - motor
Overall I am happy with the results and it seems to work pretty well. Also I saw on another forum (I can't remember where) where they added a plastic 5/8" plastic chair tip to the end. This was to protect the tip from wear and tear and to prevent leaks. Lowe's has a 4-pack for $0.96. Wiring the switch is pretty straightforward but if a quick diagram is wanted I can draw one up.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks,
maddog