make your own spinner

Build your own spinner

You will NOT find a simpler design anywhere else!

Over 100 color pictures!

TOOLS TOOLS

These are the tools you will need. Some super-glue, a longnose-pliers, a watch screwdriver,and an allyn wrench are what youneed for a panel-mount spinner.

If you plan to mount pushbuttons,use a 1-1/8" bimetal hole saw (preferably without a mandrel)to cut the holes.

You will need solderingequipment (not shown) if youintend to install pushbuttons.

BILL OF MATERIALS BILL OF MATERIALS

Make your own spinner

http://members.aol.com/yokecraft/free_tsb.htm (1 of 27) [6/11/1999 11:24:12 PM]

Part

EnclosureStandard knobArkanoid knob

PushbuttonsMouse

PaintSuperglue

PotentiometerOptical encoder

Plastic sleeveMetal collar w/set screw

Aluminum spacer2.25" washer1.25" washerPlastic spacer

Countersink washerWood screw

Price Part number Supplier

12.49$1.4110.91$1.25$9.87$0.99$0.99$3.18$2.47$0.20$1.7542.11$0.55$0.10$0.20$0.05$0.05

-420094B1/4KN175153-9200-10---450D501-8CT-3001--89F2624-----

Radio Shackhttp://www.apem.comhttp://www.newark.comhttp://www.happcontrols.comWal MartWal MartWal Marthttp://www.digikey.comhttp://www.digikey.com--Newark (pack of 100)Wal MartWal Mart-Wal MartWal Mart

PARTS PARTS

This is a Pan-Tec console fromRadio Shack. The angled surfaceis perfect. It has a metal surfaceas shown above, so it will bedifficult to drill if you don't havedrill bits for metal.

The pushbuttons come fromHapp and come in several colors. They need a hole that is exactly1-1/8" across. A bimetal holesaw (the kind without a mandrel)is perfect. If you don't have one,you can drill a bunch ofsmall holes in a circle to get thesame effect.

Get either of these mice atWal-Mart (they're the same) for.It lets you use up to three buttons,is both PS/2 and 9-pin serial portcompatible, andis plug-and-play compatible for



Windows. It also includes a diskwith DOS and NT drivers.

The knob TwistyGrip usedwas 1.56" and had an aluminumshell over phenolic (plastic). It has a very solid feel, and acool silver trim around the topedge. Apem (formerlyMors/Asc) makes them.

Note that the knob has aseparate collar and asmall set screw that's easy tolose.



Occasionally, an Arkanoid freakwould request one ofthese knobs. They're 1.75" acrossand .625" high. Augat andAlcoswitch makes them. You canorder them through NewarkElectronics.

They are NOT cheap...$10.91 notincluding shipping.

This is a brass sleeve that camefrom a optical encoder. Weprefer this type of sleeve becauseit fits a 1/4" shaft perfectly. Keep the mounting hardware! You may need it later.



If you can't find the brass sleeve,a plain potentiometer housingwill do. Just make sure it doesNOT come from RADIOSHACK. The potentiometerhousing and shafts fromRadio Shack are moldedtogether.

This is a plastic spacer with aninner diameter of 1/4". It has anouter diameter of 1/2". Note thatthere are NO BALL BEARINGSin this design. The shaftsimply slips into the brass sleeveand plastic spacer and turnsvery freely. If your panel ismetal or is very thin, you won'tneed this spacer, just the brasssleeve.

If you can't find this spacer, youcan use a brass sleeve on bothsides of your panel to achieve thesame stability for the shaft.

This is a 1/2" outer diameter by1/4" inner diameter metal collarwith set screw. You don't reallyneed it unless you want to attacha heavy flywheel to your knob. A plastic spacer of the same sizewill do...just remember to use alot of glue!

The metal collar has a set screwthat's easy to lose. Toremove the set screw, youneed an allyn wrench.



This is a 1" x 1/4"aluminum spacer (also called astandoff or post). It's threadedbecause you'll need to use morethan one if your panel is over1/4" thick. Try to find ones thatcan screw into each other. Ifyou can't you'll have to cut a 6-32screw or shaft (shown) to attachthe two.

If your panel is thin(metal or 1/4" wood), only onespacer is necessary.



This is the flywheel. It's awasher with a 2.25" outerdiameter and about 1"inner diameter. This turns out tobe the perfect weight. Anylarger, and your fingers get aworkout. Any smaller, and theknob may notkeep spinning when you let go ofit.

Because the flywheel has alarge hole in the center, we needthis 1.25" washer to hold it to theshaft.

You'll need another onelike this to prevent the plasticsleeve from falling through themounting hole.

Shown: optical wagon wheel(also called lightchopper, interrupter, etc.) thatwill come out of the mouse.

In the middle is a plastic spacer. We stopped using plastic spacersand started using aluminum onesfor a tighter feel.

Another shot of the metal collar.

The knob cannot sit flush on thepanel, so you'll need this plasticspacer with a 1/4" innerdiameter and 1/2" outer diameter. You can use one of theseto replace the metal collar, butthe flywheel may wobble a little.

If you can't find this spacer, youcan make a susbtitute by stackingup a bunch of little metalwashers.



You may want touse a wood screw anda 1/4" countersink washer to holdthe retaining wire down. Most ofthe wires in our units weresimply glued down. You can glue the retaining wiredown if all of your measurementsare EXACT.

Other parts that you will needthat are NOT shown: #10 rubberbands and wire from a coathanger.

SUB-ASSEMBLIES SUB-ASSEMBLIES

Drill a 1/2" hole where you wantthe spinner to be. Please note thatthe dial is exactly 1.525" across.Make sure you can turn the knobwithout other instruments gettingin the way.

Open the mouse housing. It isheld together by only one screw. There are tabs on the front ofthe mouse that hold the halvestogether. You can separate themwithout breaking anything ifyou slide the top back. Ifyou just can't get it open, thengo ahead and break it open (theparts you need are safe).



Remove the printed circuit board(PCB). Make sure the switchis positioned as shown,which puts it in MSmouse mode (plug-n-play).

You may discard the top half ofthe mouse. You'll need toremove two parts from the mousebase before you discard it:

1) One optical wagon wheel.2) One of the plastic tabsholding the wheel.

Break off one the plastic tabsthat holds one of the opticalwheels in place.



If you keep all the spokes onthe optical wagon wheel, there isa good chance the spinner willnot take fast spinning very well. It will jitter. Breakoff every other spoke(partly shown on the right) to getmuch better responsiveness. Keep the other wheel just in caseyou make a mistake.

This is a 600 DPI picture of thelight chopper. Some peopleruined theirs trying to break offthe spokes. It turns out if youprint this out on a transparency1=1, it's an amazinglygood replacement.

Locate the opto-interruptermodule on the lower right-handcorner. Note the cutoutwhere the optical wagonwheel rested.



Here is a close-upof the opto-interrupter.

Glue the plastic tab you justbroke off to the printedcircuit board as shown.

It must be located just below thewhite socket. Make surethe tab is perfectly horizontal orthe spokes of the optical wagonwheel will break off when theyscrape against it.



Connect the two aluminumshafts. Superglue them togetherbecause they will separate withjust a little use. Ifyour panel is thin(metal or 1/4" wood), only onespacer is necessary.



Look at this sequence. This ishow the metal parts stack up. The actual method of centeringthe parts are described below.

Use super-glue to attach the parts(don't worry, superglue will holdthe parts very well).

First, loosely insert the knob ontothe shaft. Next, put the collaron the end of the shaft. Tightenthe set screw.

Glue the 1.25" washer on thecollar. Make sure it's perfectlycentered by gently rotating it.

Place the flywheel on the 1.25"washer. Don't glue it on until it'sperfectly centered.



Make sure the plastic sleeve doesnot "stick" when itrubs against the metal collar.

Attach the knob and spin itquickly. The aluminum spacersshould be smooth enoughto allow the shaft to turn freely.

Repeat for the brass sleeve.

Insert the optical wagon wheeldown the center of the shaft. Apply a drop of super glueto hold it in place AFTERyou have read the rest of thisguide.



If you don't want a flywheel, thenyour work is MUCH simpler. The assembly will look like this(using a regular pot sleeve and asingle 1" shaft).



There are two kinds ofsleeve assemblies. The standardsleeve allows quick and easyadjustments, but the spinnerwill not be a one-piece assembly.

Here is a comparison of theone and two piece designs. Theone-piece design is on the top orleft. Note how the retainingwire is held in place by a secondwasher.



Standard sleeveDrill a hole near the edge of the1.25" washer. It will be used tosecure the sleeve to the panel,although it's really not necessary.

Glue the washer to the plasticsleeve.

The plastic collaris used to keep the knob off thepanel. Without it, the knob wouldscrape the surface. Do not gluethe plastic collar.



Standard sleeveSlide the plastic sleeve assemblyinto the 1/2" hole you just drilled.It should be a snug fit. If it isnot, take the sleeve out andapply a little glue to the exteriorof the sleeve before reinserting.



Standard sleeveSecure the sleeve assembly withthe screw. If you drilled a perfect1/2" hole, this step isnot necessary because the spinnerwon't wobble.

Standard sleeveInsert the shaft/flywheelassembly into the sleeve. Re-attach the knob. Check to seethat the spinner turns freely. If itdoes not, loosen the knob andpull it up a little to give somespace between the ends of theplastic sleeve. Re-tighten the setscrew.

Standard sleeveTurn the panel over.

Let this be a lesson to everyone:when drilling the 1/2" hole, use adrill press or an alignment tool. If you use a hand drill, hold the$#@! thing straight.



Standard sleeveStraighten out a wire coat hangerand cut about 4" off.

Take some #10 rubber bands andsecure the wire as shown.

Now the circuit board has a fewrubber bands and a wire strappedto it. Originally, the wire waspre-glued to the circuit board, butdifferent panel thicknessesprevented the parts from liningup. You must glue the wire onwhen you are finished (Superglueor Elmer's will do), although therubber bands will hold for a long,long time before they slip out ofalignment. So if you're just tooexcited to try it out, and can'twait for glue to dry, go ahead andplay with it when you're finished.

If you pick a flywheel washerthat is very large, the



wire will have to go around it.

The method shown wraps theretaining wire until it reaches thetop of the nearest mousemicroswitch. The microswitchhas holes conveniently placeddirectly over the center of thehub of the optical wagon wheel.

It balances perfectly if you insertthe wire into the second hole.

FINAL ASSEMBLY FINAL ASSEMBLY



Standard sleeveAlign the circuit board on theoptical wagon wheel. Make surethe circuit board is perfectlyvertical and all the spokes clearthe edge.

Turn the knob a little tocheck the clearance of thespokes. The spokes must nottouch the circuit board!



Standard sleeveSlide the wire up and down theedge of the circuit board until thebottom of the wire touches thebase panel.



Standard sleeveSecure the retaining wire with thewood screw and washer.

One-piece sleeveThe one piece assembly is verysimilar to the Standard Sleeveexcept it uses a second washerto hold the retaining wire. The entire part is held bythe brass sleeve. Sorry, anordinary pot housing won't workhere.

The one-piece sleeve is held fromthe bottom, so several mountingholes must be drilled into thewasher.



One-piece sleeveBecause the circuit board swingshorizontally in this kind ofassembly, you can't mountthe PCB to the opticalwagon wheel by tilting it atan angle.

The circuit board is mountedto the optical wagon wheel



by simply swinging it over andsnapping the hub into the hole ofthe plastic tab.

One-piece sleeveFlip the panel over and secure theknob on the other side. Makesure it spins freely. Whenmounted, the knob will not touchthe surface.

ELECTRICAL ELECTRICAL



Move the rubber bands awayfrom the socket and plug theserial connector in. Brace theback of the circuit board withyour finger so you don't bend thewire.

To connect the fire buttons toreal pushbuttons, there areunsoldered points for yourconvenience.

At this point, 99.9% of the workis complete. If you got this far,you can actually start usingyour spinner.

Don't forget to glue the wire tothe PCB.



make your own spinner

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