Noisemaker frame

Tools

  • Hack saw
  • Drill
  • Screwdriver
  • Crimping tool
  • Soldering iron

Components

  • Larger piece of wood, 16 x 2.5 x 1cm.
  • Smaller pieces of wood, 3 x 2.5 x 1cm, cut at slight angle to align with datasniffer container
  • 8 bamboo struts (12 x 0.9 x 0.25cm)
  • 2 push solenoids
  • 16 small boring screws
  • 4 small screws (to fit solenoid mounts), and at least 4 (maybe more) nuts to match
  • 2 male 2-pin JST connectors
  • Extra strong sticky-back velcro
  • Thin wire
  • Beads with holes (should make interesting sounds on a bat detector).
  • Coated wire
  • Solder
  • Gaffa tape (optional)
  • Thin cardboard (optional)

Photos

Top down view of noisemaker frame, showing a U-shaped wooden frame

Side view of noisemaker frame, showing a mounted solenoid facing a set of beads

Steps

  • Attach bamboo struts with boring screws (drill first to avoid splitting them) at either end of long, thin side of the larger piece of wood, on both the top and bottom
  • Attach struts to on each end to one of the right-angled end of each smaller pieces of woods, to form two sections. Again drill and using the boring screws. The slanted side of the smaller pieces of wood should face inward.
  • Drill large holes into the larger piece of woods to allow solenoid to release backwards.
  • Mount the solenoid by drilling holes into the lower struts, and using the small screws and nuts to attach and position each solenoid roughly vertically central within the inner space of each arm, and towards the larger piece of wood.
  • Drill small holes in the structs towards the other end of the arms. Thread the wire and mount the beads, so that they are able to move and hit each other when struck by the solenoid.
  • Crimp the wires of each solenoid to attach the JST connectors (if the wires are too short to reach the noisemaker board inside the datsniffer, you may need to extend them by soldering an additional piece of wire to the end of the existing wire, and covering the join with tape.)
  • Attach velcro to the slanted (inside facing) ends of the small pieces of wood. Attach a long piece of velcro to the long, wider side of the larger piece of wood (facing inward). These will attach it to the datasniffer container.
  • Attach a smaller (approx 4 x 2.5 cm) piece of velcro to the opposite, outer facing side of the larger piece of wood. This is to attach the GPS reciever.
  • Optional: Cut the thin cardboard and position it between the solenoid head and the solenoid body. Tape with the Gaffa tape - this should soften the sound from the solenoid pulling back.
  • Optional: Tape the protruding wire on the top/bottom of the struts, if it is unsightly or at risk of catching on something.