Supernatural EMF detector

I actually made this one ... I made quite a few about 2/3 years ago and sold the prototypes on ebay ... I haven't made one for about 2 years now as they are quite fiddly ...
it used a led circuit that the meter was connected to a seperate sound recorder and then attached to the input on the sound to Light circuit...
there isnt a way on that model to put a variable resistor in to control the light manually..

The sound recorder units are the same that you can buy to record messages in greetings cards ... or the other type I used was one that
was on a beer can opener.... As with everything you must look at items and think what can i use this circuit for.

I still watch supernatural and still smile when i see the EMF meters... take care all Mark
 
The meter gauge label in the picture of Aposstle's meter is clearly thatdecade's, but most of the other parts are unfamiliar to me.

I've been trying to put together a list of parts that are used on the show's meter prop at the link below, in case anyone's interested:

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B3e7PecRqyPxTF9XV2N6TWo2dTA&usp=sharing

These are just notes right now, nothing very coherent. This isn't a build sheet like thatdecade's spreadsheet, but people who want a build close enough that you may have OCD can customize the build with parts from it.

If you're not able to solder, you can always buy junk and try soldering/desoldering parts. Something of greater concern should be putting the parts in the wrong way, then trying to desolder and resolder them without damaging the circuit board.

I have been doing some computer cleaning and came across a photo that might help, perhaps you can add it to your list. When I built my EMF, I knew nothing about electronics so went looking for parts just by what they looked like. There was a huge electronics surplus store in my city with hundreds of bins and drawers of parts. I was able to find almost everything including a red toggle switch that looked like a good match. I went back a few times but they were never there again, that's how it was, they had surplus stuff until it was gone and that was it. It says 9520 / E108, C&K USA, 0.4VA MAX.

red_switch.jpg

It's been a few years since I built the original EMF for my daughter but I recall, for the dual jacks at the back, I used a headphone splitter and made a working headphone jack for the sound. I did a little surgery on it but it was something like this:

splitter.jpg
 
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Hi! I literally signed up to this forum just for this thread. Does anyone sell the EMF Reader already made. I actually don't even need it to work or light up. Just want to use it as a prop for a photo shoot :) Any help would be awesome!
 
And that brought me here. I bought two custom PCBs and chips and tried my best to find all the parts that I need. Your parts list was a great help, but for some things I had to find alternative ways, because they either are not available anymore or shipping to my country would be a bit expensive.
I started rewatching the whole series and I'm already at season 9 again. Some thing I found out in the last few weeks:
A pretty screen-accurate version of the toggle switch (that also works with thatdecade's PCB) looks like a E101SD9AGE or E101MD9AGE (also available on DigiKey)

That brings me to the next point: What is the back plate? It's not just a regular piece of plastic. The edges are folded in and the belt clip looks like it belongs there. So is it part of an old walkie? Or a phone? I have no idea.

I chose to use a 9V battery instead of the bulky 3xAA battery pack. But I'll need a voltage transformer for that to work, I guess.
 
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This is my share drive for my emf reader research and build plans.
drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B0uZYP7AohyhMHhjVFBlZ0F2ZVk?resourcekey=0-Dtz2g_vjZ7N3NBrnY1d7NQ&usp=sharing

In the Mike Marshall folder, checkout the part analysis with links to accurate candidates of that part. There are multiple backplates seen in episodes- Black Plastic Battery Holder
- Multimeter-Size Black Box
- Walkman-Size Black Panel
- Plastic Belt Clip

In my guide, I recommended using a 3xAA battery pack, as it was the right size and shape for the hex studs to be screwed into.

If you would like to coordinate, I wouldn't mind giving 3d printing a shot to create a new 9V battery holder with a belt clip, that has mounting holes to match the hex studs. email: thatdecade@gmail.com
 
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I have no experience with 3d printing, but after looking at tons and tons of picture of little plastic boxes I’m really starting to consider looking into it.

Speaking of little plastic boxes: I looked into battery holders and ordered a couple. Most are way too big, but these look promising
http://a.co/bYOQYc9
IMG_1026.JPG
I think someone mentioned earlier, they just wrapped the battery in black electrical tape for some vesions.
Looking at some reference photos it seems like only in few cases the back plate covers the battery holder (if at all), in most cases it doesn't.
The EMF/ZipTie is a whole different case: I guess the battery just fits inside the box
 
So, after a little break I've finished one (actually two, but I had to disassemble the second one for the pictures and a new needle). Unfortunately I wasn't able to find transparent P-clips or the correct antenna without excessive shipping costs. I think I will replace the toggle-switch, it's too short.
39811066_854978934698841_1914781813096579072_n.jpg
Anyway, I continued my plan of using a 9V battery. I ordered the battery holders I mentioned above and they are a perfect match in my opinion.
I also ordered some voltage transformer boards (MP1584EN DC-DC buck converter step-down module. You can find them on Amazon) that I glued to the electromagnet "cover" (I just cut it off the multimeter and snipped away the excess material. I think thatdecade is working on 3D printed covers). Underneath that I hot-glued the battery holder.
Connect the board to the 9V battery holder and then measure the output with a multimeter. Turn the screw until the output is at about 4,5V. It's a bit fiddly, because the screw is very small (left of the red wire). You don't have to move it a lot to change the output.
Later when everything's connected you can easily tell if somethings wrong: The voltage is too high if the speaker is buzzing or making static noise; the voltage is too low if the indicator light of the soundboard is dim.
I also soldered a switch between battery holder and voltage transformer, that I glued to the battery holder itself, so i can turn the whole thing on and off.
39799669_1895785870514425_5221098584459444224_n.jpg39811599_267764967378031_7108598151111507968_n.jpg

The next step for me was the back panel. I ordered a box full of different project boxes (some of them were mentioned in the Mike Marshall folder), but none of them were 100% accurate, so I used what I thought was the closest match (Bud Industries HP-3660-B). I cut off the top and screwed the belt clip on the back.
Hidden behind the belt clip I cut out a hole for the speaker.
I looked at some screen grabs and you can see the curve of the edge between back panel corner and battery holder on the third image below.
After I put everything together I noticed that it's kinda awkward to reach the button. So I just took a guitar pick that was lying next to me on the table, cut a bit off and glued it on-top of the button. So now I can push the button with my thumb. It's not pretty, but it does the job.
39664857_308404326585734_416356771079127040_n.jpg39638318_427578467647260_3852847094876340224_n.jpgcurve.jpg39947194_317481405481853_3350958223350824960_n.jpg
 
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My part list chose the 7101MD9AQE (0.2 inch actuator) because it was cheapest, lol. However, the 7101SD9ABE (0.4 inch actuator) is more accurate and only 20 cents more. I will update my part list to recommend that one.

Here are some more switches that are compatible with my pcbs.
0.2 inches - https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/c-k/7101MD9AQE/CKN1047-ND/66968
0.41 inches - https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/c-k/7101SD9ABE/CKN1049-ND/66972
0.42 inches - https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/7101SD9AGE/7101SD9AGE-ND/3858923


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I really like your 9V holder and voltage converter solution. That belt clip is bad a**.

Is that a green paddle over the back pushbutton?
 
Thank you very much!

Yes, I think I will order the longer one, even maybe the E101SD1A(...) or something similar.
But wouldn't it be better to use a switch with a center position, so you can avoid the balancing of the switch? I have no idea what the balancing actually does in an electronical sense. Is it an off-position?

The green thing is 2/3 of a guitar pick that I super-glued onto the pushbutton. Makes it easier to push it with the thumb. And the LED is now more of an indirect light and not as visible from behind.

I really like the soundboard and I think about hiding some pushbuttons here and there for additional sounds. For example, I cut a whole exorcism together. that would be fun for a secret button.
 
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