9 volt battery and small devices?

Thread Starter

the rabid codfish

Joined Jan 21, 2009
5
hello, i am an art student interested in incorporating some electrical kinetics into sculpture. does anyone know common small devices that would work off of a circuit from a 9v battery, or a circuit from a 12v, 8amp power supply? Thanks
 

SgtWookie

Joined Jul 17, 2007
22,230
You might do some puttering around in an auto junkyard (breakers in the UK). You'll need the 12v 8A supply to power automotive devices. You'll find all kinds of things; lamps, motors, solenoids, switches, etc. that will run from your supply.
 

mik3

Joined Feb 4, 2008
4,843
Yes, motors from the wind shield wipers or the motors which move the windows up/down will be interesting. They move slowly and have lot of torque.
 

Thread Starter

the rabid codfish

Joined Jan 21, 2009
5
much thanks for the good suggestions (and links). i came to a decision on using a switch to alternate between two, an spdt. i am a little lost however what exactly is happening, how i go about the simplest way to make the circuit that actually results in the switch. any suggestions or wisdom would be greatly appreciated.
 

Thread Starter

the rabid codfish

Joined Jan 21, 2009
5
hopefully i'll have two devices that can run on the 9v power, and i need a circuit to switch between them (directing power to only one at a time)

side note, i assume the video of the lights was your own creation? very impressive.
 

mik3

Joined Feb 4, 2008
4,843
hopefully i'll have two devices that can run on the 9v power, and i need a circuit to switch between them (directing power to only one at a time)

side note, i assume the video of the lights was your own creation? very impressive.
Thanks for the comment about my spectrum analyzer.

There are 3 pin switches which have a common pin and two other pins which can be switched alternatively. Also, they have a middle position where the common pin is not connected to anything and thus you will be able to turn both devices off the same time. I don't know their exact name. Maybe someone else knows.:)
 

Thread Starter

the rabid codfish

Joined Jan 21, 2009
5
thanks for the link, i have one already however (unimax, with biased actuator). this is where i go lost. how can it be done so the power supply shifts from one device to the other? this won't happen automatically when reactivated correct? i apologize for the naivete of my questioning and thank you again for the information and advice.
 

mik3

Joined Feb 4, 2008
4,843
I saw the switch online but it doesn't say if it has three or two contacts. How many contacts (terminals) does it have?
How they are labeled (if labeled)?
 
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