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A project log for 555 Pendulum

A simple game using one button. Get the pendulum swinging as high as you can.

dennis1a4dennis1a4 01/04/2022 at 03:130 Comments

I've had this idea for a pendulum game for a while. I like how there's very little you need to know to play it. There's only one button, and pressing or releasing it energises the electromagnet either one way or the other. I built it out of parts I had on hand. That is the reason for some of the odd passives value choices. The bearing for the pendulum is from an old hard drive. The electromagnet is an old bolt with wire reclaimed from a VCR head. I had some extra Gateron brown switches and printed a one switch holder. The base is made from a small scrap of plywood and some pine.

In the future I'd like to have a larger pendulum in my shop hanging from the wall. This is a good test bed to get things started and try different circuits. I'm also thinking of adding a line of LEDs to create a POV display. It could display the highest angle achieved.

The KiCAD files and pdf schematic are included in this project entry. 

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