Instruction manual

TS4 • 11
For visitors to your shop, what about something very ordinary like some 2" to
3" PVC with a couple of innocent-looking hose clamps mounted in the "right"
places? What about a videogame joystick, peppermill, or something that looks
like a VCR remote control box? For your electronics-minded "what new
gadget did you build now?" friends, see if you can successfully insulate the
two halves of a plain aluminum "mini box" from each other!
When you get the nerve to grasp your Tickle Stick firmly yourself - and hold
on! - you'll notice the LED flashing more brightly and you will actually feel a
series of voltage pulses.
OTHER APPLICATIONS
A recent hamfest customer felt that the TS4 could be wired up to discourage a
neighborhood cat from using a spot in his garage as a litter box. We're not
sure how he was going to do this, but he sure seemed determined. To be
honest, we're just not sure what else you'd do with the Tickle Stick. That's your
department! Also, we are asked whether the TS4 is like a "stun gun". The
answer is that the principles are similar but that stun guns deliver 60 to 120
kilovolts! For classroom discussions, the TS4 output can be connected to an
AC voltmeter. Its output can light a standard NE-2 neon lamp.
The circuit will NOT deliver a higher voltage output in direct proportion to the
DC input. The unit works well at the recommended 3 to 6 volts input,
producing about 80 volts output. Attempts to increase the input voltage will
cause the transistor circuitry to draw considerably more current, which may
cause heat damage to R4 with no significant output voltage increase.