Get something done with a DOS box (1)
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Today we are constantly being reminded to reuse, recycle, rewrite, reduce, rethink, redo, redundant ad nauseum. I have a solution for those x86, 286, 386, 486 etcetera DOS boxes that are but a few months old before being deemed trash. We know they are large boxes that if kept out of the land fill sites we are all better off. And we know that every summer we have too many insect pests.Now we have an answer to both these problems.
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Before we get started we have to set your & my mind at ease by getting some fundamental facts of safety out of the way. Please read the caution at the bottom of this page.
- The original idea is not mine but the simple thought of trapping pesky insects with an automatic device is such a great idea, and keeping PeeCee's out of our garbage is also a good idea.
Every year I look for new and better tools to get my hobby gardening tasks better done and at a comfort level I can live with. A bug zapper of conventional sorts involves an ultraviolet lamp lure and high voltage charged screen to do the deed. The user must also be prepared to duck or dodge any opinions from their light sleeping spouse, the noise from the incessant ZAPing will keep you awake as well (read - "Get up and turn that darn thing off!"). The bug lure of yesteryear was similar but it involved a regular 60W lamp and a porch.
When sitting out on a warm evening to enjoy the fruits of our labour and with minimum effort to keep pests away (or collected nicely) we all need some help.
- This project is much like the bug trap that was a lamp, fan & basket to trap the victims from just before the UV zapper era. We have all necessary items in our basements, attics & garages now. What and how they look to you now and how they will become is what we are talking about.
- The lure to entise the flying beasties is a regular 60W lamp. Most of us have that busted lamp sitting around ready to send to the dump or garage sale.
- The fan to whisk the beasties into the trap is the one within the DOS box.
- The basket to keep the trapped varmin is the PeeCee.
- Assembly. Inside all or most PeeCee's is pretty much empty. This will become our HUGE storage area for bugs and such pests with little modification. The fan at the rear of all DOS boxes is now going to be the method of trapping and keeping the beasts. Add to this combination a 60watt regular lamp and we have a bug trap. The deluxe model would have the larger holes of the PeeCee lined with some scrap window screen to keep the spent bugs trapped within the box. A Martha Stewart method of hot glue and scrap screen will ensure all trapped bugs remain trapped.
- Simple experimentation will tell you before permanent installation how to best place the lamp lure for your particular situation. Best method for optimum exposure is to place the lamp just outside of the fan. This is likely best to keep the light of the lamp away from possible excessive bug remains. In other words considering the huge amount of bugs this device will collect and if the lamp was contained within the spent PeeCee a situation could arise where the light was shaded from future victims. Heat from the lamp may not be a issue if the fan remains operational to cool the lamp and surroundings.
- Place the completed project where the light of the lamp does not become a problem to self and family. A nice touch is an outdoor timer to ensure each evening the PeeCee is hard at work doing what most PeeCee's should be doing. This is not to say that Most PeeCees have lots of bugs as they are now, but to say that Yes, they can actually do man kind some good.
- Buy a Mac to get the job of computing done.
Job well done, pat self on back, brag freely about the job.
The 6 steps above will be discussed in some detail if I can find some illustrations to get the point home.
Maintenance and Modification:
Your own place on this planet will tell you what flying beasties you must combat. If large moths are your common pest I would ensure the rear openings for the fan are large enough to accomodate such guests. Tin snips will adjust a punched cabinet opening. Perhaps simple removal of a mesh or guard is all that is required?
If the fan is part of the power supply within your bug zapper, perhaps removal of the power supply would be best and then direct wire the fan to power instead. Please ensure the fan requires line voltage to operate before you do this. If it needs the reduced voltage of the power supply to function, one could use the power supply to do so but remove the fan first and then wire the fan supply back to the supply. I'm sure if the rest of the PeeCee is omitted (or disconnected) from the cabinet supply the issue of heat from the fan cooled supply would not be a worry.
One other assembly note for the avid experimenter, from personal experience using duct tape with abandon may not be the permanent method of choice. I have recently discovered Pipe Clamps! These are some of the most under rated home repair treasures yet.
The Maintenance of the bug machine might be to clear away any debris from the entrance of the fan to ensure free entry of insects. The huge enclosure of most PeeCee's would almost guarantee a lifetime of use before cleaning is required. Ah, but then again would you want to clean it? It's just a junk PeeCee anyway? Simply lift it into the trash bin and get another at the used dealer for a couple of bucks, at perhaps for less money than a store bought bug zapper. By that time I might have more tips for future use of PeeCees.
As I write this the Pentium type are the rage of the dark side. It will be a few months when they are junk and they could also have a real handy use.
It has come to my attention from a colleague that PeeCee's generally "blow", that is the wind is comming from them, and not into them (cut it out, get 'yer mind out of the gutter).
We will have to adjust our thinking! Or simply turn the fan around so the wind enters rather than exits. This would be a small inconvenience considering the pest free benefits we gain from the project.
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Legal types everywhere will thank me for these few notes of caution:
I cannot stress enough the need to be observant when working on live circuits and the possibility that although the voltages may not appear to have a potential to cause harm you should take steps outlined below to protect yourself and loved ones.
The greatest danger when working on any project is not so much the project but the effects of the project.
The danger here is if you have a tool in your other hand and with the reaction of comming in contact with line voltage this tool may likely go flying. The vocabulary used to describe the incident could also be harmful to your audience.
Please be careful. I don't want to make this appear as a truely dangerous feat but a little caution is required.
The project above might be best completed with the internal circuitry disconnected. Rain and other caused moisture might present a hazard. All outdoor projects should be equipped with a "Ground Fault Interrupter". This is the device that will disconnect the power of the project if a power to ground fault exists. This will help keep loved ones alive.
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If you are uncertain about any of the techniques or ideas presented, please take the time to write. Please be patient in expecting an immediate reply ...Don
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© 1997 1998 D2M A graduate of Curmudgeon Emeritus.