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By Timh56
#3587
I'm doing an invention convention at my school, and I'm doing an water shooting alarm clock. Whenever you're sleeping, sometimes the alarm clock just won't wake you up. So you need this product, which wil jet out a stream of water on your face everytime the alarm rings, and you'll start the day refreshed.

Do you guys know a way i can make this?

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By shankitr
#3684
dear Mr.Friend,

please get inspired by the toilet closet.. where in the water gets released when the nob is pressed...same way when the clock hand reaches the alarm time set let it act like a knob that releases water on to the face of the person who shud wake up...
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By Michael D. Grissom
#3707
PARTS:
1. Standard wind-up alarm clock with the ringer bells external (on top).
2. Toy water pistol/squirt gun.
3. Low voltage DC solenoid (Large Radio Shack 12 volts or under).
4. Battery capable of operating the solenoid.
5. Wire (16 gauge or larger).
6. Whatever you can find to mechanically connect the solenoid shaft to the pistol trigger. You may have to use a 'lever' to match the solenoid stroke to the trigger stroke for best squirt.

HINT:
Electrically insulate the first bell that gets struck when the alarm goes off. This will be your "relay" that closes the DC circuit that energizes the solenoid. Bend the shaft on the hammer that strikes the bell slightly in the direction of the insulated bell. This will prevent the striker (hammer) from traveling far enough to release toward the other bell. Use the clock for one wire and the insulated bell for the other. Now you have an alarm clock capable of closing your open circuit thus firing the solenoid that pulls the trigger that squirts the water that wakes you up. All the rest must be up to you to figure out else it wouldn't really be YOUR project and that's important.

Note: This will only give you one squirt. The 'clever' part of the project, getting it to squirt more than once, I leave to you. There are several ways of accomplishing continuous squirts with minor modifications.

Hope this helps. Good luck!
By zyx Rationalist
#3809
here is another better way to wake one up at a specified time.

create a bed that slowly or in a minute becomes vertical. such a bed would make the person stand up as the bed rises from head side and lowers on the feet side.
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By Michael D. Grissom
#3850
Now THAT I like!!!... as long as your not sleeping with someone who doesn't have to get up at the same time. This would definitely be my choice for an alarm clock! ;-D ;-D ;-D

I knew that I heard this idea before on this site!
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Last edited by Michael D. Grissom on Mon Feb 21, 2005 1:17 am, edited 7 times in total.
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By Steve
#3853
Me too - zyx, can you post it as a new idea via the submission form?
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By eroina
#6578
hey, i actually made this last year for my science project. i didn't win, but i did get an A +. i based my design on one of the posts(by michael d. grissom) made here, but i made it diffreently.

PARTS:
1. Standard wind-up alarm clock with the ringer bells external (on top).
2. plastic needle (without the actual needle)
3. Fish tank water pump with tubling.
4. Batties for tank pump
5. wiring to connect batterys in pump to battery in alarm + bell on top.


HINT:
considering i made this last year, i cant remmeber how i made it. but i do know that it worked. it took about $40 canadain to make it, so its pretty cheap. good luck future water shooting alarm clock makers!
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By Steve
#6579
Awesome - congrats on making it work! ;-D
By salamnder
#6687
you could use a motor with a flywheel that squirts a water pistol, just use a relay to turn it on, maybe a timing circuit to turn it off.
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By eroina
#6693
thanks steve. now im just tryin to think of a invention for this year. im thinking along the lines of automatic toothpaste dispenser, or remote dector. not too sure yet, i'll keep ya posted.
By idea_god
#6711
Here's another idea which might help you in your quest. It can be sometimes really annoying when the water thrashes your face early morning...i know i used to tell my sister to put water on my face if i dont get up on time and when she did, i used to badly shout at her. So here's what you can do.

The person sets the alarm...say for 7 am... as soon as its 7 am.. the alarm clock rings normally as it would do (would be great of ots very loud) ... now a person can do two things.. either hear the alarm and get up, or switch off the alarm and go to sleep again. In case one, no water is needed, but in case two he deserver cold water on his sleepy face. So what can be done is, as soon as he presses the button to switch it off....the water comes onto his face..but if he gets up on time...he can safely turn the alarm clock away and then switch it off, so the water doesnt come on his face. Now this can help in two ways, firstly his face doesnt get washed away when its not required, and secondly, the button to switch the alarm off can act as a trigger for the water to go off.

I know all you intelligent people out here have already thought of the loopholes in this. Number one, he can get up, turn it off safely, so the water doesnt come on his off, and go to bed again but if he does that he is probably not that sleepy. But its still a bit of a loophole, so what can also be done is make the clock even more personalised, and give the user the option on how to make it work. So he can select from the two given options, the one which you suggested and one with this slight change. Best of luck with your project.

Really like the bed idea rationalist.... just a bit scared that...if there is a young kid or a guest in the house, who doesnt know about the system...might have an heart attack wondering if their a ghost in the house...hehe..just kidding..very creative indeed.
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By eroina
#6713
that is a great idea! ;-D I like the way you think...allthough that is a toughie...but i like a challenge...perhaps next years science fair.... :-?
By amitpop2222
#6897
This is an amazing idea that i have looked at so far. I know someone who is doing this for a project at school and it is working out good. It is a great way to wake up in the morning if you are prone to sleeping in. ;-D I agree with Michael with the list of materials and the hints ;-)
By Daryl666
#9420
i saw a while ago a guy made a circuit to control a servomotor from his PC and he attached it to his blinds so that when the alarm was going off (he used his computers programmable alarm) his blinds opened ( note he had a south facing window and he lived in a very sunny place ) i am sure varriations of this could do just about anything. simply by manipulating the programming.
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