Unique and entertaining. No other solar chime requires less light. Good for baby entertainment.

Lighting and performance

It dings every few minutes in an average brightness room, say 200 lux. The solar cell faces down. It can tolerate direct sunlight but chimes almost continuously, in reflected light of say 1k lux. You can hang it above a table lamp to control when it chimes. It doesn't sound like a gong but like a chime.

Details:

• Twelve inches tall, six inches wide
• Weight four ounces
• No batteries or maintenance except occasional dusting

Fully assembled.

Made from:

• a pager motor
• an amorphous silicon solar cell
• a tantalum capacitor
• miscellaneous control electronics
• a recycled hard drive platter
• an OSHPark PCB
• tinned piano wire
• nylon fishing and quilting line

Warranty is one year, but it should last for years, until the motor wears out.

Ships securely folded in a cardboard box. Be aware when unpacking that the suspension is slightly more delicate than that of a wind chime.

You can adjust by bending wires, to get more or less chiming.

Patent pending. The clapper is suspended by a thread to the axle of the motor. The clapper wobbles a little as it spins, throwing the ball outwards. The gong is held in alignment with the clapper, but it also rotates a little when the clapper hits it.