Sonic Screwdriver Shuts Off Mains

In the world of Doctor Who, the sonic screwdriver is a versatile tool with a wide range of capabilities. [Hartley] wanted some of that action for himself, and built a device of his own.

Unable to recreate the broad swathe of features from the show, he settled on something easier. The device is fitted with an ATTiny85, and a 433MHz transmitter. It’s programmed to switch wirelessly controlled mains sockets on and off. This lets him control appliances in his house with a flick of a screwdriver. Power is supplied by the classic AA battery, with a boost converter stepping it up to 5V to run the electronics.

It’s all wrapped up in a 3D printed case, that was carefully designed to fit all the parts inside. A paper mockup of the PCB layout was also used in the design phase. [Hartley] took full advantage of CAD software, to ensure everything fit correctly first time.

It’s a fun project, as sonic screwdrivers often are. Video after the break.

10 thoughts on “Sonic Screwdriver Shuts Off Mains

  1. Not having seen the reincarnated series I suppose the props don’t look like they did in the 60-70’s era. Not as many blinkenlights. Why I wonder how many kids today even know what a police box is? Nowadays a portijohn would be more in the vernacular.

    There is a pub in town that has two of those familiar blue boxes for restrooms at the back of the room. At first sight they look normal sized, then two people come out another goes in. They really are bigger on the inside. They are up against the wall with the back cut out into the restrooms behind the wall.

  2. I think that the sonic screwdriver would be like that in real life, in this century, it is very hard to make circuits, wiring, and other more components to fit inside a “real life” sonic screwdriver that controls that person’s house, ofc it is a just a remote with a light on it, but isn’t a sonic screwdriver technically a remote itself? A remote have lot of functions, some people even created a remote that controls both tv and air conditioning, so actually, the real life sonic screwdriver is a “remote” and is a “real life” sonic screwdriver.

    (that goes for milo)

    Besides, fans of Doctor Who (such as these people) say that the real-life sonic screwdriver looks “weird” “like a dildo” or “it doesn’t even look like a sonic screwdriver”, people say these things because they watch too much doctor who (and became too attached to it, they became fans) and they never enjoy what humans have created from fiction to real life, maybe in the future, fiction will be a reality.

    (that goes for Hirudinea, also I think she meant to say “it shaped like a Dildo” or “Dildo-like shape”… also don’t be dirty minded. Thats just disgusting that a “real life” TARDIS’s psychic circuits or any psychic alien or living being for that matter would look at such a vulgar word.)

    I don’t mind if that sonic screwdriver is weird looking. It’s one of sonic screwdrivers created in real life by people who want to make sonic screwdrivers a reality. I am really fascinated to what people did, with all their best, just to make a sonic screwdriver.. I mean, check out this link in BBC that doctors and scientist and engineers tried to make their own kind of sonic screwdrivers: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-scotland-17770739
    (and its just a jar filled with water to lift up something inside)
    and also this:
    https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2013/08/engineers-race-to-create-real-sonic-screwdriver/

    Also for the TARDIS heres a explanation:
    A TARDIS is a Type 40 (cylinder) time capsule which is a ship that travels through time and space, the doctors tardis was stolen or “borrowed” by the doctor. But some stories show that the 1st doctor used to have a different type of tardis, a type 50, but he escaped gallifrey using a type 40, no one knows. After landed on earth during the 1960s, the tardis remain as a LONDON Police Box (A london police box is a box where london policemen have their breaks inside OR for citizens to call the police using the phone in the police box, the light on the top for that matter is to signal the polices with the series of flashes of light).

    Doctor’s TARDIS still remains as a police box and the doctor tries to attempt to fix it. it did worked, but at the end, it ended up averting back to the police box, the doctor likes the blue box because its antique, old, blue, and beautiful. The TARDIS may look like a police box forever, but its police box appearance changes sometimes, compare the 1st, 2nd, war, 12th and 13th tardis, they all are police boxes but with different shades of color and texture.

    Thats it for now and goodbye :D

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