Scientology woo-woo meter

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  • Hondaman
    Badcaps Legend
    • Sep 2008
    • 1057
    • USA

    #1

    Scientology woo-woo meter

    Hello,

    Recently, I acquired one of L. Ron Hubbard's E-Meters (aka "Space Cootie Detectors"). Just for laughs. I'm not posting in "laptops and portable devices" because I believe more people will see it in this forum. I plugged it in for hours, turned it on, unplugged it and turned it on, grabbed the "soup can" leads, twisted some dials, touched the alligator clips together, etc. but nothing happened. The meter needle didn't move.

    (This is the Mark 5 [the early model with the hardwood case], not one of the "craptastic plastic" units they made later on.)

    It has 6 rechargeable AA batteries (in series), probably Nickel Cadmium. They are quite old and corroded (from age or sitting). (Also, they are probably not the original power source, but the meter presumably worked in the current configuration). The device has a plug for 120 volts, but I can't find any internal charging circuitry. I would like to just use a battery eliminator (AC adapter) if I can.

    But I can't just use any old AC adapter. After the fifth battery, some power goes to the center post of a rheostat (or potentiometer). The rest of the device takes all 6 batteries to power it.

    I think I would need, effectively, TWO AC adapters. One for 6 volts (5*1.2V) and one for 1.2 or 1.5 volts. But I am not aware of any AC adapters that produce 1.5 volts.

    I'd like to rehab this thing, as a project, for fun. The analog meter movement and germanium transistors (not used since the early 1960s, IIRC, with 0.6 inch exposed leads, not exactly surface mount) do NOT inspire confidence. I would like to use this lousy, ancient analog device that really doesn't do anything to detect "space cooties" or "space alien spirits" that really don't exist. Does this sound like fun to you? Well, it does to me.

    Be assured, I'm not going to join Scientology and hand over $350,000 when I can just watch the South Park "Trapped in the Closet" episode instead. This is just for intellectual curiosity, soldering practice and if successful, a little fun.

    I will DEFINITELY need to mark the wires when I un-solder the board from the meter movement to get this thing apart.

    Any ideas on powering this unit?
    Attached Files
    Last edited by Hondaman; 02-19-2015, 03:37 AM.
  • kc8adu
    Super Moderator
    • Nov 2003
    • 8832
    • U.S.A!

    #2
    Re: Scientology woo-woo meter

    next you have to see if it can detect chip weevils!

    Comment

    • SteveNielsen
      Retired Tech
      • Jun 2012
      • 2327
      • USA

      #3
      Re: Scientology woo-woo meter

      You'll need to trace out the power circuit and draw a diagram if you can and post it, unfortunately the verbal description isn't enough to go on.

      Comment

      • budm
        Badcaps Legend
        • Feb 2010
        • 40746
        • USA

        #4
        Re: Scientology woo-woo meter

        Pictures of the inside the unit , please!
        Watch out the stranger outside your house if they know you have one of their magic box.
        How did you get the hold of it in the first place.
        Never stop learning
        Basic LCD TV and Monitor troubleshooting guides.
        http://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthr...956#post305956

        Voltage Regulator (LDO) testing:
        http://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthr...999#post300999

        Inverter testing using old CFL:
        http://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthr...er+testing+cfl

        Tear down pictures : Hit the ">" Show Albums and stories" on the left side
        http://s807.photobucket.com/user/budm/library/

        TV Factory reset codes listing:
        http://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=24809

        Comment

        • SteveNielsen
          Retired Tech
          • Jun 2012
          • 2327
          • USA

          #5
          Re: Scientology woo-woo meter

          I wonder if it would detect Zuul, who is inhabiting our fridge.

          Comment

          • mockingbird
            Badcaps Legend
            • Dec 2008
            • 5484
            • -

            #6
            Re: Scientology woo-woo meter

            You might get added to Scientology's Suppressive Person list just for posting this lol.

            Comment

            • redwire
              Badcaps Legend
              • Dec 2010
              • 3900
              • Canada

              #7
              Re: Scientology woo-woo meter

              I remember it's a skin galvanometer, a simple lie detector. It picks up skin resistance changes and can be fooled, but it does make people spill the beans during "auditing"...
              Something about the panel meter having a very specific response time and dynamics, so I think the operator is fiddling with the knobs, the meter is moving around so it looks like the aliens are part of the action...
              Schematic, patent etc. is here: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Secrets/E-Meter/

              Your meter looks like a "clarity meter" , whatever that is.
              Last edited by redwire; 02-19-2015, 10:45 PM.

              Comment

              • Agent24
                I see dead caps
                • Oct 2007
                • 4937
                • New Zealand

                #8
                Re: Scientology woo-woo meter

                Originally posted by Hondaman
                I plugged it in for hours, turned it on, unplugged it and turned it on, grabbed the "soup can" leads, twisted some dials, touched the alligator clips together, etc. but nothing happened. The meter needle didn't move.
                Try watching a few Tom Cruise DVDs first...

                The best feeling is obtained by watching them go in the garbage can though.
                "Tantalum for the brave, Solid Aluminium for the wise, Wet Electrolytic for the adventurous"
                -David VanHorn

                Comment

                • Hondaman
                  Badcaps Legend
                  • Sep 2008
                  • 1057
                  • USA

                  #9
                  Re: Scientology woo-woo meter

                  Pictures? I'll try. Hope I don't get into trouble for thread necro, this may take a LONG time. Looks like pots and multi-position switches were made by Allen-Bradley. Does anyone know how old those might be? Also it looks like switch terminals have multiple lugs, this could be time-consuming to draw out.

                  Thank you, redwire, I hadn't seen Professor Touretsky's page in a while. The "clarity meter" is for "Freezone" people who play "ghostbusters" among themselves for something like 90% lower fees. (Long ago, Larry Wollersheim won a court judgment against Scientology, but the "church" removed assets from their California corporation so there would be no money left to pay him. When nobody showed up at the bankruptcy auction, huge parts of LRH's "sacred scripture" [trust me, it's gibberish] became public domain. Anyway.....)

                  Would inkscape be a good choice when going from paper sketches to computer? Is there any other software I should consider for this? EDIT: TinyCAD? FreePCB? I don't need Ratdude's fancy software. If I can export to a format others can use (.SVG, .PDF, even 2-color JPEG) that is best.

                  Thanks!
                  Last edited by Hondaman; 02-20-2015, 01:41 AM. Reason: did my homework, searched for schematic/PCB software

                  Comment

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