Vibrating egg repair

Yes, the title is accurate. If you're not a fan of "pink" or are afraid to see a sex type toy opened up displaying the innards, then look away. These things have been hanging around my basement WAY too long, it's time to figure out if they are fixable or not.

My FB status was funny, I thought, even though it didn't get much attention. Several people liked it and then unliked it. And a few commented:

Friends, answer honestly. (This is a safe place, I've got a big pack of safety pins) Have you ever wondered what's inside a vibrating egg?

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 One hyperglycemic chick.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 10:58 · Edited

I always assumed Mexican jumping beans.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · Yesterday at 11:11

 Two ninjas fighting?

Unlike · Reply · 2 · Yesterday at 11:23

I opened one up. It took some work to do, it was well sealed. It's probably actually a "bullet", connected with wires to a battery pack and switch. There's quite a lot of variety in that switch, must be a circuit board in there. But since that works fine, the egg must be the problem. First, I split it via the seam in the middle, around the circumference, but it would not open, so hacking it longitudinally  got it open. All that's inside:

A little bitty motor with a weight on the shaft that is off center, to make it unbalanced. 

Shaft. LOL

I connected the motor to a 6 volt battery and it didn't turn. I couldn't get the shaft to turn at all, so I took it apart too....but alas, no pics. the case held onto the 2 magnets. and the wires were only connected to the plastic end cap, which had 2 copper pieces which went over the end of the shaft. Once the end cap came off, the shaft turned easily, but when put back on, still didn't run. Recycle bin for the motor, trash for the egg, it's only plastic.

The other was more fun, more exciting and more fulfilling. And it's PINK. I don't even remember where this one came from, it's been lying down there for a long time....long enough for the battery to leak. :( 

The youtube video I watched the other day came in handy: how to fix electronics when a battery leaks.

Clean it up with vinegar. Wash off the vinegar. Resolder the broken wires. Yes, it had broken wires, too. The wire going from the battery pack to the circuit board was broken. A wire to the motor was broken. The wire that looks like a loop to pull it out was broken off. Turns out that has another function: antennae for the remote control. It has a couple knots in it to keep it from coming loose from the case, so use in confidence that it won't come back. LOL

OH, if you have to resolder....you have to do more cleaning on those rivet battery terminals than just the vinegar. Scrape them to shiny metal before trying to solder them. 

I wound up replacing the wires from the battery to the board. And yes, those are Harbor Freight batteries. They test at nearly 2 volts.  The motor size is much different....a lot smaller here, but seems to work sufficiently well.  

I tried to count how many different settings this thing has, but after about 8 I get lost, or impatient, or confused. Pink has that effect on me.  There's a little gasket on the threaded part of the egg, and it has very fine threads....be careful with those....I'd think you'd want it to remain water proof.

This was a fun project...and I learned a few things, too.