# More Gemmy skull hack questions



## Ryan Wern (Dec 3, 2009)

OK, so this Gemmy skull dropper I've been working on is killing me. The toy motor circuit I built works but I was having trouble with a good power supply. Someone recomended that I use an ATX power supply. I just happened to have a broken PC in my garage that I stole the power supply and a fan from. Cool. The problem is that the stupid skull ran off of 4 AA batteries, which is 6VDC. The ATX power supply gives me a 3.3V, 5V, or 12V option! DOH! I was also told that this power supply worked for someone who had hacked one of these skulls before. Do I just use the 5V on the ATX or go buy a 6V wall wart and use the ATX for something else? Yes, it may seem like a dumb question but I've never done this hack before and you may know something that I don't. I'm trying not to spend $25.00 on a 6V power supply from Radio Shack.


----------



## SuperCreep31 (Nov 22, 2009)

im not entirely sure because i havent done that hack before but im guessing the 5 V would be okay... before you try it though, make sure someone confirms that because thats just my guess from prior knowledge.


----------



## randyaz (May 26, 2006)

it wont hurt to use the 5v off the ATX. DC motors arent to particular about the voltage...they just run faster or slower. Go ahead and give it a shot. You cant hurt it.


----------



## fritz42_male (May 5, 2009)

It's just that the PC PSU's are a bit overkill from both current and physical size. When you have it working to your satisfaction, search on eBay using the terms 'hard disk power supply' and you should be able to pick some of these up for under $5 each including carriage!

These PSUs come with standard PC type hard disk connectors so I'm altering my powered props to use these (Molex) connectors. Makes life easier.


----------



## Otaku (Dec 3, 2004)

Watch out for those R-S warts, they're usually not regulated. A 6VDC unregulated wart may have a 10VDC unloaded output. At their prices, you can get a much better deal ordering from someplace like All Electronics and get exactly what you want.


----------

