Knowing that the original PKE meter was built from a shoe polisher…I went to the thrift store looking for other possible appliances. There, I found this Rowenta garment steamer. It had a nice shape and an area that looked perfect for a view screen with minimal work. I snatched it up for $2.92.
As you can see, with the brush and lint bar removed and holding it backwards it makes a perfect PKE shape.
Here it is dismantled into it’s main parts.
After about an hour of cutting and sanding I’ve removed the center section that the lint bar used to plug into. It’s got the perfect shape for a view screen and I can simply glue some translucent material behind the hole to simulate the screen and add some lights behind it.
My kids picked these light-up wands at a show and they’ve outlived their “fun use”. So I cannibalized one of them to use the LEDs…I liked how they lit up. So far no wiring or soldering needed…will be doing that when I swap out the switch for something different.
And finally, a video of the lights in action.
It got shelved and now ever since the