Noob question, How to give stuff away? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: I duz avionics
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 24, 2017, 09:59:14 am
content: Hi, This is a noob question but I have to start somewhere.I am shortly moving house, from Auckland, New Zealand to Palmerston North (Whenuapai Air Force Base to Ohakea Air Force Base).I have a shed full of hoarded bits-and-pieces which needs to be thinned out. I'm looking to give some things away, starting with the biggest item, a 2kW electric moped. The Buy-Sell-Swap forum doesn't seem to be the right place to just give stuff away. Once the moped goes I will be trying to give away several boxes of 'bits and pieces' from my life of hoarding robot building materials and 'box of bits' won't go well as a Buy-Sell-Swap listing.The moped is viable road transport provided you live somewhere flat-ish. It has a busted throttle handle which contains a permanent magnet on the twisty hand grip bit and a hall-effect sensor on the stationary part. As the throttle handle is turned, the magnet moves away from the hall effect sensor. Turns out that it is not fail safe in that if the twisty bit breaks off (as happened) and the hall effect sensor receives no magnetic field, it assumes full-throttle and the moped takes off (without rider and crashes in to a fence).Repairs required are to reassemble the several dozen shattered pieces of front fender and invent a repair for the throttle. I did buy a standard motorbike throttle handle which has the traditional cable attached. If you want to repair this moped you would have to invent a mechanism to connect the throttle cable to the magnet and arrange it properly next to the hall effect sensor. Or locate a replacement throttle, noting that most ones found on the internet use a variable resistor, not a hall effect sensor.Free to good home. I have allowed email replies in my profile so its first in first served, pick up only!.Of course my second noob question is how do I reply to forum posts by email? I guess I'll figure it out.Hope this fits at least partially in to the remit of this area of the forum.

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2017, 10:13:56 am
content: If there's no takers here then just chuck it up on trademe for a $1 reserve must pick up.There are no fees (unless you pay for extras, which you shouldn't, or accept Pay Now, which I wouldn't bother for a one-off) for sales $1 and less on trademe.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2017, 11:11:52 am
content: Offer them to a local HackSpace or Ham Society.

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2017, 12:45:46 pm
content: Oh that's genius, terrible design if it can take off when damaged and without rider but I imagine it had high comedic value.If you have one, a local hackspace might be interested...

author: GeorgeOfTheJungle
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2017, 12:50:29 pm
content: QuoteLOL that's funny.

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2017, 01:37:38 pm
content: See if you have a local Freecycle group in your area. Where I live that's how we get rid of some of our junk (Like an old inkjet printer we had) and I have even scored cool EIDE RAID cards from Promise.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2017, 02:09:38 pm
content: Quote from: I duz avionics on May 24, 2017, 09:59:14 amWelcome to the forum.Don't think you can. Just log in and at the top left of the page use the link to "Show new replies".That will throw you to another page with the list of unread replies which if you find this thread first and read this, of course it will no longer be on that list.If you can't find the link, there a little arrow on the top right that hides the top of the page or expands it.Regarding the Moped, Buy/Sell will be fine, just add FREE and be sure to come back and edit the first post if you find a home for it.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2017, 06:04:07 pm
content: I've given away several things in the buy/sell/trade section here. As long as it's vaguely related to engineering I don't see the problem.

author: I duz avionics
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 25, 2017, 08:12:32 am
content: I can laugh about it now. It must have looked pretty funny. It was a slow motion moment as I dove for the brake handle (that cuts off the motor) missed it and was immediately resigned to see it tootle off down the driveway and in to the fence. The acceleration was far better without the extra weight on board.