Dollar Store Ripoff -- "Digital Induction Pen"

[Corona688]

This bizzare contraption, manufactured by "gold tools" china, has the blade of a screwdriver and a black handle not unlike a digital pregnancy tester, a pair of important-looking buttons, no instructions, and a very important-sounding title. It costs $1.50 -- .50 more than you'd expect from a dollar store, but I got one anyway just to find out what the hell it actually does.

The answer is, it converts gullible people to money. You can assemble this thing out of leftovers and trash and nobody will notice the difference since it performs no function. Well, I suppose it's a decent enough screwdriver, but it's no digital induction pen... whatever the hell that is.

On taking it apart one soon learns that it's innards practically fall apart of their own accord -- not much holding it together -- and there's very little there. There's an LCD being held on by only half of the contacts needed to make one run, a board with no components on it, one single contact connecting to the screwdriver blade(why'd they even bother with that, I wonder?) and two "buttons" that are nothing but pure soft rubber, incapable of bridging any circuit.

[Ensign Steve]

That's funny. I thought gullible people were used to convert garbage into money. Shows what I know!

[pescifish]

The answer is, it converts gullible people to money.Exactly! You've discovered its function. As each piece falls to the side, it sends out its evil tendrils of mind control. :hypno: Soon, you will find yourself back in the dollar store, finding more of those products in excess of the promised dollar price. You will be compelled to purchase all of them. And you will be happy. Hysterically, inexplicably happy. :hysteric:

They don't call it "induction" for nuthin'!

[livius drusus]

So is it even a pen? From your description it sounded like just a screwdriver. :tmcnfusd:

[Maverick]

This bizzare contraption, manufactured by "gold tools" china, has the blade of a screwdriver and a black handle not unlike a digital pregnancy tester, a pair of important-looking buttons, no instructions, and a very important-sounding title. It costs $1.50 -- .50 more than you'd expect from a dollar store, but I got one anyway just to find out what the hell it actually does.

The answer is, it converts gullible people to money. You can assemble this thing out of leftovers and trash and nobody will notice the difference since it performs no function. Well, I suppose it's a decent enough screwdriver, but it's no digital induction pen... whatever the hell that is.

On taking it apart one soon learns that it's innards practically fall apart of their own accord -- not much holding it together -- and there's very little there. There's an LCD being held on by only half of the contacts needed to make one run, a board with no components on it, one single contact connecting to the screwdriver blade(why'd they even bother with that, I wonder?) and two "buttons" that are nothing but pure soft rubber, incapable of bridging any circuit.
Sounds similar to a circuit tester used to test for voltage. Since it has no instructions I would NOT suggest trying it on a live circuit though. The one I have has a LED and a chirp that sounds when a circuit is live. It also has a blade that you can insert into a receptacle.

[Corona688]

So is it even a pen? From your description it sounded like just a screwdriver. :tmcnfusd: Bingo.Sounds similar to a circuit tester used to test for voltage. Since it has no instructions I would NOT suggest trying it on a live circuit though. The one I have has a LED and a chirp that sounds when a circuit is live. It also has a blade that you can insert into a receptacle.I don't doubt it's constructed on the frame of something like that, but this device could not function in that fashion. It has no second lead or field coils or amplifying circuitry, hence it would need psychic powers to detect the presence or absence of electricity. It has no battery, buzzer, microchip, LEDs, or anything, just a shoddily-glued LCD with noticeable dents -- it wouldn't voom if you put 4,000 volts through it. In fact it has no active components of any kind; the switches are even fake. Whoever imported these probably thought they're as you describe, but they're more use for cleaning my fingernails than anything electric.

[Maverick]

Well, in that case, it's as you said, you just bought a fancy fingernail cleaner. Enjoy!

[livius drusus]

Fingernail cleaners are pretty cool, mind you. I prefer a brush to a screwdriver, personally, but either way, undernail hygiene is a worthwhile endeavor.

[wei yau]

Sounds like it is exactly as advertised:


digital: done with a finger
induction: inference of a generalized conclusion from particular instances

So, you were able to infer a generalized conclusion that this was a piece of garbage by using your fingers to take the damned thing apart.

Not a bad deal for a buck-and-a-half.

[Ensign Steve]

Except they lied about the "pen" part.

[LiveToRide]

Wow! You got a screwdriver for $1.50?? What a great deal! :D

[Shake]

I'm just hoping you weren't expecting something of any real quality from a dollar store!