Soon to be graduating engineer here. I've seen hundreds of these devices on ebay listed as "EMP test bulb generators", apparently for testing light bulbs or for electing enthusiast tinkering
Other sights Ive seen openly list them as cheating devices for slot machines. My question is, are they legal? Is there some FCC regulation against them? If so I would think ebay would shut the sellers down, but like I said there's hundreds of them.
Looks like easy money to me, but I wouldn't want to go to prison over opening an eBay store.
>>913671
Slot machines are computers now. There is no easy sort of manipulation you can do now that won't be detected or just cause it to crash. The only manipulation is around finding bugs in the program that aren't published and are patched quickly.
As far as bulb testers as intended? No idea. They are high voltage low current electicity. Never thought about if they are blasting enough noise to make the FCC care because they are usually novelties and couldn't really be tracked if you're only clicking it on one a month or once a year to do a science experiment for your class.
>>913671
It's a high voltage transformer...
think tesla coil... or like a slayer exciter circuit ionizes the low pressure gas in fluorescent bulbs ...
As far as slot machine cheating. I'm pretty sure that it's not gonna work even if you could get something like that to work security would carry you out within 2 min... cameras man :(
>>913684
>>913674
Oh I don't have any interest in using them for slot machines spoofing. I just want to bullied them and sell them as a side hustle to my engineering job. A seller on ebay that I looked into made a few thousand dollars selling them in about two weeks.
My only concern would be if some dumbass got caught with one in a casino and then having the FBI ask him where he got it from. I assume if they're listed as being for educational or recreational use they're okay then?
Ive built a handheld coilgun before (pic related) for a school project out of disposable camera parts and from what I can see its pretty much the same principles. I realize this thread my be a bit off topic for DIY purposes since I'm talking legal stuff but I'm extremely curious about this
>>913696
There are some amazon and ebay sellers on /biz/
you might have some luck asking there.
>>913696
Good luck beating china
>>913696
- its all in the description - so long as they are *not* being sold described as 'tool for specifically the following highly illegal use..' - youre fine.
eg - ebay them as "bulb annoyers", or indeed "EMP test bulb generators" - you have neither a problem with ebay, nor with idiots complaining they got dropped headfirst from the roof of a casino after waving EMP generators around like glowsticks.
Describe them as 'MagikFreeMoney VegasMachineFuxorers' - you be both bounced from ebay within, say, ten seconds - and, should some idiot have purchased before the inevitable - he can file complaint (with everyone..) as 'not fit for purpose', which I doubt they are either.
Same with anything, most 'legal highs' are sold as plantfood, furrexample - idiots want to smoke it-n-get-high? - aint your problem. But ebay are touchy af, you maybe get banned anyway if you were just sellling these, and nothing else.
>>913698
Thank you. I considered biz, and I frequent that board now and then but mostly it's just "buttcoinz!" 24/7
>>913699
Meh. Just looking to help pay rent and stuff while having fun tinkering.
>>913702
That's what I'm hoping. I mean shit, people sell worm sweaty socks to perverts on there all the time and get away with it.
>>913699
>Good luck beating china
this, honestly
If I wanted to make some money selling something like that, I'd just find a manufacturer willing to make it for me.
>>913704
OP here. Ebay limits new sellers to only 10 items per month or $1000 for a 90 day period. After you've built up a good reputation based on customer feedback you can apply to sell more.
I've seen these sell for $100 easy. Proubably like $15 in parts plus a little bit of soldering work resulting in an extra $1000 a month? I'm thinking that could be feasible and fun.
>>913705
ProTip: theres an 'increase my limits' link in your seller summary - if youve sold fuckall, usually gives the option of linking another ebay acc with good history - limits gone/matches limits on other account.
If youve sold 1/2 items/gotz feeedbak from these sales? - (usually) gives option of adress verification, ebay send a postal code, apply, limits raised.
Multiple ebay acc are legit, aint frowned upon either - the 'new seller' limits do ebay no good either, they are mainly just to cut out the 101% bangers and scammers, the 'slightly dubious, but should send you *something* for your cash..' sellers are greatly preferred.
Paypal, on the other hand.. new seller, forget seeing any cash at all for 21 days (srsly) - if you sell too much? - theyll keep that as well. Basically, they really, really do make up shit as they go along, complete and utter fuckmonkeys.
Above based on current UK ebay roolz, your own mileage may vary slightly, but, prob. SOP across the site. With general apologies for the perhaps vague-to-non-existent relevance to /diy/ as well, but, as also noted, the signal-to-garbage ratio on /biz/ is pretty poor, at best of times.
>>913716
Interesting, I hadn't heard that about paypal before. I assumed that once you made your account with them yu were good to go. Thank you.
Did some more reading on this. Does anyone know anything about FCC Guidlines regarding EM transmission? I've downloaded this PDF but I since I'm producing a magnetic field or at least a VERY weak amount of radio waves I don't know if it applies.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Documents/bulletins/oet63/oet63rev.pdf&ved=0ahUKEwiZ58KUqtXJAhVCbiYKHVruAcgQFggaMAA&usg=AFQjCNGFz8aJgo4SioHrR1mjsjH86A-kJQ&sig2=3QZ-clN4lJ-N9Z35d7ZoeA
>>913674
Slot tech here. Best you'd get with a high frequency generator like that is an audible buzz from the machine's speakers on the account of crappy audio amps.
Shielding and grounding are taken pretty seriously by manufacturers since a slot's chassis is generally metal and one might have a number of switchmode PSU's and CCFL inverters inside. Many ways for a user to get a shock if a malfunction were to happen.
Although, I've personally seen an issue on a machine from the 90s where a topper's 15W T8 bulb was going out and inducing a current in the wires running from the bill acceptor to the main PCB. As the communication was a simple serial protocol, it resulted in credits being added to the slot in the same fashion as someone was sticking bills in the acceptor.
I suppose faults like that might be the reason high frequency generators are still sold to saps as 'slot machine fuxxors'. Won't work on any machines from this century. You'll have more luck picking the locks and emptying the cashbox before the security detail decides to come over to your house for a cup of coffee and a chat.
>>913845
Interesting input. OP here. That's good to know that there shouldn't be any fear about it being tagged as a "casino fuxxor". Again, my intent would to sell them as bulb testers or educational devices, but the FCC rules on interference generating devices have me a bit miffed. $10,000 fine for each infraction, plus potential jail time. But since it's not a high power device maybe it wouldn't apply....
I dunno, it's 5 in the morning and my heads too out of it right now.
