Mother's Electric Fence Charger

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The circuit board can be obtained in several ways, as well. If you have some experience with electronic do-it-yourself projects, you may wish to make up your own from the full-size pattern shown below. (Even if you have absolutely no such experience, you could still try your hand at boardmaking, using a printed circuit kit available from Radio Shack.)

Another option is to buy a ready-made, predrilled board manufactured specifically for this project by Danocinths, Inc. (see the materials list for ordering information).

The rest of the job is easy: Simply insert the parts into their respective holes, following the layout guide. (Remember, it is critical that you observe the direction and polarity of the components.) Once the pieces are in place, use rosin-core solder and a small pencil iron to fasten them to the board. Try to avoid producing an excessive buildup of the conductive melt or allowing it to bridge two adjacent paths.

Next, cut five 12" lengths of 18- or 20gauge insulated wire and fasten them through the board's quintet of in-line holes . . . which lead to the ground, power, earth, and two coil terminals (it doesn't matter, at this point, which wire goes where). Then set the circuit board aside and begin assembling a protective enclosure for the electrical components.

Though any nonconductive material will do for this job, we chose to make a simple shed . . . using a 46" length of 1 X 5, a 7-1/2" X 14" piece of 3/4" plywood, an 18" scrap of 1 " corner molding, and a hunk of plexiglass measuring 9" X 15". (A piece of Masonite hardboard could be substituted for this last part, but only if it's sufficiently waterproofed first.)

Start by cutting the wooden parts to the sizes indicated in the diagram on the following page. Note that the two wall pieces and the corner moldings-will have to be mitered to 45 °. Then assemble the box, using No. 7 X 11/4" flathead wood screws where indicated and making sure that the heads are countersunk and the joints protected with putty or silicone sealant.

Now, drill two 1/4" holes (they'll accommodate the two battery terminals) through the right and left walls, and bore four more 1/4" openings through the back wall: one each for the high tension lead, the coil mount, and the earth terminal, plus a final hole, near the roof peak, to allow you to hang the unit. You can also, at this time, coat all the wooden parts with a protective water-repellent sealer such as polyurethane.

With that done, go on to trim the plexiglass face cover to size and prepare to install it to the front of the box with No. 4 X 3/8" roundhead wood screws. To make the assembly job easier, you'll probably want to cut the cover in half, horizontally, about 7" below its peak . . . and then mount the circuit board to the lower section of plexiglass with four No. 2 X 1-1/4" roundhead machine screws, nuts, and 1 " spacers. Then, while you're at it, install the toggle switch. (Before screwing either cover in place, though, be sure to run the proper wires to 1/4"-bolt negative battery and earth terminals, hook up the coil and mount it with another 1/4" fastener-making certain its high tension lead isn't routed near the sensitive electronic components as it passes through the back of the box-and wire the switch into the positive battery lead, at a point before the terminal, as shown in the illustration.)

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