Dr. Cheap's House of Hacks

Glade Oil Warmer 12V Mod

Circa 2001

FINE PRINT: Glade(tm) and PlugIns(tm) are trademarks of SC Johnson, A Family Company. I release them from liability for any stupidity on my part for misusing one of their products in such a way that may be considered dangerous.

Okay, so I'm trying to figure out what this funky smell is that burns my nose every now and then. After a week or two I finally realize it's my Glade PlugIns Scented Oil warmer thingy. I tried a new flavor, but it still bothered my nose & eyes after a short while.

So I am thinking, this thing would be just about the right strength for a room the size of an average 2 story house. It even says on their web site "for larger rooms" which this room is not (11x11x8 ft). So I figure 1/10 the smell would be just about right.

How does one get that? With math! Yeah, I minored in math, which authorizes me to do complex calculations like the following:

             Given: Wall socket = 120V
             Given: Oil warmer rating = 120V
          Observed: Spare wall-wart on shelf rated 12V
           Derived: 12V/120V = 1/10
         Therefore: Oil warmer wired to wall-wart gives 1/10 fragrance output

Skipping all the boring steps of creation, here's the finished product plugged in to the outlet.

After running for quite some time it hasn't blown up, caught on fire, or otherwise had any core meltdowns. And to top it off, the smell is very faint, which was the original intention.

Woohoo!

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