I discovered this week that a low end rotisserie motor matched up with a large hex key can equal enough deer deterrent noise and movement to keep those sweet potato leaf munchers away.

The noise interval is decreased down to a frequency of 1 hit every 25 seconds, which I think works better than the more constant banging approach I've taken in the past.

Two rotisserie motors hacked up in this manner might be even more effective by allowing for an easy way to adjust the timing. You could simply turn one off for a few seconds and then back on to keep even the most confident deer guessing and on his toes running away from your garden.

I decided my first attempt at making a do it yourself interval timer from one of these solid state units was worth another try, and then another one after that.

The units pictured above do about the same thing as the 32391 I tinkered with a little over a month ago.

I've still got this nagging feeling one of these can be modified to work as a functional interval timer, but I'm not sure what type of capacitor should be added or exactly how it would be wired to handle a 120 volt load.

This series of failures has prompted a completely new direction in regards to the locomotion behind the dc motor powered deer deterrent. This new design will provide a means to adjust interval timing without a complex circuit. Stay tuned for more details as the new prototype begins to take shape.

 

I've often wondered how effective a nice wind chime might be at scaring away deer from a garden.

Some environments will have enough steady wind to keep the chime banging, but if you live in an area with little or no wind this battery powered spinner is an option to consider.

This method should be considered experimental, and if any readers have had some success with keeping deer away with wind chimes I'd appreciate a comment on how long you've been solving the deer problem with this rather attractive approach.

Here's a short updated video of how the latest mechanical deer deterrent is faring after the winter. I've got it timed to miss the target from time to time in an effort to make the interval between hits a bit more random.