What is This?

Even clicking on the image for a larger view, its hard to see any detail - but your description sounds suspiciously like a bug!

It's a piece of "eye candy". About as sinister as a Hershey bar. Having them appear is a sure sign that grade-school age kids have been in/around the area where they're being found.

Around this area, the ones like in the picture can be had out of those "put in 50 cents and turn the handle to get a plastic egg-like thing with a prize inside" gumball-type machines. The catch is that they don't usually look exactly like the pictured one - Usually the item in the picture is press-fit into the back of some sort of image (think a "Hello, Kitty" head, ferinstance, or at halloween last year, they used small plastic jack-o-lanterns, and the flashing gizmos made the eyes light up), or similar kiddie-fare to add some pizzazz to an otherwise "Why should I put my quarters in the machine for something *THAT* stupid?" item. Knock the flasher loose from the item it's supposed to be jazzing up, and you have exactly what you show in the picture.

Kids often clip 'em to an ear, a bit of clothing, or whatever. (by pulling the magnet off the back, then sandwiching the "target item" between the magnet and the base)

Dunno what the name for them is, but twist the base tight to mash against the batteries, and if the batteries aren't dead already, depending on the precise variant involved, it'll sit there for a couple hours flashing anywhere from 3 to 10 tiny LEDs, usually in a "chaser lights" pattern of some sort.

(I've got a variation on the usual version that's pictured - Mine has a "bezel" of sorts stuck to it to make it an oval about an inch and a half long by 3/4 inch tall, and is printed with the name/logo of a band - When the base is screwed down tight, it powers up, and the LEDs "chase" through the band logo. )

Thank you for the reply.

But the thing doesnt light up. It doesnt seem to do anything. It's mostly made of metal (except for that cap or resin / plastic / glass) and I cant really see something like that put in a quarter vending machine. Also, although the components are really small to these old eyes, none of them look like LEDs to me.

thanks again,

b.

Then the batteries are dead. They're built *CHEAP* - As in a lot of 10K of the things can be had for a price that works out to something like 8 cents each - They're designed to be "giveaway"-level novelty items. You're not going to put a dollar battery in a device you intend to sell for a dime or less, are you? Neither is the outfit that makes them. Not surprisingly, the best "on time" I've seen out of one of them was about

Waste the money to put a fresh set of batteries in it (or rig yourself up some method of feeding it about 4.5 to 6 volts of DC) and it *WILL* light up exactly as described.

Whether you can "see it being put in a quarter machine" or not, they are

- routinely. Despite your (incorrect) doubts about the visible widgets being LEDs, that's what they are. They're just in a package you aren't familiar with.

thanks again. I'll give it a try. I happen to (indirectly) work for a major consumer battery manufacturer. I'm sure I can get some freebies.

b.

In message , I.F. writes

It's a flashing body ornament, nothing sinister at all the two halves are probably magnetic.