Have you ever been at a Carnival and played the original Loopz game over and over until you run out of money? Probably not, but with this DIY version of the original game, you can play this game wherever you are as many times as you would like without paying over and over again. This project is super simple and requires no soldering, so it is great to build with students. The total cost for this project is about $3-4 considering most of the materials you probably already have.

Created by the Think, Plan Create Clan as a part of our instructables sponsorship guide.

Step 1: Materials

You will need...

* A shoebox
* An electronic buzzer
* 20 gauge wire
* A 1.5v "D" battery
* Electric tape

Tools

* A wire stripper
* Hot Glue Gun (with glue)
* Scissors

Step 2: Preparing the Wires

Cut a piece of wire about 2 feet long and strip off all of the insulation. Bend the Wire into an "M shape leaving one side with about 8 inches and the other side with about 6 inches. Mark where you would like the wires to go into the shoebox, and using the scissors, poke a hole large enough for the wire in those spots. Place the wire in the holes so about five inches hang under on one side, and about two inches hang under on the other side. Hot glue the wires in place, and make sure they are stuck there so they don't wobble while you're playing the game.

Step 3: Preparing the Box

Mark and cut where you would like your buzzer to be, and secure it with a piece of electric tape, as shown in the picture. I put mine right in the middle so you can hear it really well. Mark and cut a hole for the wire that you guide through the maze to come through. Make sure the hole is big enough to give the guide wire a little bit of room so it move around freely.

Step 4: Making the Guide Wire

Cut a piece of wire about 1 1/2 feet long and strip off the last 4 inches on one end and about one inch off the other end. This will be the wire that you guide through the maze. Twist together the positive wire of the buzzer and the short stripped end of the guide wire as shown in the picture.

Step 5: Assembling the Circuit

Tape or hot glue the battery to the inside of the box on the side of the longer stripped wire. (look at picture for reference) Electric tape the negative wire of the buzzer to the negative side of the battery. Basically, this whole project is just a switch so when the guide wire touches the maze, the current is carried through the buzzer resulting in a loud buzz.

Step 6: Finishing

Make sure the long stripped wire is able to reach the battery, and electric tape it onto the positive side of the battery. Make sure this is a good connection, besause this is critical to the success of the project. Bend the long end of the guide wire into a circle around the track. Touch the guide wire against the track, and if you hear a buzz, it works! If not, you may want to check all of your connections and make sure the battery is fully charged.

Step 7: Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy playing with your Loopz game, and I hope you've learned about basic electronics. As you advance in electronics, you can add a switch to your game, and enhance it in other ways as well. Questions and Comments are appreciated so please post them below. Enjoy!

-Doctordv