Simple Motor Masco G7

This instructable gives you step-by-step instructions on how to make a simple electric motor out of magnet wire and everyday objects. An electric motor converts electric energy into mechanical energy. In this project you will be taking the energy provided by the battery and turning it into mechanical energy in a magnet wire. In order to keep the motor spinning you must make it so that the energy source to the coiled up magnet wire “turns on and off.” We can achieve this by shaving the bottom half of of one of the wires so only half of it is exposed to the magnet at a time. Without doing this, the motor will not work.

Step 1: Gather Materials

-Measure the magnet wire to be a little more than the length of your arm. Cut it using the wire cutter.

Materials:
1 D cell battery

2 large paper clips

1 magnet

1 elastic 26 gage magnet wire (a little more than an arm's length)

Tools:

Wire cutters

Sand Paper

Step 2: Coiling the Magnet Wire

Tightly coil (wrap) the magnet wire around the battery. Be sure to coil it so that when you take it off of the battery it will be a single circle.

Step 3: Slide Coil Off of the Battery

Slide the magnet wire off of the battery. Try to make it so it is a tight circle. Do not put it down until you are done with step five.

Step 4: Separate

Separate the ends of the wire from the main circle

Step 5: Tying Wire

Wrap the ends of the wire around the circle of wire a few times in order to keep the circle from coming undone. Make sure that the ends of your wire are facing out and are facing the exact opposite direction.

Step 6: Sanding (Part I)

Using the sandpaper, completely remove the enamel (red coating) from ONE end of the wire (this means the end that has been wrapped around the circle of coiled up wire and not that circle itself). You will know it is complete when the entire length of the wire is a bronze color.

Step 7: Sanding (Part II)

Now sand the other end of the wire, but only sand half of it- either the bottom half or the top half. When you have completed the sanding you should look from one angle and see all red, and from the opposite angle you should see all bronze.

Step 8: Rotate Paperclip Loop

Next, take the large paper clips and rotate the larger “loop” of the paper clip 180 degrees. When you are rotating, it is important to rotate it so that the loops of the paper clips are parallel at all times.

Step 9: Paperclip Loop

Take the bottom half of the large loops and rotate it up so that it looks like there are three loops.

Step 10: Attaching the Paperclips

Using the elastic, attach the paper clips to the battery- one on the negative end and one on the positive end. They should both be parallel to the circular ends of the battery.

Step 11: Place Coil on Paperclips

Place the magnet wire on the loops that you made in step 8.

Step 12: Magnet Placement

Place the magnet directly under the magnet wire and in the center of the battery.

Step 13: Troubleshooting

1. If you cannot get your motor to work then it is possible that you did not sand close enough to the circular coil. To fix this you can simply wrap the end around the circle again until the sanded portion of the wire is touching the center, coiled up wire.

2. If you cannot get your paper clip on the positive end of the battery to stay in place, try placing the elastic a little below the the circle in the center of this end.

3. If your battery is too weak then the motor won’t work.

4. If you did not completely sand the enamel off of one end of the wire then electricity won’t be able to run through it like you need it to.

Step 14: Enhancements

1. Use 2 (or even more) magnets to increase the speed of your motor

2. Use the same basic design, except use two batteries. To do this line up the batteries so the positive end of one of them is back to back with the negative end of the other one.