Project name : Ferris Wheel

Areas Implying

Button
Motor

Description

A Ferris wheel that can turn itself when a person presses(hold) a button. There will be two layers of wheels; one with LED lights and one that looks like an actual Ferris wheel. Only the wheel without LED will spin since the LED lights need to connect wires. Each of the layers will have a motor, but they will be put together in one support fixture. The wires that are connected to motors can be hided in the support fixture, and buttons will be separated from the support fixture. Still, there will be wires connecting the buttons and the Ferris wheel inside the support fixture.

Step 1: Materials

Overall

Balsa Woods (4 inches wide, 36 inches tall)

Button

Cardboard
Copper tape

1~2 motor

Wires

About 10 Red for positive
Black for negative

Battery

a pair of AA batteries
More batteries to increase speed of wheel Less or weaker batteries to slow down

Glue gun

Drill

Box cutter

Step 2: Build First Layer of Wheel

3 major axis to make 6 angles(60 degrees each)
2 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Make a hole at the center of the axis to connect the parts
Use glue gun to attach the parts of the wheel
6 extra materials to connect edges of the wheel(doesn’t have to be a circle)

Step 3: Speed Check

Connect the wheel with motor and check the speed of rotation

If too fast, use smaller batteries
If too slow, add more batteries to the circuit
Use resistor/transistor in order to adjust power of electricity

Step 4: Second Layer & Finish the Wheel

Use 6 extra pieces of balsa woods(2" x 4") to connect two layers and build a three-dimensional wheel. The wheel will be more stable and artistic. In this step, be careful to glue so the layers don't fall apart. Also, make sure the distance between the wheel is constant so the wheel becomes straight and neat.

Step 5: Build Support Fixture

Cut a balsa wood into 2 pieces

12.5 inches long for bottom
23.5 inches long for main pillar

Combine two long pieces and a shorter piece to make a support fixture

Make second support fixture for opposite side of the wheel

Put motor into the fixture so it completely fits in.

Step 6: Combine All Parts

Almost there - time to build a Ferris Wheel!

Wheel
Support fixture(with motor)
circuit and button to activate motor

Last step :

Try out the activation of the project
Detect any problem that occurs and fix
- For example, the wheel might be conflict to the support fixture

Step 7: Finale

Since I took a lot of time to fix broken parts of the project, I could not put LED or sounds in the project. However, it is fortunate that the button and motor do their job. See the Ferris Wheel does work!