Motor Projects

There are all sorts of fun things to make in the Motor Projects Kit.

For example: 3-wheeler vehicle; Jittering spaceman or creature; Spinning colour wheel; Spinning dice or game; Fan


		Jittering Spaceman


		Jittering Penguin

The spaceman or creature is drawn onto some card and then carefully cut out with scissors. It is best to fold the card in half and draw half of the spaceman then when you cut out with the card still folded you produce a symmetrical shape. Now decorate the spaceman by adding features to make it look more realistic eg. space suit etc.
The card spaceman is then stuck onto the foam block containing the motor using doubled over sticky tape - just like using double-sided tape.

This sketch shows a side view of the foam block with motor, battery and wires.
It is best to fit the motor in the opposite way so that the jittering spaceman balances more steadily otherwise he may fall over too easily when he starts to move!
When you take the motor out and fit it in from the opposite side take care to carefully disconnect the wires from the ends of the battery and then replace them so that they don’t get in the way when you stick on the card body.

the pulley pushes onto the motor axle - care not to push on too far or it may stop the motor axle from turning!

When the motor is switched on the pulley spins very quickly and smoothly but we want the motor to cause a large vibration which makes the whole model shake about.
We need to add an uneven weight to the pulley and this can be done very simply with a piece of blu tak. Roll out the blu tak to make a sausage shape then coil it round the groove in the pulley leaving more of it sticking out on one side compared to the other.
Now when you switch on the whole model should shake about. Take care because if the blu tak is not firmly pressed on it may shake off!
Try adjusting the blu tak to obtain just the right amount of vibration. Too much vibration my make the whole model fall over!


		Spinning Dice

	The motor has to be pushed in as shown in the left-hand picture to allow room for the large circle of card. The circle was made by drawing around an old cd taking care to mark the centre as well. Then cut out carefully using scissors. The circle can be coloured in or divided up in order to give six segments each with a number like a dice (die). A card pointer can be added so that when the motor is switched off and the wheel stops it points at the score. All sorts of spinners can be designed eg. with colours, shapes, names, forfeits, dares etc.


	This sketch shows two strips of sticky tape rolled over with the sticky side outwards. They are stuck onto a foam wheel and the card circle can be stuck on top. Take care to line up the card circle with the centre of the wheel or the whole thing will shake like the jittering model above! The black plastic pulley fits into the centre of the wheel and then pushes onto the motor axle.


	Spinning colour wheel


	Colour wheels are great fun and some amazing effects can be achieved eg. by using spirals or by concentric circles of colours. Simply use white or light coloured card and stick onto the foam wheel as for the spinning dice. Then use felt pens to gently touch the card circle while it is spinning. This produces circles of colour. It’s best not to use paint from a brush or it may splash all over!


	3 Wheeler vehicle


	This picture shows the motor in position ready to have the foam wheel pushed onto the plastic pulley and an extra axle fitted to accept two more wheels. The model shown has white wires and blue sleeves holding the wires to the paper fastener contacts but various types and colours of wires are used in different models. Your model might have brown or red sleeves and red wires.

		A pencil sharpener is used to partly sharpen the ends of the long wooden dowel axle. A sharp point is not required and will make it more difficult to fit the plastic axle clips which hold on the wheels. Gradually push and twist the dowel (twisting is very important as this helps keep the dowel moving in a straight line) into the foam block in the position shown in the bottom corner of the block. Care must be taken to miss the battery! The dowel will pass near to it but should not touch it!Make sure the axle is straight and that it sticks out evenly on either side of the block. Push a striped plastic tube (bearing) into the centre of each of two foam wheels. These bearings will help the wheels spin freely on the axles. Now fit the wheels onto the axle and carefully but firmly push on a small plastic tube axle clip onto the ends of the axle to stop the wheels from falling off.


	The completed vehicle. The metal fastener contact on the top of the battery is ready to hook under the elastic band and touch the battery contact. The vehicle won’t run very well on rough or uneven surfaces but should pick up speed on a smooth level floor.

		Adding a card body is the last part of the project. It can be quite tricky to cut a body which is the right shape to fit over the foam block but it is easy to hold it on using paper fasteners. The vehicle can be made to go forward or reverse by swapping over the plus and minus battery wires.

[Technology Tom] [Boxed Kits for sale] [Resources for sale] [INSET] [Science Investigations] [D and T Projects] [Spinner Game] [Playground Structures] [Vehicles] [Torches] [Pneumatic Monsters] [Buzzer Games] [Cams and Cranks] [Fairground Rides] [Rockets] [Roll Tube Structures] [Balloon Powered Vehicle] [Motor Projects] [Helicopters and Fliers] [WW2 Structures] [Stadium Project] [Silver Swan] [Leaning Tower] [New Projects] [Try this] [Basic vehicle assembly] [MPD Diploma] [Science shows]