An electric motor reduced to its essentials is a machine that turns energy into rotating motion. It achieves this by bringing a magnetic field to bear on a conductive winding. In industry we refer to these components as the rotor and the stator. Today, we describe how to build an electric motor you can demonstrate in science class to explain these principles.
Materials You Need to Build an Electric Motor
# A two-foot length of electric armature wire coated with enamel
# One size D battery that is new, and holds full charge on test
# Two shiny new un-coated paper clips without plastic coating
# A neodymium magnet from a hard drive. or a ceramic one
# A hobby knife with a fresh blade, and a small pair of side cutters
# A roll of one-inch-wide electricians tape, choose any color
6 Simple Steps to Build an Electric Motor Fast
Step 1: Wind a two-foot length of armature wire around the battery to create a coil. Try to avoid overlapping the wire. Have a three-inch length spare at either end
Step 2: Slide the winding off the battery. Now wind the loose ends around the winding to secure it. Do this at opposite sides. Straighten the remaining two-inch tails.
Step 3: Gently scrape one side of the coating off each two-inch tail using the hobby knife. Work carefully. Leave a half inch of the coating intact closest to the ring.
That is how you build an electric motor armature for this experiment. If you hold the tails between your fingers, you can spin it. Your next step is to spin it using electricity.
Step 4: Create the motor bearings by opening one end of each paper clip. Tape the open ends of the clips to opposite battery terminals to make three sides of a square.
Step 5: Pass the winding tails through the open rings of the paper clips, to assemble the armature. Try to spin it gently. Make sure the scraped wire touches the clips alternately.
Step 6: Make adjustments as necessary until you have a freely spinning rotor. Finally, hold the magnet over the top of the winding to start it spinning gently.
The magnet is the stator, and the winding is the rotor of your electric motor. You may have to tap the rotor gently to get it spinning. Try different thickness wires and lengths for the winding until you get the right combination. That’s how science works.
Related
How to Make a Simple Electric Motor
DC Motor Made from Stuff Lying Around the House
Preview Image: Stator and Rotor of an Electric Motor
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