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Project Summary

Difficulty	6  –  7
Time required	Average (about one week)
Prerequisites	None
Material Availability	Specialty items: You will need a switch motor kit, ready for assembly. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.
Cost	High ($100 - $150)
Safety	Minor injury is possible, so be sure to wear safety goggles. Adult supervision is recommended.

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Abstract

Objective

The objective of this science fair project is to build a simple DC motor using an electromagnet and a reed switch. You will explore the effect of voltage on motor speed.

Introduction

Motors that use direct current (DC) voltage are found in many familiar items, such as electric shavers, battery-powered drills, and the fans in laptop computers. DC voltage does not alternate with time. For example, a 9-volt (V) battery has a constant voltage difference between its positive and negative terminals of 9 V. A graph of the voltage at the positive terminal vs. time would be a straight line at 9 V. Alternating current, on the other hand, fluctuates between positive and negative values. The current that powers the outlets in your house is AC current. If you graphed the voltage supplied by the outlet, it would be a sine curve, alternating between positive and negative voltages about 60 times per second (sec). The number of times the AC current changes from positive to negative in 1 sec is called its frequency. The unit for frequency is the hertz (Hz), where 1 Hz is 1 cycle per sec.

In this science fair project, you will make a simple DC motor. The key parts of the DC motor are an electromagnet, a rotating shaft that has attached permanent magnets, and a reed switch. Let's go over each of these separately. In this science fair project, the electromagnet is made by wrapping wire around a nail. When a current passes through the wires that are wrapped around the nail, the nail becomes a magnet. When the current is turned off, the nail loses its magnetism. The strength of the electromagnet depends on the number of times the wire is wrapped around it and on the level of the current. When the electromagnet is turned on, it pushes against the permanent magnets that are attached to a rotating shaft. Permanent magnets' magnetism does not depend on electric current. If you are interested in experimenting with the parameters that govern the strength of electromagnets, check out this Science Buddies project: The Strength of an Electromagnet.

The trick to getting the shaft to spin is to turn the electromagnet on in such a way that it pushes against the permanent magnets, causing the shaft to turn, and then turning the electromagnet off, so that the permanent magnet can freely pass by the electromagnet. This cycle is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. This diagram shows the principles of operation of a simple DC motor. The electromagnet switches on and off. When it is on, it pushes against the permanent magnets that are attached to the rotating shaft (A and C in the diagram). When the electromagnet is off, the magnets are free to rotate past the electromagnet (B and D in the diagram). The electromagnet is switched on and off by the reed switch. When a magnet is near the reed switch, it causes the switch to close. When the switch is closed, current flows through the wires around the electromagnet, turning it on. When the permanent magnet rotates away from the reed switch, the switch opens, shutting off current to the electromagnet. The cycle repeats continuously. There can be more than two permanent magnets on the rotating shaft. Note that the reed switch is placed somewhat below the midpoint of the rotating shaft so that the impulse given by the electromagnet occurs slightly after the permanent magnet has passed.

This design is well-suited for learning about how electric motors work because of its simplicity. The reed switch responds to nearby magnets. When a magnet gets near it, the reed switch closes. When the reed switch is closed, the electromagnet is turned on. So the magnets attached to the rotating shaft are doing double duty: they close the reed switch when they pass near it, and they respond to the push from the electromagnet when it is switched on.

The electromagnet is set up so that the side near the rotating shaft has the same polarity (north or south pole) as the side of the permanent magnet that faces out from the rotating shaft. In the kit you will buy, the permanent magnets have their south poles facing outward. The electromagnet's south pole is at the end near the rotating shaft. When two magnets are brought close to each other, opposite magnetic fields attract each other and identical magnetic fields repel each other. So when the electromagnet is turned on, it repels the magnet attached to the rotating shaft, providing the force to keep the motor working. The reed switch then opens when the permanent magnet on the opposite side of the shaft rotates away from the reed switch. With the switch open, the permanent magnet approaching the electromagnet can pass by the electromagnet with out being repelled. The cycle of opening and closing of the reed switch is timed so that the electromagnet provides a push, at just the right time, to the passing magnet on the rotating shaft, to keep the shaft spinning.

The experimental procedure is based on a kit you can buy that has all of the parts ready-made. This will allow you to make the motor and start your experiments fairly quickly. Once you have the motor working, you will test how changing the voltage affects the speed of the motor. Making the motor is one goal of this science fair project. The other goal is to determine how the voltage affects the spin rate. To do that, you will need a way to measure how fast the motor is turning. There are a number of ways to do this. The method outlined in the experimental procedure involves using an inexpensive optical tachometer. The tachometer measures the rate at which a spinning object blocks a bright light. By attaching a cardboard "propeller" to your motor, you can measure the spin rate of the rotating shaft.

Terms, Concepts and Questions to Start Background Research

• Electric motor
• Direct current (DC)
• DC voltage
• Alternating current (AC)
• Sine curve
• Frequency
• Hertz (Hz)
• Electromagnet
• Permanent magnet
• Reed switch
• Polarity
• Tachometer
• Generator
• Torque

Questions

• What is an electromagnet?
• How does magnet wire differ from other kinds of wire?
• How does the frequency of the reed switch cycle compare with the frequency of rotation of the motor shaft? (Hint: How many times does the switch open and close each time the shaft completes one full turn?)
• How could a DC motor be used to generate a voltage (that is, as a generator)?

Bibliography

• Pozmantir, Serge and Pozmantir, Stan. (2007, February 24). Simple Electric Motors. Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www.simplemotor.com
• HowStuffWorks.com. (2009). How electric motors work. Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www.howstuffworks.com/motor.htm
• Nave, C.R. (n.d.). Electric Motors. Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/magnetic/elemot.html

One of the variations suggests ways to determine the rotation rate by recording the motor's sound. The sound file can be analyzed using various programs. For example, the program Audacity, a free audio editor and recorder:

• Audacity. (n.d.). Audacity: The Free, Cross-Platform Sound Editor. Retrieved April 6, 2009, from audacity.sourceforge.net

Winscope is a program that displays voltage changes over time. It was designed by Konstantin Zeldovich and he has distributed it as freeware. You can use Winscope to obtain the spin rate of your motor. It can be downloaded from several places on the Internet. Here are two websites:

• Mitedu. (2007). Downloads: Winscope. Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www.mitedu.freeserve.co.uk/Downloads/download.htm
• Engineering Lab, San Francisco State University. (n.d.). Download WINSCOPE. Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://online.sfsu.edu/~larryk/engr301/engr301.htm

Materials and Equipment

• Electric motor Kit #1; available from www.simplemotor.com, click "Ordering Information" on the left, and select "Kit 1."
• Newspaper, scrap
• Ruler, metric
• Cardboard (1 small piece)
• Safety goggles
• AA batteries, new (4)
• Optical tachometer; available from online retailers, such as Tower Hobbies at www.towerhobbies.com, model # LXPT31
• Lab notebook
• Graph paper

Disclaimer: Science Buddies occasionally provides information (such as part numbers, supplier names, and supplier weblinks) to assist our users in locating specialty items for individual projects. The information is provided solely as a convenience to our users. We do our best to make sure that part numbers and descriptions are accurate when first listed. However, since part numbers do change as items are obsoleted or improved, please send us an email if you run across any parts that are no longer available. We also do our best to make sure that any listed supplier provides prompt, courteous service. Science Buddies receives no consideration, financial or otherwise, from suppliers for these listings. (The sole exception is any Amazon.com or Barnes&Noble.com link.) If you have any comments (positive or negative) related to purchases you've made for science fair projects from recommendations on our site, please let us know. Write to us at scibuddy@sciencebuddies.org.

Experimental Procedure

1. This science fair project involves super glue, so first cover the work surface with newspaper.
2. Build the motor following the directions that come with the kit.

Figure 2. Picture of an assembled reed switch motor and the battery case.

Measuring the Motor Speed

1. Attach a piece of cardboard to the shaft to create your propeller. Try a 10-cm x 3-cm rectangle to begin with, but feel free to experiment with other sizes and shapes. The cardboard propeller should be free to rotate.
2. Put on the safety goggles. It is a good idea to wear eye protection any time you are working with rapidly spinning objects.
3. Add all four batteries to the battery holder (for a total of 6 V).
4. Use the tachometer to measure the rate of rotation.
   1. Follow the directions that come with the tachometer.
   2. The tachometer is sensitive to the 60 Hz (3600 cycles per minute) flicker in artificial light. Make your measurements in a room lit with sunlight.
   3. Remember that the propeller will be counted two times for every one turn of the motor shaft.
5. Record the spin rate and voltage in your lab notebook.
6. Repeat the measurement of spin rate at 4.5 V, 3 V, and 1.5 V.
   1. Follow the directions in the motor kit instructions to change the voltage. This involves removing batteries from the battery holder. One battery has 1.5 V, two batteries have 3 V, and 3 batteries have 4.5 V.
   2. You can also try using a variable voltage source.
7. Repeat your readings so that you have data from at least three trials.
8. Average your results and record the results in your lab notebook.
9. Graph the voltage vs. the spin rate.

Variations

• How does adding weight (load) to the propeller affect the spin rate? How does changing the size or shape of the propeller affect its spin rate?
• Devise a way to measure the torque, or twisting force, of the motor. You might try attaching a string to the motor shaft and seeing how much mass it will lift. How does changing the voltage affect the torque of the motor? (Note: look up the equation that relates torque to the radius of the shaft and the amount of weight lifted).
• Use a multimeter to measure the voltage and current in the motor circuit. Most models from a hardware or auto supply store will be suitable for this project. You can also buy one online; for example, the Equus 3320 Auto-Ranging Digital Multimeter, available from www.amazon.com. How does the spin rate vary with the current through the circuit?
• Can the motor be used as a generator? How does the spin rate affect the generated voltage?
• Download Winscope and use your computer to analyze the voltage signals in your motor. This method is inexpensive, gives you very accurate readings for the rate at which the reed switch is cycling, and also provides graphic information about how the voltage varies with time. Two sites where you can download Winscope are provided in the Bibliography. You will need a wire and 3.5-mm jack that connects to your PC. The wire from an inexpensive microphone will work. What does the voltage-time curve look like?
• Use a stroboscope to determine the spin rate. These tend to be quite expensive, so see if you can borrow one.
• Another way to measure the spin rate is to record the motor's sound and then analyze the sound file. The sound file can be analyzed using various programs. For example, the program Audacity, a free audio editor and recorder, can be used. Audacity can be downloaded from audacity.sourceforge.net.

• For more science project ideas in this area of science, see Electricity & Electronics Project Ideas.

Credits

David B. Whyte, PhD, Science Buddies

Last edit date: 2009-04-16 11:56:00

Career Focus

If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring careers in Electricity & Electronics.

	Electrician Electricians are the people who bring electricity to our homes, schools, businesses, public spaces, and streets—lighting up our world, keeping the indoor temperature comfortable, and powering TVs, computers, and all sorts of machines that make life better. Electricians install and maintain the wiring and equipment that carries electricity, and they also fix electrical machines.			Electrical and Electronics Engineer Just as a potter forms clay, or a steel worker molds molten steel, electrical and electronics engineers gather and shape electricity and use it to make products that transmit power or transmit information. Electrical and electronics engineers may specialize in one of the millions of products that make or use electricity, like cell phones, electric motors, microwaves, medical instruments, airline navigation system, or handheld games.
	Electrical Engineering Technician Electrical engineering technicians help design, test, and manufacture electrical and electronic equipment. These people are part of the team of engineers and research scientists that keep our high-tech world going and moving forward.			Commercial and Industrial Designer Have you always loved art? Do you have a good eye for beauty, balance, and form? How would you like to see your designs show up in toy stores? Or in a sporting goods store? Or at a car dealer? Commercial and industrial designers create the shape and form of every type of manufactured good that you can think of—from toys, sporting goods, and medical equipment to high technology products, furniture, toothbrushes, and toasters. They design the form of new products that are as beautiful and pleasing to look at as they are functional.
	Semiconductor Processor What do traffic lights, lasers, and microchips have in common? They are made from special materials called semiconductors. Semiconductors have helped revolutionize technology. If you enjoy hands-on work and are interested in participating in cutting-edge semiconductor technology, then a career as a semiconductor processor maybe of interest to you!

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