Paper Clip Motor

[sarid18]

QUESTION: WHY THE MARKER AND THE KNIFE?

[FlyByPC]

@sarid18 The marker really isn't needed (except that it can make a useful wire form); the knife is used to scrape away the enamel insulation on the ends of the wire, so it can make contact with the paper clips.

[stormbytes]

why why why such hideous noise for a "soundtrack" ??

[skierplaterandy]

that might wreck the springs in the breadboard, they arent supposed to fit thick objects like saftey pins

[FlyByPC]

True -- but at $4 or so for the breadboard, it was worth it. You can get away with it for a few times before the sockets get too loose.

[skierplaterandy]

yea i have a breadboard i have had for awhile(my only 1) and i didnt have very good wires. eventually i got some solid core wire for hookups bit i didnt realize it was too high gauge untill i found out it was hard to put it in. i have some really screwed up holes now. i wanna order 2 more and slot them all together for big projects (or lots of little organized ones)

[FlyByPC]

Try mpja (.) com; they have them for cheap.

[phobiamanjim]

great!

[sharkloan12]

lolz, u could be shock with the electric u use... there was spark coming out. try to touch the paperclip and u will die or send to the hospital.

[FlyByPC]

The power supply only puts out 13.8 volts -- not enough to shock you. Even if the sudden interruption of current flow causes an inductive voltage spike, I doubt it would have anywhere near enough energy to be dangerous.

[sharkloan12]

but it still can shock u..

[FlyByPC]

You wouldn't even feel 13.8 volts, so not really. Given a typical human-skin resistance of around 100kohms or so, the current flow would be well under a milliamp. This is one of the reasons they use 12-14V in cars; there's no danger of being shocked.

[sharkloan12]

wont u feel hot??? coz when i connect a battery with + and - the wire got a little bit hot.

[coughyouallsuck]

wow. learn electricity first lol shark. when you get the wire on the battery without any loads in between, ur short circuiting the system, and the wire goes hot.

the sparks are just electricity flying through the air, nothing more.

and technically, its not volts that kill; you can have 2000V and not die. but if you have just 0.16A or so you will die.

[beeaich]

@coughyouallsuck , but given that whatever path on the body you choose has a certain resistance (impedance actually but whatever), you need a certain voltage to force the flow.

And what about 0.16A flowing from one finger to another (same hand)? That would not kill you.

Given that what you usually control DIRECTLY is voltage, I say -frying a finger or other, is done by applying voltage.

Actual amperage depends on where and how you apply it.

[hpjc10]

do a little research about how motors and electricity work... we are actually building motors in Physics class and im looking for a good design...

[Blackmetalstudios]

It hurts if you put it in your tounge

[FlyByPC]

Um, yeah. I figure pain is Nature's way of saying "Don't do that!"

[rantaoca]

haha, he just got pwned =D

[acarizza]

cool music xD

[nochjemand]

nice..and fast =P

[FlyByPC]

The trick is getting it balanced correctly.

[tycoonmusicluver]

y doesnt that shock you?

[FlyByPC]

Not enough voltage -- and I wasn't touching it in more than one place, in any event. To receive an electric shock, you would need more than about 30 volts or so, plus a complete path for the current.

[superempere]

cool!

[STproductionsTS]

i tryed that before it was fun but it didnt work so well but it was fun i used a batery and a magnet and all of that

[wiidaniel0]

nice job well done well done

[lowIQ04]

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[Ebaum744]

i did the exact opposite as a science fair thing, instead of creating propulsion, i created electricity, if you spin the spindle of an electric motor, it will generate electricity, it was pretty cool, it was just build to a larger scale than this

[luisfcayo]

There was an article during the 1950 in Life magazine about motors and it shows how to make one just like this... I remember reading my grandpa's Life collection and making one of this experiments when I was 9 years old, very interesting.

[mikynone]

haha

[thesegreeneyes92]

Hey, it says in the discription that you used a magnet, but I don't see where?

[FlyByPC]

The rectangular black base contains a magnet. (It's the base for a Super Levitron.)

[thesegreeneyes92]

Ohhh, okay, that makes sense. Thanks alot. :)

[paulbruno1234]

od u happen to be in an electrical engineering program I just started and i see u got ur leads and ur soldereless wiring board there just a thought lol

[yoli09]

whoo sparks:)

[craized247]

lol sparks lol... but DAMN!!!! that repeditive song

[CaptainZeep]

FAKE!

[FlyByPC]

Other than having sped up the video by a few percent to help with the boredom factor, what you see is what you get. Quite honestly, if I were going to fake something, I'd go for something a bit more exciting than a spinning coil of copper wire. What makes you say it's fake?

[CaptainZeep]

The current would have KILLED you.  I know.

[FlyByPC]

13.8 volts? Killed me? You need a bit more than that to be dangerous...

[CaptainZeep]

Nope.  13.8V=dead. forever.

[DarkestFireWings]

isnt it amps you need to worry 'bout?

DFW

[FlyByPC]

Yes, amps - and not volts - kill. But given that the human body has a high resistance (about 100k Ohms or so), it takes a high voltage to produce that amount of current. 13.8 volts across 100k ohms will only produce 138 microamps or so. (...wetting my fingertips and clamping the leads directly onto them.) Roughly 60 milliamps (60,000 microamps) is generally considered lethal. To produce this across a human body, you would need a lot more than 13.8V. Look up "Electric shock" on Wikipedia.

[FlyByPC]

(Source: Multimeter measurements, and my own background in Electrical Engineering Technology.)

[DarkestFireWings]

Thanks for the info, dude!

DFW 'this is what my bro does, if you don't see that, it's me =)]

[joeyisfunny]

Yes, but those power supplies put out 4-14 amps usually right?? How can u measure that amperage through the body when the body's resistance is taken into account?

[FlyByPC]

Ohm's Law applies here. If you know two of voltage, amperage, and resistance, you can determine the third mathematically. This power supply is capable of ten amps current -- into a low enough resistance (about 1.4 ohms).

Ohm's Law states (in one form) that Current(in amps)=Voltage(in volts)/Resistance(in ohms).

Suppose the power supply puts out 14V and the body's resistance is 100kOhms. Therefore, the current will be 14/100,000 = 0.00014 amps (0.14 milliamps, or 140 microamps.)

[joeyisfunny]

Im not 100% sure, but I think you are wrong. The power supply has its own amperage rating. Wouldnt it just drop the amps from the supply? You can just say V=IR and not take the supply amps into account! Im an electrical engineering student myself at ga tech, but Ive never thought it this type of problem!

[FlyByPC]

The power supply's amperage rating is a limit. The power supply is designed to provide 13.8 volts at any amperage up to the 10-amp limit. What amperage that is, depends on what resistance is connected across the supply.

Don't believe me? Try it for yourself! Your electronics lab should have an adjustable power supply. Set it to 13.8V and connect a microammeter in series with the power supply and yourself (use a 100k resistor if you prefer.) I get 40-41 microamps of current, trying it at home.

[joeyisfunny]

Ohh I see how it works. I thought it was a constant mains amp rating output :) Thanks for clearing that up!!!

[SkyBladeXD]

its real i did it for a class project at school

[CaptainZeep]

Consider yourself lucky to be able to tell the tale.

[WTFmynamesaregone]

Depending on the amps, 13.8 volts can only lead to muscle contractions on the higher end of things. It will probably hurt like hell, but its not gonna kill you.

[FlyByPC]

It wouldn't even hurt (unless you did something crazy like connect it to needles and stick them into yourself). If you touch both terminals of a disconnected (but charged) car battery, you won't feel a thing. With the body's 100kOhm resistance (or so), there will be hardly any current flowing. (Ohm's Law.)

[bahane]

volts do not kill ask any mecanik whos had the ht from a car ams do on the other hand kill.

nice work

[jackdufus]

i have the same pocket knife :)

[boep3000]

that was cool but i allready have that but i didnt make it becouse i was confused but now i now egg sacly wat to do thanx

[cheddarbiskit1]

a way to thoroughly remove the lacquer is to burn it off with a propane flame to minimize the amount of soot left on the copper and then wipe it with a damp rag and then dip it in ketchup, let it set for a minute and then rinse it off.

[zinvor123]

Hello, Thank you for the video. Im not too familiar with these stuff and i was hoping u could answer some questions.

1) Its called an electric "motor" does it mean it can generate AC curent? If not then why is it a "motor" ?

2) 1:47 to 2:12. What is it that your doing with the marker and the pocket knife?

3)Shouldnt there be a magnet or someting?

I would appreciate it if you could answer these questions because I need to do such an experiment for my physics class.

Thanks.

[trau07]

1. Motors do not generate AC current. That's what a generator, or more specifically an alternator does. A motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy through electromotive force, which is demonstrated in this video.

2. between 1:47 and 2:12, he is using the knife to remove insulating enamel off of the copper wire, so that it may conduct electricity.

3. There is a magnet. The large grey block that he holds the set up over is a magnet.

[Fresh525]

Very Insightful

[shabadoodooroB]

that looked cool !sparks!

[jnbjabnk]

what wire did you used

[FlyByPC]

The large-gauge enameled wire from Radio Shack. It comes in a pack of three gauges -- green, red, and clear enamel; this was the clear wire (the largest gauge, so it holds its shape well.)

[blazeryboy]

u shud make a bend on the sides so its wont fall off when moving it ^^

[steve062989]

i've got that same power supply i think... or something similar..

[FlyByPC]

Yep -- it's a Radio Shack special, so that's definitely possible.

[steve062989]

mines never given me a problem.

[heggarsradio]

You have got to be careful, It's not the Voltage that kills people it's the Amp's. I think I'm right in saying that only 0.06 Amps will kill you stone dead!!! Sounds like the power supplies your talking about are for Ham radio, some of the supplies will pump out as much current as their needed to, until they blow the fuse or the demand is stopped.

[FlyByPC]

Well, yes -- but given that the human body has a certain resistance, you do need enough voltage to produce the right amount of amperage. 13.8 volts just won't do it, no matter how many amps the power supply can produce; your body's resistance will limit the current to next to nothing. For instance, you can grab both terminals of a 12V car battery with no ill effects, even though that battery can produce hundreds of amps when used to start the car. I=E/R due to Ohm's Law etc.

[crapkillerz]

So the 3 amp one for 50 bucks is good enough? and thnks for all the help...

[crapkillerz]

I want to get one, which one do you think i should get(of the first few...)

radioshack website and /search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=­dc%20power%20supply&origkw=dc%­20power%20supply&sr=1

and how to you hook a wire up to those red and black stub things?  you stick a wire in it? thanks

[FlyByPC]

Well, even the 10-amp one that I have is overkill. Anything rated at least one amp should be capable of running a small wire motor like this. You could probably get it to run with a few batteries; I just figured that more power == more fun. That large 25-amp supply would be overkill, but it would work nicely. The connectors are standard banana plug jacks; you can clip an alligator lead onto them, or unscrew them and hook a stripped wire directly to them (they screw back down to secure the wire).

[crapkillerz]

So, is that dangerous or is it only dangerous as AC at high amp?

[FlyByPC]

It only runs at 13.8V, so it's not very dangerous. At least it doesn't have enough voltage to shock you -- and the power supply would probably shut down (blow a fuse) before it caused a fire or anything like that, if there was a short circuit.

[crapkillerz]

What is the power source is it like connected to a wall socket?

[FlyByPC]

The circuit is powered by the 13.8V DC power supply (the grey box in the background). That supply is run on AC current. AC current would be a bad idea in a circuit like this; the resistance of the coil is very low, so there would be a lot of current. If you're lucky, you would only blow the circuit breaker. It could start a fire if you used straight AC. Besides, the motor is a DC current design.

[NuclearWarhead2323]

o.o looks like you gotz some wire rapped around a pen there. niiiiice....

[Ipkissed]

very cool i like how simple but yet how fun it must be to make one

-captain obvious-

[metamaterial]

I thought I recognized the Levitron base... as I recall it's a donut-and-hole, so you could get it lower.

Or improvise a pole-piece.

[FlyByPC]

There are lots of models of Levitrons; this one is the original "Super Levitron" base. I haven't cracked it open to see what the configuration is, but the plastic base itself isn't designed to come apart like some of the newer round ones.

[TitzerJung]

Cool i must make this too, everytime....

[FlyByPC]

It might not be apparent in the movie, but the base is a strong magnet; you need that (or another coil) to make the motor work.

[petejt]

cool. I read how to do this in a book, but still it's cool to see it done.

what's the song?

[FlyByPC]

The song is "Anger Management" from stock20(dot)com. Royalty-free music for $7 a title; hard to beat that...

[kelinayn13]

haha dude i did that for tech lab last year we did the same thing but we had to put 2 paper clips on a D battery with rubber band and conect the ends of the battery with enammled wire (insillated wire w/e u wanna call it) to the paper clips but still pretty sweet. lol

[evildeath3ever]

i don't get how is the megnitism created by copper wire and ??

[FlyByPC]

The black base is a strong magnet (from a Levitron). That, combined with the current flowing through the coiled wire, produces the electromagnetic force.

[error204]

any use?

[FlyByPC]

It's mostly a demonstration. It would need reworking to really be able to use it (lengthen the wire and add a small fan or something, maybe.)

[error204]

ooh cooold :D i thought it was just "look it moves"

thanks

[micheldezanger]

nice

[Marco0618]

smart

[curlt504]

Dude, get a Capacitor and wire it backwards using those leads. Make sure your holding the capacitor though.

[FlyByPC]

I thought you needed a permit to use "blasting caps" <g>

[dingdongdip45]

all it is is eletrical curents

[octanetripledax]

I made one when i was in 3rd grade, but still, pretty cool.

[FlyByPC]

Yeah -- it ain't quantum physics, just fun with electricity. 8-)

[whitehendrix24]

all you need is like a D battery! Thats way to much power for that little amount of wire

[FlyByPC]

Way too much power? ...but that's the point! 8-)

[wildweelz]

pretty cool. there was like sparks evrewhere

[tokiohotelchik]

realy cool!! it was spinning!!:O

[FlyByPC]

It's a motor; that's its job. Glad you liked it.

[tokiohotelchik]

mee 2 im glad that your glad that i liked it:)

[mctavish1979]

that was the dullest crap. i have seen on the web.i cant beleave i watched that you just waisted 4mins of my life.

[FlyByPC]

To each his own -- if you don't like it, change the channel. (You do get to choose what you watch, you know.)

[gizzmo1234567890]

that cool

[locouk]

is this a guidance system for Bin Laden's weapons of mass destruction?

[FlyByPC]

No. Unlike any WMDs found in Iraq, this motor exists!

[JetboyAUS]

That actually made me laugh out loud. Nice video btw, I had to make one of these a couple of years ago but strong magnets are really hard to come by... needless to say mine didn't turn out as well :D

[tarrytarry]

Is the black box a magnet.

Deos it need a magnet to work ?

[FlyByPC]

Yes, it does need some sort of magnet on the bottom to work. I may design one which doesn't. The black box is the magnetic base from a Levitron magnetic top (very powerful).

[UltimateRocker55]

you didnt design it dude... i made one in fifth grade on a feild trip! lol mine worked way better though and yes it does need a magnet to work... really not worth it to build one for those of you wanting to

[FlyByPC]

I didn't mean to say that I was the first to build this type. I learned about it in electronics class. You can build a motor without a magnet, though.

[UltimateRocker55]

same here and when i built i just used a magnet

[Tacomonday]

whats the marker for?

[FlyByPC]

The marker was intended to mark the insulated side of the wire. As long as there's enamel on that side, the marker really isn't necessary; the enamel works as the insulation.

[SpikesVampireQueen]

lol we've done this in my computer shop before its quite intrestin that amotor can be made out of common household equipment i nvr knew till i wen tto my shop

[zaraki13kenpachi]

mm nice but.. what is the point of it ?? for any job it would be helpful ?

[FlyByPC]

Its "job" is just to show how a simple motor can be constructed. Depending on what you wanted it to do, it would probably be simpler to just buy a pre-made motor -- but that wouldn't be as much fun!

[spikeboi55]

hey is that electricity coming out of it??? how u do that when i did it, it didnt do that

[FlyByPC]

The sparks happen because the contacts are made and broken abruptly; as I understand it, this sets up a high voltage for a fraction of a second due to the inductance. The power supply is capable of 13.8V at 10 amps.

[WoWMadness]

0.0 Sparks...

[ICAnime]

very nice

[whitesox98]

good music

[halmc]

Well, it's not ready to power a cruise ship, but it's a start. Very nicely done.

[mythof1]

Excellent Video! Very fun to watch. You did a great job.

[blackgamen]

And we find out what someone has to do on a friday night rofl

[wilsonces]

good stuff young man, well done.

[bixlerscott]

Great!! Very ingeniously simple. I made an electric motor for a science fair when I was 12. Used 2 large U magnets with a pencil and 4 paper clips with coiled copper wire as the armature. The problem was keeping the raw copper wire in the coils from touching itself. I see you achieved this through using enameled copper wire and scaping it off the ends for the DC power to transfer into the armature. Maybe clear finger nail polish would work too. Excellent science project. Thanks for posting.

[demotricus]

excellent vid (more please)

[IcetoDragon]

creativity at its finest :)

[xXxmidgexXx]

Made 1 myself and It`s Cool Keep making more!!1