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DIY: Earth Magnet Motors

Whether built for a school science project or simply due to curiosity, your own earth magnet motor is sure to draw attention from others. As crude as it may appear in design, it is bound to attract the inquisitive, who will ask you more about it. This simple motor can be produced primarily from common items. The earth magnet you will need can be purchased from either an electronics supply store or science hobby shop, if you don't have one already.

Things You'll Need

Flat earth magnet (round or rectangular)
Magnet wire
2 paper clips
2 alligator clip test leads
Wire cutter
Needle nose pliers
No. 2 pencil
D cell battery
D cell battery holder
Balsa wood base that is 3 inches long, 1 inch thick and 2 inches wide
Electrical tape

Instructions

- 1
  Wind the motor armature. Starting about 6 inches into the magnet wire, wrap the magnet wire several times around a No. 2 pencil. The windings should be kept together tightly, and the armature should have about 6 inches of free wire on both ends. Use the wire cutter to cut each end to length.
- 2
  Add finishing touches to the armature. Wrap each free end of the magnet wire around the windings once or twice to keep them secured. Use a sharp edge of the wire cutter to scrape all of the enamel off of one end of the magnet wire. At the other end, looking top down from the armature windings, scrape away the enamel on the top of that free end.
- 3
  Form the armature supports. Unravel the paper clips by hand and straighten them as well as you can. Use the needle-nose pliers to form a loop at the top of each unraveled paper clip whose inner diameter is equal to the smallest outer diameter of the pliers used.
- 4
  Assemble the motor. Use a 3-inch length of electrical tape to secure the earth magnet in the center of the balsa wood base. Insert each armature end through a support hole and insert the other end of each armature support into the balsa wood over the magnet. The armature windings should be centered about 2 or 3 inches above the magnet, and the armature supports should be roughly centered with respect to the length of each armature end.
- 5
  Apply voltage to the motor. Insert the battery into the battery holder and connect each alligator-clip test lead so that one end connects between one wire from a free battery-holder wire and the base of a free armature-support lead. If necessary, give the windings a slight tap to start the motor turning.

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