Elenco Snaptricity&reg - Manual (Page 66)

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Generator Project #56
+
5V
1A
1A
or
5V
or
Educational Corner:
Nearly all of the electricity used in our world is produced
at enormous generators driven by steam or water
pressure. Wires are used to efficiently transport this
energy to homes and businesses where it is used.
Motors convert the electricity back into mechanical form
to drive machinery and appliances. Not only can electricity be transported over long
distances, it can also be transported over tiny distances.
Try to imagine a plumbing structure of the same
complexity as the circuitry inside a portable radio - it
would have to be large because we can’t make water
pipes so small. Electricity allows complex designs to be
made very small.
Electric
Paths
This circuit uses the batteries (B3) to get the motor spinning, then
disconnects the batteries and uses the motor as a generator. A
generator uses mechanical motion (here the spinning motor
shaft) to create electricity (a current in a coil in the motor). The
meter shows how much current and voltage are produced by the
spinning shaft, with and without the fan.
Description
Set the switch to position B to get the motor spinning, then set it back
to C and watch the meter to see how much voltage is produced.
Next, set the meter to the 1A scale and set the switch to B for a
few seconds, then back to C and watch the current produced.
Now put the fan on the motor and repeat the above tests to see
what voltage and current are produced with the fan on the motor.
Operation
BE SURE THE SLIDE SWITCH IS SET TO POSITION C BEFORE
COMPLETING THE CIRCUIT. Build the circuit as shown, leave the
fan off the motor (M1). Set the meter (M5) to the 5V scale for now.
Assembly
+
!
WARNING: Moving parts.
Do not touch the fan or
motor during operation. !
WARNING:
Do not lean
over the motor.
Snappy says: the most important aspect of
electricity in our society - more important than the
benefits of the Internet - is that it allows energy to
be easily transported over distances.