Project 1
Lots of Lights
Build the circuit shown by placing all the parts with a black
1
next to them on the board first.
Then, assemble parts marked with a
2
. Install three (3) “AA” batteries (not included) into the
battery holder (B3). Turn on the slide switch (S1); the lamps (L4) and white LED (D6) light.
Placement Level Numbers
+
NOTE: this circuit (and many others in this book) have an LED
being used without a resistor or other component to limit the
electric current through it. Normally this could damage an LED
but your Snap Circuits® LEDs include internal protection re-
sistors, and will not be damaged. Be careful if you later use
other electrical sets with unprotected LEDs.
Project 2
Build the circuit as shown and place
the fan on the motor (M1). Be sure
the “+” side of the motor is on the left.
Push the press switch (S2) until the
motor reaches full speed, then re-
lease it. The fan blade should rise and
float through the air like a flying
saucer. Be careful not to look directly
down on fan blade when it is spinning.
If the fan doesn’t fly off, then turn the
switch on and off several times rapidly
when it is at full speed. New alkaline
batteries work best.
+
!
WARNING:
Moving parts. Do not
touch the fan or motor during operation.
!
WARNING:
Do not
lean over the motor.
The air is being blown down through the blade and the motor rotation
locks the fan on the shaft. When the motor is turned off, the blade
unlocks from the shaft and is free to act as a propeller and fly through
the air. If speed of rotation is too slow, the fan will remain on the
motor shaft because it does not have enough lift to propel it. The
motor will spin faster when the batteries are new.
How does the fan rise? Think first about how you swim. When your
arms or legs push water behind you, your body moves ahead. A sim-
ilar effect occurs in a helicopter - the spinning blades push air down,
and create an upward force on the blades. If the blades are spinning
fast enough, the upward force will be strong enough to lift the heli-
copter off the ground.
While the switch is pressed, the motor rotation locks the fan on the
motor shaft. The fan does not spin fast enough to lift the entire circuit
off the ground. When the motor is turned off, the fan unlocks from
the shaft. The fan rises into the air like a helicopter, since it is no
longer held down by the weight of the full circuit.
Flying Saucer
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