1+2+3 Dizzy Robot
Dizzy Robots are cute pocket-sized pals that dance around until they fall over. Just about anyone can build one — it only has 3 parts and requires no special skills.
1. Prepare the metal body.
The metal body holds everything together and conducts power from the bottom of the battery up to the motor.
Trace the pattern shown at right, tape it to a thin piece of tin, and cut it out using tinsnips or heavy-duty scissors. Be careful, the edges and corners will be sharp!
Bend the square base of the body at a right angle, then bend the bottom pair of wings into a rough circle to hold the battery in place. Bend the top part of the body into a circle to hold the motor. Use a pen or pencil as a rough guide to help form the shape.
2. Prepare the motor.
If the motor came with a rubberized insulating cover, remove it. Use needlenose pliers to carefully bend one of the motor’s contacts around and under the motor. This will complete the circuit with the top of the battery.
3. Put it all together.
Place the battery in the base of the metal body with the negative (–) side up. Slide the motor into the upper housing and position it so the straight conductor is inside the housing and the bent conductor touches the top of the battery. Use pliers to compress the housing and hold the motor in place, being careful not to crush it.
Use It
If everything checks out, it should already be running. Put it on a flat surface — it’ll spin around and occasionally fall over. If it falls over more than occasionally, adjust the alignment of the base with pliers.
When your Dizzy Robot has had its fun, slide a small scrap of card between the top of the battery and the motor contact to turn the robot off.
YOU WILL NEED
Vibrating motor such as #G16777 from goldmine-elec.com, $1
AG13 button cell battery
Needlenose pliers
0.008″ sheet tin from a hobby, art, craft, or hardware store
Tinsnips or heavy-duty craft scissors
Photography and diagram by Steve Hoefer
Steve Hoefer makes things, solves problems, and is the main brain behind grathio.com.
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