
You will need these materials to build the
motor:
- One reed switch Ð a general-purpose reed
switch may be used but a heavy-duty reed switch is recommended.
- Two magnets. Higher magnet grade means higher magnetic flux, or
strength, and therefore more reliable reed switch operation.
- Spool of magnet wire.
- A cork from a bottle of wine or champagne.
- Needle. It must be longer than the cork.
- Battery. I used a 6 volts lantern battery,
but in my experiments I found that even 1.5 volts battery is sufficient enough
to provide reliable operation.
- Two push pins.
- Tape. Electrical is advised, but scotch or
masking tape is fine.
- Long nail (3" Ð 6", I used
4") for electromagnet.
- Duct tape.
- Glue.
- Two matchboxes.
- A piece of firm cardboard or similar material
for the base.
- A small piece of fine sandpaper, or a sharp
knife. Used to remove the insulation from the wire.
- Two sturdy hardcover books or cardboard
boxes.
- Optional: pliers, a small nail, and a
lighter.
- Take a nail and wrap it with tape
to make a layer about 1/2" (12mm) thick in diameter at the distance of 1
Ð 2" (3-5cm) from the head of the nail.

- Use most of the spool of wire to
wrap around the area between the thick layer of tape and the head of the nail.
(Cut and leave a piece of wire about 10" (25cm) long Ð you will need it
later). Tape the ends of the coil to the same layer of tape leaving open ends
of wire about 10" (25cm) long. Remove about 1 1/2" (4cm) of the
insulation from the wire tips with fine sandpaper or a sharp knife.

- Tape the open end of the nail to
the matchbox.

- Using the duct tape attach the
matchbox to the board as shown below.

- Make a small dent in the middle of
each pushpin. Use one pushpin to make a dent in the other; or hold a small
nail with pliers, heat it up using a lighter, and press the hot sharp end of
the nail into the center of the pushpin.

- Insert two pushpins into two
hardcover books or cardboard boxes as shown below. The center of the pushpin
should be at the same level from the base surface as the center of the
electromagnet.

- Take the cork and stick the needle
through the center on one side and make sure that it comes out in the center
as well. Try to be accurate, redo this step if necessary. Balance of the cork
is very important as it affects the motor performance.

- Find the same poles on the magnets
and mark them. Same poles (North Ð North, or South Ð South) repel, while
different poles attract. Find two repelling sides Ð they should face
outside. Glue the magnets to the opposite sides of the cork. It really does
not matter if North or South poles are facing up as long as they are the same.

- Take the 10" (25cm) piece of
wire (see step #2) and remove about 1 1/2" (4cm) of insulation off both
ends. Wind one bare end tightly around an outside contact of the reed switch.
Tape the reed switch to a matchbox as shown below.

- Put the stator (the electromagnet
on the base and the books with the pins inserted) and the rotor (the cork with
the needle and attached magnets) together as shown below. Position the
electromagnet as close as possible to the permanent magnets on the rotor.
Adjust books position to allow the rotor to spin freely without hitting the
electromagnet.

- Before connecting everything
together connect both wires from the electromagnet to the battery. If the
electromagnet doesnÕt repel the permanent magnets away, switch the wires.
When it repels, disconnect one wire and connect it to the reed switch. Connect
the other end of the reed switch to the battery as shown on the picture above.
If you bring the reed switch close to the
magnets the motor should start working immediately. If it does not work check
all of the connections Ð it is important to clean the insulation thoroughly;
make sure the battery is new and connected properly; move the books to allow
free rotation.
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