How to Make a Generator

You can make this simple generator at home in 10 minutes or less.

This simple alternating-current generator is a great science fair project and is inexpensive to make. Everything you need can either be ordered online or found in your garage. The key components are copper wire and magnets. The magnets and wire are spun by hand to generate power, but you can attach a manual drill to the nail. The drill will give you brighter, steadier light with less work.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Four 1.875-inch by 0.875-inch by 0.375-inch grade C8 ceramic block magnets (Some sources sell magnets in metric measurements. For this project they would be 5 centimeters by 2 centimeters by 1 centimeter) 200 feet of 30-gauge magnet wire One miniature light bulb, 1.5 volts 25mA Cardboard, trimmed to a rectangle measuring 8 centimeters by 30.5 centimeters 4-inch long nail Ruler with centimeters and inches Scissors Scotch tape Knife or sandpaper Ballpoint pen or scoring tool Marker Optional manual drill

1. Prepare the cardboard. You'll be folding it into a box with an open top and bottom. One wall will have a double layer of cardboard. To make it easier and neater to fold, score the cardboard with a blunt object such as the cap end of a pen.
   Lay the ruler against the long edge of the rectangle. Measure and mark the first score at 8 centimeters, the next at 11.5, the next at 19.5 and the next at 22.7. Mark the score lines on the opposite edge at the same measurements. Using the blunt object and the ruler as a guide, gently score a line between each set of marks on the cardboard. You should have a series of five panels scored and ready to fold into a box.

2. Simple generator

   Fold the box so the last, smallest panel is on the inside and the two largest panels are on the outside. You should have a rectangular box with the top and bottom open and one wall with a double layer of cardboard.

3. Pick up one of the magnets and hold it inside the box. It should move freely inside. If not, unfold the box and adjust it a little to give the magnet more room to move. It should not be in contact with the cardboard.

4. How a wind turbine generates electricity

   Pierce the box with the nail. The nail has to be as close to horizontal in the box as you can get it. To do this, unfold the box and lay it flat. Place the ruler diagonally from one corner of the 8-centimeter panel to the other corner, and repeat with the other corners, so you have an "X" across the panel. Repeat with the other 8-centimeter panel. Refold the box. Push the nail through both "X"s. Be careful; the nail is sharp.

5. Remove the nail and unfold the box. Wiggle the nail in each of the three holes (you have three wall panels---two 8-centimeter size and one slightly smaller, and all three should be pierced) to enlarge them a bit. The nail should be able to spin freely.
   Refold the box and close it with a couple of pieces of tape.

6. Wrap the magnet wire. Unwind a couple of inches of the wire from the spool and tape it to one of the big panels of the cardboard box, leaving a tail of about four inches or 10 centimeters. Wrap the rest of the wire around the box in two equal bands, one on either side of the nail hole. The wire should be wrapped around the cardboard walls, not around the open ends of the box. Don't wrap the wire too tight--it will crush the box after a few dozen feet. Use all the wire except for a tail of about four inches or 10 centimeters. You'll attach the bulb here and to the tail you left when you started wrapping the box.

7. Scrape the enamel coating off about half an inch of the end of the wire using the knife or sandpaper. Also scrape half an inch of the plastic coating off the ends of the light bulb wires using the knife. Be very careful.

8. Assemble the magnets. Put the nail through the holes you made earlier. Stack the magnets face to face in two pairs. Place one stack of two magnets on top of the nail and two underneath so they cling to each other and the magnets and nail spin freely in the box. You can put small pieces of cardboard between the stacks and tape them to make them more stable, but it isn't necessary.

9. Make sure the wires are all free of insulation. Twist one tail of the magnet wire to one of the wires from the light bulb. Repeat with the other magnet wire tail and the other light bulb wire.

10. Turn the nail in the box FAST. The magnets will spin, and the bulb will glow. You might have to add more wire to get a brighter glow; turn the lights off to see the glow better. To get a brighter, steadier glow, turn the nail with a manual drill. You'll get more light for work.

Resources

• Watch a video on how to make this project
• Edmund Scientifics
• Radio Shack
• Ultra-Simple Electric Generator