Things You'll Need:
- 2 3-volt pager motors (available inside of vibrating toothbrushes)
- 6 solar cells (available in old calculators)
- Paper clip
- Wire
- 1 wide tongue depressor
- 4 wheels from a building block set (e.g., LEGO)
- Hot glue gun
-
Step 1
Clamp the pager motor into a vice so that the weight at the end is held but the motor itself is free. Place a pillow under to motor to catch it as you work.
-
Step 2
Cut a 1/3-inch section of a paper clip and hold it so that the uncut end rests on the center of the weight of the motor's axle. Give the sharpened end a light tap with a hammer to drive the axle back out. The motor will fall onto the pillow. Repeat these steps with the second motor. Use identical motors so your car does not spin in circles.
-
Step 3
Solder wires to both connecting leads from each motor. Remove a wheel from the building block set and glue it over the axle with the glue gun so that it rotates freely. Make the wheel perpendicular to the motor's axis. Wait for the glue to cool. Repeat with the other motor using an identical wheel.
-
Step 4
Glue the two motors to one end of the tongue depressor to form the front wheels of the vehicle. Glue them at the block to which the wheels are attached, not at the wheel itself, to allow them to spin freely.
-
Step 5
Attach the 6 solar panels by applying the glue to the tongue depressor and then setting the panels in the glue. Make sure there are leads to these solar cells that allow you to hook them up without soldering directly onto the cell. Wire the solar cells in series and connect them to the motors. Do not solder or trim wires until you have tested the way in which the motors are spinning when the solar cells are in bright sunlight.
-
Step 6
When the motors spin in the correct direction, solder all connections and trim off the excess wire.
