Old-Style Typewriter

Project Number: 119

OBJECTIVE: To show how a generator works.

Description: Turn on the slide switch (S1), nothing will happen. Turn the motor (M1) slowly with your fingers (don't use the fan blade), you will hear a clicking that sounds like an old-time manual typewriter keystrokes. Spin the motor faster and the clicking speeds up accordingly. This circuit works the same if you spin the motor in either direction (unlike the Motor Speed Detector project). By spinning the motor with your fingers, the physical effect you exert is converted into electricity. In electric power plants, steam is used to spin large motors like this, and the electricity produced is used to run everything in your town.