TEDCO Simplest Motor (Age 8+) Colors May Vary

Very good for education

I LOVE this motor!Before I retired I was an electronic technician for forty years. I've purchased several of these motors over the years, as gifts for kids and adults.It takes about 15± minutes to assemble (maybe a half hour for klutzes), but as you're putting it together, you will begin to get an idea of what's supposed to happen. (Then you'll have to play around with it to get it working just right... but it's fun!)Electricity is just like plumbing, when you think about it: in this analogy the wire is the same as a pipe, but instead of water going through a pipe, electrons are going through a wire.The number of electrons is the CURRENT — just like the current in a river, or in a water pipe: the more electrons, the larger the current.Next, VOLTAGE is the same as the water PRESSURE in a pipe; the higher the water pressure, the farther a hose can squirt out water.In electricity, the higher the VOLTAGE, the bigger a gap that a spark can jump across. The VOLTAGE is the pressure behind the current flow; it is the pressure that's pushing electrons through the wire.Finally, there's RESISTANCE, which is essentially the work being done: it's harder to push water uphill, like up into a water tank. It's also harderto push electrons through a motor, because the motor has resistance.If the electric current has a choice between going through a low resistance and a high resistance, it will take the path of least resistance.Actually, if the choice is through a ten ohm resistance and a twenty ohm resistance, and if those resistances are parallel (side by side, with the current able to go through both at the same time), then one-third of the electrons will flow through the higher resistance, and the other two-thirds will flow through the lower resistance).A motor also has resistance (because it's doing work, see?)In the water analogy, the resistance might be a water wheel: if one big water pipe is split into two other pipes, and one is pushing a big water wheel (big resistance), and the other pipe is pushing a small water wheel (less resistence), then most of the water will take the easy way, and go through the wheel that's doing less work.Finally, there's the power source; whatever powers the whole system, whether it's electricity or plumbing.The power source in a water circuit might be a dam, or a pump, which forces the water through the pipes by using water pressure. With this motor, the power source is a battery, which forces the current of electrons through the wires, using VOLTAGE (the pressure behind the electron flow, just like water pressure is making the water current flow thru the pipe).So an electric circuit is just like a plumbing circuit. But like anything, it takes some thinking about this analogy before it really becomes clear.That's the great part about this simple motor; as you're building it, you'll begin to understand the plumbing/electricity analogy. And when that's clear, you (or your kid) will understand how electric motors in general work, because the principles are exactly the same.That's a lot of knowledge for a few dollars, no? And it's fun!

Not that we're electricians around here, but a chiro, MD, and bachelors in biochemistry couldn't get it to work with our 9year old. Shipped fast.

The media could not be loaded. Very simple motor that works well if put together correctly. Another reviewer insists this isn't even a motor, but it's clear that it was not assembled according to the instructions. Most videos show the the user spinning the coil to get it started, but as you can see from my video, it can even be started with just the momentum of the coil falling forward.The package only goes over a low level explanation of why this motor works. A more detailed explanation of what is happening can be found in a PDF from MIT. It also shows you how to build a motor with the same design as this one with common materials. Having said that, this kit is probably easier to get, may be a little cheaper to buy, and is cleaner looking than building your own.http://web.mit.edu/cmse/educational/motor_lp_kristy.pdf

I purchased this toy for my 6-year-old daughter. The stripping of the wire insulation takes some skills. Otherwise, it is easy to assemble by a kid. The explanation of the scientific principle behind its operation is short and unclear for an educational toy. I hope its maker has a website with better explanations and diagrams. Overall, it is an inexpensive fun toy to impress a kid.