A high voltage motor in 5 minutes This toy is so simple to build, it goes together in 5 minutes from a few things found around the house.
The toy is a high voltage motor that acts like a bell, with a clapper that bangs furiously from one can to the other and back again, sometimes several times per second.
Occasionally, the big blue spark snaps between the cans, to add interest to frenetic activity.
To build the toy, you need:
• Two empty soda cans.
• A plastic rod such as a ball-point pen.
• 5 inches of sewing thread.
• A couple square feet of aluminum foil.
• Cellophane tape.
• Two wires (alligator test leads work great).
The photo may be all you need to get the toy working.
Remove the pull-tops from both cans, and discard one of the pull-tops.
Tie the thread to the other pull-top. Tape the other end of the thread to the center of the plastic rod.
Place the two cans side-by-side two or three inches apart.
Place the plastic rod on top of the two cans, so the pull-tab dangles freely about an inch from the table.
Tape the bare end of one wire to the left can. This is the ground wire, and the free end should be connected to an electrical ground, such as a cold water pipe, or the metal frame of a computer. If a good electrical ground is not convenient, you can just hold onto the free end, since your body is a good enough ground for this device.
Tape the other wire to the can on the right. It's free end will be connected to a source of high voltage. This is easier than it sounds, since a safe source of high voltage is right in front of you when you watch television or use a computer with a CRT monitor.
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