CONSTRUCT YOUR OWN ELECTRIC MOTOR

Have you ever pulled apart a motor and wondered how it works? Even understanding
the basic concepts of a motor, the small motor found in many electrical appliances such
as clocks and small toys, can have a completely different layout to how you imagined.
This activity not only aims to help you understand the concept of electric motors better,
but to help you see how the three pole motor used in everyday circumstances works.
HOW DOES A MOTOR WORK?
If you place a magnet near a compass, the direction the compass points in will change.

Why is this so?

A compass contains a magnet that can rotate freely. If a magnet experiences a magnetic
field other than its own, the magnet will rotate to align itself with the magnetic field. In the
case of a compass, it is usually the Earths magnetic field. The end that points in the
direction of the Earths Magnetic North Pole is called the north pole.

This turning force is known as a torque (T in the diagram above). The torque is created
from the opposite poles in each magnet attracting and the same poles repelling. This
causes the magnet in the compass to align itself with the magnetic field associated with
it. By putting a magnet next to a compass, as the magnetic field of the magnet is
stronger than the Earths, the magnet in the compass with align itself with the magnet
next to it.

Another interesting fact is that as electricity passes through a wire, a magnetic field is
formed.

The direction of the field can be given by the right hand rule, that is:

If you coil the wire, it creates a magnetic field exactly like a bar magnet.

The direction of the magnetic field can also be found by the right hand rule, except this
time the fingers point in the direction that the electricity travels, and the thumb points in
the direction of the north pole.
What has all this got to do with motors?
From all these concepts is the basis of how a motor works.
Most books will discuss how a two pole motor works. A two pole motor will have a similar
layout to this:

(Modified from Cahill, Physics for Western Australia 12, figure 3.34)

The loop and the magnets will be represented like this:

When the current travels through the loop, a magnetic field will be formed in the loop like
the wire coil discussed earlier.

The torque above is the result of the attraction and repulsion of the two magnetic fields.
The commutator and brushes are used because when the loop rotates and passes the
following position without a commutator, it will stop rotating.

The motor stops because when the loop rotates past this point, the loop will start rotating
in the other direction until it passes this point again. Then it will rotate forwards again.
This will continue to occur until the coil sits in this position, and will not move as the
fields are aligned.

Therefore the commutator switches the direction of the current at this point exactly so
the coil will continue to rotate in the same direction. The brushes are a method of
contacting the commutator so current can pass through it.
This two pole motor appears to work. Why is it not used in practical situations?
If the motor starts working in this position:

It will get stuck there and not work, as the field is aligned (see above).
Also, as the brushes are touching both pieces of the commutator as once, this will short
the circuit and empty the battery.

This also happens momentarily whenever the loop reaches this position while rotating,
which reduces the life of the battery, or is a waste of energy if electricity is taken from an
external power source.
So what is the solution?
A three pole motor.

(Photos from electronics.howstuffworks.com)

The set up of the three pole motor can be represented as:

The loop starts at one of the commutator pieces, wraps around the head (the T-Shape)
between the commutator pieces and joins onto the next one. The current direction in the
loops alternates depending on the orientation of the commutator and the effects are
shown below:

Now we understand what were making, what are we waiting for?

EQUIPMENT

You will also need:

Phillips Head Screwdriver
2x Pliers
Wire Cutters
*The supervisor may decide to use a power supply instead of a battery. Instead using
the battery and plastic coated wire, you will use:
1 Power supply
2 Banana Leads (wire with a clip at each end looking like a banana)
4 Alligator Clips
SAFETY
It is recommended that you will wear safety glasses and enclosed footwear for your own
safety as anything can flick up into your eye or land on your foot. If your hair is longer
than shoulder length, tie it up as it can be caught in the motor while rotating. Do not play
with the magnets as well as they can be quite strong and if they come together too
quickly, it can pinch your fingers and cut you. Also, if you are using the lantern battery,
do not try to short circuit it by placing a conductive material over the positive and
negative terminals, as it will get very hot and burn you, as well as emptying the battery.

METHOD
1

First, we will make the rotor (the rotating part of the motor).

Push the tacks into the crosses on the curved part of the cork. (Not on the flat part).
Leave 0.5cm of the tack out of the cork. The cork should look like the diagram above.
2
To make the coils we will use the 0.25mm enameled copper wire. The front of
the cork will be the end with the markings. That is:

Leave about 3-4cm of wire overhanging the edge of the front of the cork, and start
wrapping the wire about one of the lines of tacks in the direction of the arrows.

You will need to wrap the wire around the tacks tightly or it will come loose. Wrap the
wire around the tacks 80 times, and then leave another 3-4cm of wire overhanging the
front of the cork before cutting the wire. (Note: One loop around the tacks is shown in the
diagram above where the wire completes an oval shape around the tacks.) That is:

Repeat step 2 for the other 2 sets of tacks.

4
The copper wire on the loops is coated with enamel that insulates the wire. If we
want to connect the wire to other conductive materials, we must remove the enamel to
expose the copper metal that is underneath it. For our rotor, we will need to remove the
enamel off the overhanging wires. That is:

We will do this by using a nail file. If you hold the copper wire against the nail file, and
slide the nail file along the copper, the enamel is stripped off the wire that is in contact
with the nail file.

We need all of the enamel to be stripped off the wire, so ensure that you hold the nail file
against the wire on different angles when removing the enamel.
You can see when all of the enamel has been taken off by looking at the wire. When the
enamel has been taken off, the copper is visible (a light pink metal). Sections where the
enamel has been missed still has the colour of the enamel on them. When you have
stripped all of the enamel, check each wire from all angles to make sure the enamel has
been taken off, or it will not conduct the electricity properly.
5

We will now make the commutator. Most commutators are setup like this:

Ours will be positioned at the end of the cork, and will be flat.

Why? It is easier to make, and has a similar effect to the other style of commutator.
Our first step in making this commutator is to attach the wire to the thumb tacks. First,
look at two loops next to each other, and find where the wire enters and exits each loop.
We need to join the wire exiting from a loop to the wire entering the loop next to it.

Get these two wires and twist them together.

Do this for all the loops.

CHECK: Have you connected the right wires together? Check each loop that the wire
exiting the loop is attached to the wire entering the next loop. Fix it if a mistake has been
made. This is very important as the motor will not work if this is not correct.
6
Now wrap one of these twisted wires tightly around the base of one of the thumb
tacks.

Tear a small piece of aluminum foil, about the size of 1.5cmx3cm, and twist it into a long
solid cylinder (about 1cm long and 2-3mm thick).

Wrap this foil shape around the base of the thumbtack on top of where the wire is. It
does not need to be wound as tightly as the wire.

Now push this into where the cross is between the two loops that the wire came from.
Push the thumbtack in as far as possible. Push it in straight or the brushes will catch
onto it when it rotates.

Now repeat step 6 for the other thumb tacks and twisted wires.

If the thumb tacks are touching, take them out of the cork, and put them back in closer to
the edge of the cork (but still between the two coils). Otherwise, if the thumb tacks are
touching, the motor will not work.
8
We will now start making the Stator (the stationary part of the motor). Now
position the brackets onto the wooden block as shown and screw them into place using
the large screws (2 per bracket).

9
With the other two brackets, put them onto the wooden block forming a U-shape
where the holes align. Screw this in using the last 2 large screws. That is:

The shape of the brackets should be:

10
The trapezoidal shapes that are marked on the wood indicate where to place the
brass brushes. The brass brushes are already bent into shape, and the base of the
brass brushes looks like this:
These shapes match up to the shapes on the wood. Place the brass brushes with the
orientation shown below and screw them into place with the smaller screws. It may help
if someone holds the base for you as it can slip.

The final layout should look like this:

11
The bearings we will use for the motor are a cheap low-friction bearing that looks
like this:

Our bearing will consist of a nail and a bolt with the end drilled out.

First we need to insert the nail with the end cut off into the cork rotor. Each end of the
cork has a dot marked on it.

Holding the nail using pliers, push the pointed end of the nail into the cork. Leave about
1 to 1.5cm of nail out, and then pull it out.

This makes a hole to insert the nail into. Take the nail again in the pliers and push the
flat end into the cork (the pointed end faces out of the cork) and leave it in there with 1 to
1.5cm of nail remaining.

Repeat this for the end with the thumbtacks.

CHECK: The nail must not come into contact with any of the thumb tacks as this will
short the motor.

If this does happen, please remove the thumb tacks, and replace them closer to the
edge of the cork (still between the coils) so they no longer make contact with the nail.

12

Now screw one of the nuts onto each bolt, about one third from the end.

Get one of the bolts, and put it through the highest hole in one of the brackets that are
not in the U-Shape.

Screw the other nut onto the bolt and tighten with two pliers (one holding each nut,
turning in opposite directions) to keep this bolt in place.

Do the same with the other set of 2 nuts and 1 bolt, except this time put the second nut
on end of the bolt. That is:

This allows you to be able to move the bolt around so the rotor can fit in.

13
It is now time to position the rotor between the two bolts. The layout for this is
shown below:

It will be easier to do this with two or more people. As the brushes are bend to make
contact with the commutator, they will have to be pulled back to make room for the rotor
to fit in.

Adjust the loose bolt back and forth, and tighten it when:
(a)
The bearings hold the rotor in place so it doesnt fall out.
(b)
If you spin the rotor with the brushes pulled back, it should spin for a fair
amount of time before stopping.
(c)
The thumbtacks should be just touching the brushes. (They shouldnt be
pressed too hard against it.)
You may need to readjust the bolts a couple of times to do this.
Remember that to tighten the bolts; you will need two sets of pliers.
14

The brushes should make contact with the commutator when they are not held
back. If they do not, or if it looks like they are pressing against the commutator
too hard, bend them in and out from the base.

15

Now we have to position the permanent magnets into place in the U-shaped
brackets as shown below.

Ensure that the faces of the magnets are attracted to each other. ie:

If they repulse each other, the field will be wrong, and the motor will not work.
16

Now it is time to get your motor to work. If you are going to use the battery and
plastic coated wire, then follow part (a). If you are going to use the power supply
and terminal, then follow part (b).

(a)

Wrap one end of the red plastic coated wire on the positive terminal of the lantern
battery, and wrap the black plastic coated wire on the negative terminal. (The
negative terminal is sometimes protected with a plastic cap. It is easier to remove
this first.)

NOTE: DO NOT TOUCH THESE WIRES TOGETHER, OR IT WILL SHORT THE

BATTERY AND THERE WILL BE NO POWER LEFT IN THE BATTERY TO DO
ANYTHING, INCLUDING ALLOWING YOUR MOTOR TO WORK.

Now touch the end of the red wire on one of the brushes, and the black wire on
the other brush, and the motor should spin!

(b)

Plug the power supply in, but make sure the switch is off.
Insert one end of the banana leads into the DC part of the power supply. One
lead goes into the positive terminal, and one goes into the negative terminal.
Put the alligator clips on the other end of the banana leads.
Clip this onto the brushes: One clip goes on one of the brushes and the other clip
goes onto the other brush.

Now set the values on the power supply. This will vary depending on what your
power supply box will deliver. In the table below, I have some values to set the
voltage and current to. Try to use the highest values that your box will allow. For
example, if your box will not supply more than 6V, then use the 5V values.
Voltage (V)
6V
5V
4V
3V

Current (A)
0.3A
0.35A
0.4A
0.45V

Check that you have followed these instructions properly.

Now turn on the power supply.
CONGRATULATIONS!
What if my motor doesnt work?
Check the following:
Try pushing the rotor to kick start it, as sometimes there is too much friction and
resistance to initially get the rotor turning.

Are the brushes pressing too hard against the commutator? Adjust the pressure
a little by bending them outwards.
Are the bearings too tight? Try and loosen then slightly.
Are opposite poles of the magnet facing each other? ie:

Change them if they are not.

If you are using the battery, are the red and black wires wrapped onto the battery
coils properly? Also, did you short circuit your battery by connecting each
terminal? If you did, there may be no power left.
If you are using the power supply, turn off the power, and then try using a higher
value for current or voltage than that was given in the table. This may mean that
the start up power may need to be higher for your motor, as the resistances in
each motor vary due to small differences during construction.
Did you wrap all the coils in the same direction? Check, and if not you will need
to remove the rotor from the bearings and redo it.
Did you attach the correct wires to the thumb tacks? Check, and if you have not,
remove the rotor and fix it.

If you are still stuck, ask someones whose motor works, check each part of the method
again, then ask the supervisor.