What you will need:
1) Old CD or DVD
2) Small electric motor (Lowe's item # 364310 $1.14)
3) Switch (Lowe's item # 77580 $3.91)
4) 9 V Battery holder (Lowe's item # 364308)
5) 9 V battery connector (Lowe's item # 364309 .98 cents)
6) Double sided foam tape
7) 12 pole terminal block (terminal connector bar) (Lowe's Item # 49497 $11.48)
8) Small screwdriver
9) Hot glue gun
10) Scissors
11) Rotary tool (such as a Dremel) or round file
12) Step down type drill bit
13) Drill
14) 16 oz plastic container (URM part #0779206-2 cup 16 oz prime $4.39 sleeve of 100)
15) 16 oz plastic lid (URM part #0779204-7 Lid clr fit 18-32 oz $2.48 sleeve of 100)
16) Round top plastic lid (URM part #0776509-2 Lid/dome 16/24 $4.49 sleeve of 100)
17) Razor knife
18) Adult supervision
Optional decorations
1) Googly eyes
2) Pipe cleaners
3) Fake fur
4) Paint
5) Whatever else you can think of that would look cool!
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/398779741984129839/
Procedure:
1. Carefully use hot glue gun to secure (16 oz flat) lid upside down onto your CD as shown. Make sure that you attach the lid to the unpainted (non-label) side of the CD. Otherwise, the paint may eventually come loose causing lid to fall off.
2. Have an adult carefully cut the center (flat portion) of the lid out by cutting around the lid near the lip as shown.
3. If necessary, enlarge the hole in the center of your CD so that the shoulder of your motor will fit inside allowing the motor case to sit flush on your CD. You can us a file,
4. Use hot glue to carefully glue motor flush into center hole of CD as shown
5. Add hot glue to the end of the spindle of your motor (as shown) to prevent it from
6. Carefully cut the 12 pole terminal block into 4 equal sections so that each section has 3 terminal blocks as shown.
7. Cut small strips of double sided foam tape to fit onto the bottom of the battery holder and terminal block. Affix tape to the bottom of the battery holder and the terminal block.
8. Determine what size hole you will need for the switch and approximate location that it needs to be placed in the side of your 16 oz plastic cup. The switch will be mounted to the cup using the hardware provided with the switch. I found that it was best to locate it near the surface of the CD so that the battery holder could be placed directly behind the switch for added support. Drill this hole using a step bit
9. Using your hot glue gun, carefully glue the 16 oz lid onto the 16 oz cup as shown. Note that the lid actually gets glued over what was intended to be the bottom of the cup.
10. If you are giving this to a child as a “kit” to build their own wobblebot, place the following items inside the 16oz cup and attach the cup to the CD by inserting the cup into the lip of the lid that is glued onto the CD
* 9 volt battery
NOTE: keep battery inside its original packaging or a zip lock bag to prevent terminals from shorting out causing battery to overheat as overheating could potentially cause a fire.
* Battery holder
* Switch
* Terminal block
* Battery connector
* Assembly instructions
Wobblebot Assembly instructions
1. Carefully remove CD from your wobblebots body.
2. Peel protective sheet from the foam tape off of the base of your 9 volt battery holder and affix the battery holder to the CD next to the motor as shown
3. Peel protective sheet from the foam tape off of the base of your terminal block and affix the terminal block to the CD next to the motor as shown
4. Insert motor wires into terminal block connections as shown making sure that any insulation is removed so that the wire makes a good connection. Tighten screws to ensure a good electrical and mechanical connection is made.
5. Insert 9 volt battery connector wires into terminal block connections as shown making sure that any insulation is removed so that the wire makes a good connection. Tighten screws to ensure a good electrical and mechanical connection is made.
6. Insert both switch wires into terminal block connections as shown (it doesn’t matter which wire goes into which hole, they are most likely both black wires) making sure that any insulation is removed so that the wire makes a good connection. Tighten screws to ensure a good electrical and mechanical connection is made.
** Wiring diagram**
7. Remove outer hex nut from switch and set it aside. Hold the switch in place against the 9 volt battery holder and adjust the inner hex nut so that the outer edge of the hex nut is lined up with where the inside edge of your 16 oz cup (the body of the wobblebot) will be once it is attached to your CD.
8. Insert the switch through the hole in your wobblebot body so that it is sticking out as shown. Replace the hex nut you had removed earlier to hold your switch firmly in place as shown.
9. Attach your 9 volt battery to the battery connector, then place the battery into the battery holder and attach your wobblebots body by carefully pushing the 16 oz cup into the lip of the lid that is glued onto the CD.
***important note: Make sure that your switch is lined up so that it rests up against the battery holder. This will provide sufficient support when pressing the switch so that it does not crush the side of your wobblebots body.
10. Now, have fun decorating your wobblebot and get creative! Once you are finished, simply press your push button switch to turn it on, set it on the floor and watch as it goes crazy in random patterns across the room.
What is going on?
The random movement of the wobblebot is caused by the spinning shaft of the motor extending down through the center of your CD. By adding a glob of glue from your hot glue gun, you are not only protecting the floor from scratches, you are also increasing the friction between the floor and the motor shaft. Once the wobblebot is turned on and the shaft begins to spin, the force between the two surfaces will cause the wobblebot to move in one direction. Depending on where the center of gravity is on your wobblebot, this will cause your wobblebot to lean in one direction or another. As more weight is placed on one side, the wobblebot will now lean in that direction therefore changing the angle of the shaft as it contacts the floor. Once in motion, the wobblebot will now randomly be pushed in different directions depending on the angle and contact area between the motor shaft and the floor.
The electrical connections MUST be made in a way that will allow you to control when your wobblebot is on or off. We do this by including a switch between one of the battery connections and the motor. The switch is designed so that it is either making contact, thus allowing the flow of electricity to the motor (turning it on), or it will break the contact, thus eliminating (or interrupt) the flow of electricity to the motor (turning it off).
There are many types of switches that can be used for various purposes. We are using an interrupter switch. A Momentary switch will only allow the flow of electricity when you are pressing down on the switch and turns off automatically as soon as you release it. There are also Rocker arm switches, toggle switches and many, many more.
Radical Rick
Extreme Science
509-892-7621
