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Maker-First Steps in Electronics-Moving and rotating statue
In OUR previous electronics projects WE were tinkering around with vibration motors and flashing LEDs, well we will continue on the same schema to get a bit more soldering practice and to discover ALSO the use of heat shrink tube. This is ALSO a soldering exercise with some fun, and knowledge acquirement as usually in my tutorials. WE will learn also about Lithium batteries and their power by connecting them in parallel.
OHM’s Law, resistors and LEDs
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Learn more:
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Practical Tip: LEDs are transparent, so the Cathode (Minus) looks always a bit larger as the Anode (Plus).
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When working with electronics WE need to learn a bit theory and mathematics, BUT DON’T worry, it is very easy! First of all which is mandatory, is the “OHM’s Law“. YOU DON’T need to calculate! 😉 There is an online calculator who will do the job for YOU! Click the image below please to access the online calculator and play a bit around with it to get used to it, have fun.
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Click the image please to access the online calculator
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Useful online help:
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The schematics of our project
Here below the schematics where YOU will see how the components are represented; YOU will remark that we have three (3) times a parallel circuit. Two batteries in parallel, two flashing LEDs in parallel and two vibration motors in parallel.The resistors are NOT shown in the schematic as THEY are NOT connected, they are just used as stabilization of the statue!
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WHY connecting batteries in parallel!? Check below, please:
To find it out I recommend to make a bit PracTICE:
- Try first to use ONLY 1 battery CR2032 and let run the statue.
- NOW use two (2) batteries CR2032 and let run the statue.
- Use NOW ONLY one (1) battery CR2430 (they are bigger in diameter and on power) and let run the statue.
- NOW use two (2) batteries CR2430 and let run the statue.
Both batteries deliver 3 Volts, BUT there is a difference in the possible current they can deliver. The CR2032 delivers 225 mAh and the CR2430 delivers 280 mAh!
Through THIS “Learning-By-Doing” YOU will easily understand it!
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Detailed parts list, supplier and prices
Please find below the detailed parts list as well as the supplier and the prices.
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Item and quantity |
Supplier and order number |
Price |
| 1 x Stripboard | CONRAD: 529531 | 2,19€ |
| Silver wire 1 mm / 14 m <===> +/- 30 cm needed | CONRAD: 607657 | 0,40€ |
| 1 x Switch | Adafruit: ID 805 | 0,95€ |
| 2 x Button cell holder à 1,29€ | CONRAD: 650546 | 2,58€ |
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2 x Vibration motor from Adafruit |
Adafruit: ID 1201 |
1,95€ |
| 2 x 5mm flashing LEDs from Adafruit pack of 10 is $4.95 | Adafruit: ID 680 | 1 € |
| 2 x Cell CR2032 à 4,19€ | CONRAD: 651088 | 8,358€ |
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2 x Cell CR2430 à 3,99€ |
CONRAD: 612987 | 7,98€ |
| Total: | 25,43€ | |
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As you can see it is a very cheap project, ONLY 25,43€ and easy to realize! ALL what YOU need is a bit time, passion and here we GO! 😉 Have FUN!
Online ordering links:
The tools needed
Check below please WHAT the tools are that you will need for this project. The small saw is needed to cut out a small piece of 55 x 45 mm from the stripboard.
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Click image please to enlarge.
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Working with heat shrink tube
[START text from Wikipedia] Heat shrink tubing (or, commonly, heat shrink or heatshrink) is a shrinkable plastic tube used to insulate wires, providing abrasion resistance and environmental protection for stranded and solid wire conductors, connections, joints and terminals in electrical work. It can also be used to repair the insulation on wires or to bundle them together, to protect wires or small parts from minor abrasion, and to create cable entry seals, offering environmental sealing protection. Heat shrink tubing is ordinarily made of nylon or polyolefin, which shrinks radially (but not longitudinally) when heated, to between one-half and one-sixth of its diameter. [END text from Wikipedia]
Learn more:
Watch the video below please to see the How-To to work with heat shrink tube.
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The video of our project
Please check the video below to see our project on action.
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Very important
In OUR above project we are using two (2) 3 mm red LEDs in parallel. It DOESN’T work when YOU take two different colors, I tried it out 😉 WHY!??? Please check links below:
- Why exactly can’t a single resistor be used for many parallel LEDs?
- Schaltungen mit LEDs (auf deutsch)
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Keywords necessary for me to create this blog post: Power resistors, flashing LEDs, switch, CR2032, CR2430, Lithium Batteries, stripboard, heat shrinking tube,
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The author Gust MEES is ICT Course Instructor, ”Member of the Advisory Board” from “Luxembourg Safer Internet” (LuSI), BEESECURE, Official Partner (Consultant) from the Ministry of Education in Luxembourg, project “MySecureIT“, Official Partner from the Ministry of Commerce in Luxembourg, project “CASES” (Cyberworld Awareness and Security Enhancement Structure). The author was also a winner of an electronics contest (Germanic countries) in 1979 and got his project published in the “Electronics Magazine ELO”). |
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Stay tuned for next blog post(s) 😉
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EDU: Digital CitiZENship, CyberSecurity, eSkills, Modern EDU by Gust MEES 