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The moving, rotating and lighting Mini-Brush
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, accumulators and drinking straws. This is ALSO a soldering exercise with some fun, and knowledge acquirement as usually in my tutorials. WE will learn also about accumulators, rechargeable batteries. Using accumulators instead of batteries will save us a lot of money and it is ALSO providing LESS RECYCLING! 😉 WE do something GOOD for the nature <===> Sustainability!!
OHM’s Law, resistors and LEDs
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As WE are using a 9 Volts accumulator (rechargeable battery) this time together with a LED, WE need to put a resistor in series to the LED to protect it.As
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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Let us make OUR calculation for the resistor: WE have a power supply of 9 Volts and the used LED has a maximum of 3 Volts while its current is 20 mA (milli Ampere). Thus meaning: 9 Volts – 3 Volts is 6 Volts which need to get dropped away from the LED to NOT destroy it! SO, on the resistor 6 Volts need to get derived away from the LED. Let us NOW convert the 6 Volts to milli Volts which gives us 6,000 mV. AND as R = U/I <===> 6,000 divided by 20 is 300! The resistor MUST have a value of 300 Ω, next standard value is 330 Ω!
WHEN YOU use the above online calculator YOU SHOULD give the values in VOLT and in Ampere; or WE have 20 mA which is 0,020 A. Check the online calculator below please:
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Useful online help:
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WHAT are accumulators and WHAT’S different from batteries?
Please read the below articles to understand:
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The schematics of our project
Here below the schematics where YOU will see how the components are represented; ONLY five (5) parts.
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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 Mini-Brush | CACTUS (Supermarket) | 2,50€ |
| A bit heatshrink tube | 0,50€ | |
| 1 x Switch | CONRAD: 701351-62 | 1,09€ |
| 1 x 9 Volts accumulator | CONRAD: 251290 – 62 | 11,99€ |
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1 x 9 Volts Motor from Adafruit |
Adafruit: ID 711 |
1,84€ |
| 1 x 5mm flashing LEDs from Adafruit pack of 10 is $4.95 | Adafruit: ID 680 | 0,50 € |
| Just for fun: a plastic mouse | CACTUS (Supermarket) | 5€ |
| Total: | without the plastic mouse | 18,42€ |
| with plastic mouse | 23,42€ |
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As you can see it is a very cheap project, ONLY 18,42€ 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 off the handle of the mini brush.
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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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Optimizing the design
I first started to make a normal cabling and the mess I saw didn’t make me feel proud and comfortable, there was something embarrassing! I looked around on my working bench and I discovered some drinking straws which I bought (can’t remember for what, bought them as I was feeling to do so…). I took one and was plying it and suddenly the idea was there to hide the cables inside and WHY NOT to incorporate a super bright LED: the idea was born 😉
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The video of our project
Check the video below please:
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Keywords necessary for me to create this blog post: instant glue, hot glue, 9 Volts Mini-Motor, resistors in series for LEDs, LED, switch, schematics, drinking straws, unbalance, hexagonal nut, hiding cables in drinking straw (Design Thinking), creativity, accumulators and batteries (difference), …
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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 