Instruction Manual
WARNING: SHOCK HAZARD Never connect E-Blox® Circuit Blox™ to the electrical outlets in your home in any way! ! WARNING: Only use the battery holder with the cover securely in place. ! WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD ! WARNING: MOVING PARTS ! WARNING: THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS SMALL MAGNETS Small parts. Not for children under 3 years. Do not touch the fan while it is spinning. Swallowed magnets can stick together across intestines causing serious infections and death.
! Batteries: l Use only 1.5V “AA” type, alkaline batteries (not included). l Do not mix alkaline, standard (carbon-zinc), or rechargeable (nickel-cadmium) batteries. l Insert batteries with correct polarity. l Remove batteries when they are used up. l Non-rechargeable batteries should not be recharged. l Do not short circuit the battery terminals. l Rechargeable batteries should only be charged under adult supervision, and should not be recharged while in the product.
About Electricity (Science) 1. What is Science? Q: What do we mean when we say “Science”? A: Science is defined as the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment. Early scientists were curious people that wondered what made lightning. They decided to experiment to see if they could understand lightning and even make their own somehow. 3.
About Electricity (Technology) 5. What is Technology? Q: What is technology and who used technology in the past? 6. Technical Terms Q: What terms do electrical technicians need to know? A: Technology is the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes. Dating back to the 18th century, Benjamin Franklin (a famous American) proved that lightning was caused by electricity by performing an experiment in which an electrical conductor would be used to extract power from a thundercloud.
About Electricity (Engineering) 9. What is Engineering? Q: What is Engineering? What do engineers do? 10. Is Engineering only about Electronics? Q: Besides Electronics what else do Engineers do? A: Engineering is the application of Science, Technology, and Mathematics to make products that are useful to people. Engineers are skillful in using their knowledge to make products.
About Electricity (Mathematics) 13. Ohm’s Law 14. Switches and Power Ohms Law states that Voltage equals Current multiplied by Resistance. If V = Voltage, I = Current, and R = Resistance, then mathematically Ohms Law is V = I x R where “x” stands for “multiplied by”. Since the law starts with Voltage, we need a voltage source or a Power Supply. There are both DC (direct current) and AC (alternating current) power supplies. Batteries are also a source of DC voltage.
About Electricity (STEM) 17. Circuit Blox™ 18. Short Circuits in Circuit Blox™ For Circuit Blox™, the definition of an electrical circuit is: The complete path for an electric current flow, usually including the source of electric energy. The path shown in the circuit below is from the battery, through the blue 2-wire, through the motor under the fan, through the blue 4-wire, through the switch, through the blue 2-wire, and then back to the battery.
Parts List (colors and styles may vary) Symbols and Numbers Important: If any parts are missing or damaged, DO NOT RETURN TO RETAILER. Call toll-free (855) MY EBLOX (6932569) or e-mail us at: support@myeblox.com. Customer Service: 880 Asbury Dr., Buffalo Grove, IL 60089 U.S.A. Qty.
Parts List Qty. Name 1 (colors and styles may vary) Symbol Symbols and Numbers Part # Qty.
How to Use Your E-Blox® Circuit Blox™ Set E-Blox® Circuit Blox™ parts contain a PC board with connectors so you can build the different electrical and electronic circuits in the projects. Each block has a function: there are switch blocks, a light block, battery block, wire blocks, etc. These blocks are different colors and have numbers on them so that you can easily identify them. For Example: This is the press switch, it is green and has the marking 61 on it.
About Your E-Blox® Circuit Blox™ Parts (Part designs are subject to change without notice). The base grid functions like the printed circuit boards found in most electronic products. It is a platform for mounting parts and wire blocks (though the wires are usually “printed” on the board). The blue wire blocks are just wires used to connect other components, they are used to transport electricity and do not affect circuit performance.
DOs and DON’Ts of Building Circuits After building the circuits given in this booklet, you may wish to experiment on your own. Use the projects in this booklet as a guide, as many important design concepts are introduced throughout them. Every circuit will include a power source (the batteries), a resistance (which might be an LED, lamp, motor, integrated circuit, etc.), and wiring paths between them and back.
Examples of SHORT CIRCUITS – NEVER DO THIS! Placing a wire block directly across the battery holder is a SHORT CIRCUIT, indicated by a flashing LED in the battery holder. When the switch (S1) is turned on, this large circuit has a SHORT CIRCUIT path (as shown by the arrows). The short circuit prevents any other portions of the circuit from ever working.
Advanced Troubleshooting (adult supervision recommended) E-Blox® is not responsible for parts damaged due to incorrect wiring. If you suspect you have damaged parts, you can follow this procedure to systematically determine which ones need replacing: 1. Lamp (76), LED (69), Colorful LED (72): Place part directly across the battery holder as shown; it should light. Make sure the LEDs are installed in the correct direction. If they do not light, then replace your batteries and repeat.
Project Listings # Description 1. Closed Circuit 2. The ‘Momentary’ Switch 3. LED, the Check Valve Light 4. Magnetic Switch 5. Press Switch-controlled Lamp 6. Alarm Switches 7. The Bi-directional LED 8. Bi-directional LED Sensor 9. Proximity Sensor 10. Fire Drill Alarm 11. Personal Security Alarm 12. House Alarm 13. Fiber Optics 14. Fiber Optic Communication 15. Colorful Fiber Tree 16. Motor Switch 17. Newton’s First Law of Motion 18. Magnet-controlled Motor 19. Switches in Series 20.
1. Closed Circuit E-Blox® Circuit Blox™ uses electronic blocks that plug into a clear plastic grid to build different circuits. These blocks have different colors and numbers on them so that you can easily identify them. Build the circuit shown on the left by placing all the parts that plug into the first layer base. Then, assemble the parts that connect to the secondary layer. Install three (3) “AA” batteries (not included) into the battery holder (91). Secure the battery cover before using it.
3. LED, the Check Valve Light Build the circuit to the left making sure the LED (69) is in the correct direction. Press the switch (62) to turn it ON and OFF. Reverse the LED (69) and repeat. Notice that the LED does not light when in the circuit in the reverse direction, demonstrating how LEDs only allow current to flow in one direction. 4. Magnetic Switch Build the circuit on the left. Put the magnet (7) near the reed switch (83) and the lamp (76) will turn ON.
5. Press Switch-controlled Lamp Build the circuit, press the press switch (61), the lamp (76) will flash. Hold the press switch (61), the lamp (76) will stay on. This circuit acts like a push button flash light. 6. Alarm Switches Build the circuit, making sure the LED (69) is in the correct direction. Move the magnet (7) towards the reed switch (83) and the LED (69) will turn ON. Move the magnet (7) away and the LED (69) will turn OFF.
Red Light Blue Light Red Light Blue Light -19- 7. The Bi-directional LED Build the circuit, press the switch (62), you will see the bi-directional LED (71) turn on blue. Install the bidirectional LED (71) in the reverse direction. When you press the switch (62) the bi-directional LED (71) will turn on red. Bi-directional LEDs actually have two diodes in them in opposite directions so current can flow in both directions.
Red Light Blue Light 9. Proximity Sensor Build the circuit, move the magnet (7) towards the red switch (83) and the bi-directional LED (71) will turn on blue. Move the magnet (7) away and the light will turn off. Install the bi-directional LED (71) in the reverse direction, then move the magnet (7) towards the reed switch (83) and the bi-directional LED (71) will turn on red.
11. Personal Security Alarm Build the circuit, press the press switch (61) and you will hear the alarm (78) sound. Hold the press switch (61) and the alarm (78) will stay on. Some personal security alarm devices work like this so that a person needing help can sound a loud alarm to alert for help from anyone who may be nearby. 12. House Alarm Build the circuit, move the magnet (7) towards the reed switch (83) and the alarm (78) will sound. Move the magnet (7) away and the alarm (78) will turn off.
13. Fiber Optics Build the circuit and place the fiber optic tree on the colorful LED (72). Press the switch (62), the colorful LED (72) will turn on and you will see the fiber optic tree (40) change colors with the LED’s colors. If you look at the tips of the fibers at the top of the tree you will see bright light emitting from the fibers. This demonstrates how fibers carry light, and the simplest form of fibers (called single mode fibers) can actually carry light over 60 miles or more. 14.
15. Colorful Fiber Tree 1st level Build the circuit, move the magnet (7) towards the reed switch (83), the colorful LED (72) will turn on and the fiber optic tree (40) changes colors with the colorful LED (72). The colorful LED (72) is made of three LEDs (one Red, one Green and one Blue) connected to a tiny Integrated Circuit (IC) that varies the percentage of time each LED is “ON”.
1st level 17. Newton’s First Law of Motion Build the circuit on the left; press and hold the press switch (61) and the motor (95) will start spinning. Release the press switch (61), the motor will slow down and finally stop due to friction within it. This demonstrates Newton’s First Law of Motion: An object either remains at rest or continues to move at a constant velocity, unless acted upon by a force. 18.
19. Switches in Series Build the circuit, press the switch (62), then hold the press switch (61). The LED (69) will turn on. Release the press switch (61), then the light will turn off. This kind of circuit could be used in a hotel room where your key card must be inserted in a card holder near the door to enable a closed circuit, but you still need to turn on switches in the room to close the circuit and turn on lights or devices in the room. 20.
Red Light Blue Light 21. Toy Lights Build the circuit, press the switch (62), then hold the press switch (61), the bi-directional LED (71) will turn on blue. Release the press switch (61), then install the bi-directional LED (71) in the reverse direction, hold the press switch (61) the bi-directional LED (71) will turn on red.
23. Reversing a DC Motor Build the circuit to the left. Press and hold the press switch (61) and the motor (95) will spin clockwise. Release the press switch (61) and the motor (95) will stop. Now put the motor (95) in backwards reversing its direction (95 should be upside down now) and swapping it with the 4-wire in grid locations D2 through G2. Press and hold the press switch (61) and the motor (95) now spins counterclockwise.
25. Three-person Rocket Launch Build the circuit to the left. In this circuit, pretend the LED (69) is a rocket. To launch the rocket the switch (62) must be ON, AND the press switch (61) must be ON, AND the reed switch (83) must be turned ON with the magnet (7). Systems like this are used to prevent accidental rocket launching by having the switches placed far enough apart that it requires three people to turn them on simultaneously. 26.
27. Fun Facts About Fiber Optics Build the circuit, press the switch (62), then hold the press switch (61). Move the magnet (7) towards the reed switch (83). The colorful LED (72) will turn on. The fiber optic tree (40) will light up with the colors of the LED. If you move the magnet (7) away, the light will turn off. Did you know that fiber optics is one of the fastest methods to deliver high speed Internet? Fiber has been shown to deliver data at Terabyte speeds (that’s 1000s of Gigabytes!). 28.
29. Sound Waves Build the circuit, press the switch (62), then hold the press switch (61). When you move the magnet (7) towards the reed switch (83), you will hear the alarm (78). If you move the magnet (7) away, the alarm (78) will turn off. The alarm (78) makes sound by creating sound waves, much like light waves, but at much longer wavelengths and much lower frequencies. Frequency is the inverse of wavelength (Frequency = 1÷Wavelength) and is measured in Hertz (Hz).
31. Inertia Build the circuit, press the switch (62), the fan blade (60) of the motor (95) will start running while the lamp (76) is on. Release the press switch (61) and the fan will keep spinning for a short while, but the lamp (76) will turn off immediately. This circuit demonstrates the concept of Inertia: a property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force.
. Ohm’s Law Build the circuit, press the switch (62) and you will hear the alarm (78) while the LED (69) turns on at the same time. Using Ohm’s Law the resistance of each part could be calculated. If you had a voltmeter and measured the voltage drop across each component, you would see that the voltage drop across the LED (69) and the alarm (78) are similar (around 2V to 2.5V drop across each).
35. Reed Switch Build the circuit, move the magnet (7) towards the reed switch (83), the alarm (78) will sound while the LED (69) is on. Move the magnet (7) away, the alarm (78) and LED (69) will turn off. Reed switch circuits like this can be used to detect fluid levels for coffee makers, dish washers, washing machines and water heaters.
37. Reed Switch Motor Build the circuit, press the switch (62), when you move the magnet (7) towards the reed switch (83), you will see the fan blade (60) of the motor (95) start spinning. When you move the magnet (7) away, the fan blade (60) will stop spinning. Reed switches can actually be used to create what are called brushless motors. 38. Reed Switch vs. Mechanical Switch ! WARNING: Moving parts. Do not touch the fan or motor during operation. Do not lean over the motor.
40. Kirchhoff’s First Law Build the circuit, press and hold the press switch (61), you will hear the alarm (78) sound, while the lamp (76) will light dimly. When you release the press switch (61), the alarm (78) will stop. The lamp is used as a wire block in this circuit and will light dimly. Kirchhoff’s first law states: At any node (junction) in an electrical circuit, the sum of currents flowing into that node is equal to the sum of currents flowing out of that node. Location A1 represents a node.
42. Heart LED Build the circuit, press the switch (62), the alarm (78) will start in a low volume, while the LED (69) turns on. Reverse the direction of the LED (69) and the heart will not light and the alarm will not sound. LEDs stand for Light Emitting Diodes, and diodes are made of semiconductor material that only allows significant current to flow in one direction. 43.
44. Power Build the circuit, move the magnet (7) towards the reed switch (83), the alarm (78) will start in a low volume while the LED (69) turns on. If you move the magnet (7) away, the alarm (78) and LED (69) will turn off. Power is defined as voltage times current and is measured in Watts.
Red Light Blue Light 46. Current Limiting Fuse Build the circuit, hold the press switch (61), you will hear the alarm (78) sound, while the bi-directional LED (71) turns on red. Release the press switch (61), then install the bi-directional LED (71) in the reverse direction. Hold the press switch (61), you will see the bi-directional LED (71) will turn on blue and the alarm will sound very faintly. If you release the press switch (61), the alarm (78) and the bi-directional LED (71) will turn off.
48. Light-Sound Circuit Build the circuit, press the switch (62), the alarm (78) will sound very faintly. Then you will see the colorful LED (72) turn on. The fiber optic tree (40) will be lit up with the colors of the LED. Circuits like this are used a lot in toys that light up and make sounds when you turn them on. 49. Light-Sound Activation Build the circuit, press and hold the press switch (61), the alarm (78) will sound very faintly.
50. Rainbow of Colors Build the circuit, move the magnet (7) towards the reed switch (83), and the alarm (78) will sound very faintly. Then you will see the fiber optic tree (40) turn on with the light of the colorful LED (72). If you move the magnet (7) away the alarm (78), the colorful LED (72) will turn off. The colorful LED (72) cycles through a rainbow of colors.
52. Circuit Breaker Build the circuit, first press the switch (62), then move the magnet (7) towards the reed switch (83); you will hear the alarm (78) sound very faintly. The LED (69) will turn on at the same time. If you move the magnet (7) away the alarm (78) and LED (69) will turn off. You can think of the reed switch (83) in this circuit like the circuit breaker in your house.
54. Efficiency Revisited Build the circuit, press the switch (62), then hold the press switch (61). Move the magnet (7) towards the reed switch (83) and you will hear the alarm (78) sound while the lamp (76) is still off. If you release the press switch (61) or move the magnet (7), the alarm (78) will turn off. This circuit shows that the lamp (76) is not very efficient because even though current is flowing through the lamp (76), meaning there is input power, it does not light, meaning no output power.
56. Magnet & Alarm in Series Build the circuit, press the switch (62), then hold the press switch (61). Move the magnet (7) towards the reed switch (83) and you will hear the alarm (78) sound very faintly while the motor (95) is off. If you release the press switch (61), or move the magnet (7) away, the alarm (78) and motor (95) will turn off. The resistance in the alarm (78) limits the current in this series circuit, which is why the motor does not spin. 57.
Red Light Blue Light 58. Press Switch Build the circuit, press and hold the press switch (61), and you will see the LED (69) and the bi-directional LED (71) turn on red at the same time. Install the bi-directional LED (71) in the reverse direction, then press the press switch (61); the LED (69) will turn on red while the bidirectional LED (71) will turn on blue.
Red Light Blue Light 59. Angular Light Intensity Build the circuit, move the magnet (7) towards the reed switch (83), and you will see the LED (69) and the bi-directional LED (71) turn on red. Move the magnet (7) away and install the bidirectional LED (71) in the reverse direction. Move the magnet (7) towards the reed switch (83) and you will see the LED (69) turn on red and the bi-directional LED (71) turn on blue.
Other E-Blox® Products More sets available! Visit www.myeblox.
Other E-Blox® Products More sets available! Visit www.myeblox.com TM Builds Deluxe Builds Plus Contains over 100 parts, including 8 LEDs. Contains over 70 parts, including 6 LEDs. Compatible other toy sets. Compatible other toy sets. Starter with brick Flashing Frenzy Contains 25 patented parts, including 6 LEDs. Compatible other toy sets. -47- with brick with brick Contains over 125 patented parts, including 50 LEDs. Online instructions available for three models.
Other E-Blox® Products TM Story Blox™ include a storybook with QR codes that create an interactive learning environment using online resources. Eight models are built one at time in several parts of the story using a fully illustrated and easy-to-follow assembly manual, further enhancing the learning experience. Seymour E. Blox and his robot Robyn investigate a mysterious light in the distant ocean horizon.
880 Asbury Dr. Buffalo Grove, IL 60089 U.S.A. Visit us at: www.myeblox.com U.S. Patents: 6,805,605 and other patents pending. Copyright © 2021 E-Blox®, Inc. All rights reserved. REV-C Colors and styles may vary.
