User Manual

Place one of the disco covers on the disco
motor (DM) and turn on the slide switch
(S1). The LEDs in the disco motor are on,
but the disco cover probably won’t move.
Push the press switch (S2) and the disco
cover spins, and keeps spinning after you
release S2. The light patterns are best in a
dark room.
Compare the patterns when the disco is
spinning fast (with S2 pressed) and slow
(S2 released). Try both disco covers, and try
holding the circuit at an angle near a wall.
If the motor does not continue spinning after
you released S2 then replace your batteries,
or go to the next project.
Project 201
Faster Push-
Start Disco
Use the preceding circuit, but add the
green LED (D2) across the points
marked A & B (“+” side of D2 to point
A). Now the disco motor (DM) starts
easier and spins faster.
Adding the green LED
in parallel with the red
LED increases the
power to the disco
motor, helping it to
start and spin faster.
Modify the preceding circuit to match this one. Place
one of the disco covers on the disco motor (DM), and
turn on the slide switch (S1). Push the press switch
(S2) if the disco motor is not spinning.
Compare the patterns when the disco is spinning fast
(with S2 pressed) and medium speed (S2 released).
The light patterns are best in a dark room. Try both
disco covers, and try holding the circuit at an angle
near a wall.
Do you see the light from the red, green, and yellow
LEDs (D1, D2, & D10) on the ceiling or wall? Try
covering them with your hand to see how much they
affect what you see.
-75-
Project 200
Push-Start Disco
The disco motor needs a lot
of power to start up, then
less to continue spinning.
The red LED (D1) limits the
power to the disco motor,
usually preventing it from
starting up. Pressing S2
bypasses the red LED and
gets the disco motor
spinning.
Project 202 Medium Speed Disco
The red, green, yellow LEDs (D1, D2, & D10) spread their
light over a wide angle, to make them easier to see from
the sides.
The LEDs in the disco motor concentrate their light,
making them much brighter when you look at them
directly, They are also brighter due to the quality of their
LEDs, and because they are moving.
Disco Cover
SUPPORT BAR
Disco Cover
SUPPORT BAR