CONTEN T CO N T E NT S 3. 8. Are you ready? MATERIALS CHECKLIST BASIC CIRCUITS ROJECT 14. PGUIDE 23.
WHAT IS IN CLUDE D IN YO U R KIT 2X COINCELL BATTERY This small battery can provide power and fit in tight places. You can connect this to your circuit for power—just make sure that the positive side connects to the positive end and the negative side (or ground) connects to the negative end. 1X COINCELL BATTERY HOLDYou also have a sewable battery holder in your kit, with conductive holes marked as positive and negative.
WHAT IS IN CLUDE D IN YO U R KIT 4X ALLIGATOR CLIPS Alligator clips are also made of conductive material meaning they let electrons pass through them. You can use the alligator clips to attach parts without making a permanent connection. Just squeeze the ends to open the claws and clip them on. 2X LEDS LEDs are the most popular way to test a circuit. When electricity is flowing through them they turn “on” and produce light. They have a positive end (longer leg) and negative end (shorter leg).
WHAT IS IN CLUDE D IN YO U R KIT 1X MAGNETIC REED SWITCH This is a switch that is activated by a magnet. When exposed to a magnetic field, the metal reeds inside the switch pulls together and the switch closes. When the magnetic field is removed, the reeds separate and the switch opens. The reed switch in your kit is covered with a black insulated box so that it won’t break easily. You also have a small ceramic disc magnet in your set.
WHAT IS IN CLUDE D IN YO U R KIT 1X LEVER SWITCH The lever switch has a lever on the top that can be pushed down. It will spring back to an open position when there is no pressure applied. Is it also a “momentary switch.” To turn “on” push down on the lever, to turn “off” release. OR push down to turn off and release to leave on, depending on how you have the circuit connected. 1X TOGGLE SWITCH The toggle switch will hold the state (on or off) when toggled and won’t change until it is toggled again.
ADDITION AL TO O L S A ND MA TE RIA L S Here is a list of tools and supplies that complement your set. We also encourage you to combine this set with other Teknikio sets, particularly the Activating Origami Set.
Ba s i c Circuits 8
BAS IC CIRCUITS W H AT I S A S W I TCH ? ? ?? You probably use switches every day to turn things on and off, and that’s basically what they do. Switches and buttons have a latch inside of them that can open, close, or change position of a connection in a circuit.
BAS IC CIRCUITS WH AT I S A S EN S O R? A sensor is something that senses an external pressure or force and sends a signal. Switches are really basic sensors. Some of them have unique properties for sensing a specific change. Here are a few interesting facts about the switches in your kit and where they are used as sensors: Tilt switches are used to sense motion or a change in direction.
BAS IC CIRCUITS The next section will provide a review of basic electronics and how a circuit works. Things to remember: A CIRCUIT IS ALWAYS A LOOP. Electricity will alway take the path of least resistance. For example, if you are trying to build a light circuit and you connect the components like in the drawing below, the light will not turn on! ELECTRICITY FLOWS FROM POSITIVE TO NEGATIVE AROUND THE LOOP. EVERYTHING IN THE CIRCUIT MUST BE ORIENTED IN THE SAME DIRECTION FOR THE CIRCUIT TO WORK.
BAS IC CIRCUITS OUTPUT The output, or part that is powered in a circuit. The LEDs and buzzer are loads in your kit. CIRCUIT The flow of electrons across the circuit, carried by conductive materials. Measured in amps. RESISTANCE Restricts the rate at which electrons flow through the circuit. Conductive materials have different resistances SWITCH POWER SOURCE Closes and opens a break in the circuit. Provides power to the circuit.
BAS IC CIRCUITS If you were to connect the circuit line in the diagram to the left, the current will flow through the shorter (yellow) path and skip the path that connects to the LED. This will result in a short circuit—a short circuit is basically equivalent to connecting from the positive end of the power source to the negative, without putting anything in between. This will drain or “burn out” your battery very quickly. You should always make sure there are no short circuits in your design.
PARTY HOUSE This guidebook is about how to incorporate circuits and switches into your own creation. Project Guide Want to make something else? Find more ideas and tutorials @ www.teknikio.
G ETTING STARTED Time to build the circuit! Start by finding your lever switch in you Sparking Sense Set. Trace the house template at the end of this guide to make a house out of cardboard or foamcore. Let’s go over how this switch works: If using a hobby knife, have an adult help you with this part! Next you will prepare to fold the house: Score the front of the house along the red dotted lines. Score the back of the house along the pink dotted lines. Cut along the blue solid lines.
BUILDING THE H O U S E Flip your house over. You will be working from the inside of the house from here on out. Push the switch through the cardboard. Remove the switch so you can see the holes that were made. The circuit will only be using the middle hole and on the right. Put the switch near the middle on the right side of the doorway and orient it so the lever pushes down on the left-hand side.
PLACIN G THE CO P P E R TA P E Place a strip of conductive tape parallel to the doorway. This tape must cover the middle hole that we made with the switch. Be certain that the conductive tape does not cover the left or right holes. Remember to leave a gap! Now, place a small strip of conductive tape to the right of the first piece of conductive tape as shown, forming an “L”.
ADDING THE SW ITCH If you hear a click coming from the switch as you open the door, that means that it is working! If it not working, make sure the rubber band is secure and that it is being stretched when you open the door. Now for the interesting part! We are going to make it so that the door activates the lever switch. Cut a small rubber band in half and trim it to be about 3 inches in length.
TAPING THE BA TTE RY Add another piece of conductive tape that leaves from the top of the battery make sure it makes contact with the exposed part of the battery. Place the battery on top of the first piece of conductive tape as shown. Be sure that the positive side (plus sign) of the battery is facing up. Tape the battery down tightly onto the house, using a regular tape. This piece should be shorter than the piece that is connected to the switch.
MORE COPPER TAP E Now you will add two more pieces of conductive tape. You are going to add two more strips of conductive tape across the inside of the roof as shown. The top strip is our positive side and the bottom strip is our negative side. They will tape your LEDs lamps to the house ceiling. For now just tape them down half way. First, add a long vertical strip, perpendicular to piece x.
L ET T HERE BE L IG H T! Time for the lights! LEDs have one short leg and one long leg. The short leg is the cathode (negative) and the long leg is the anode (positive). Bend the legs of the LED’s as shown. Now you can tape down the other half of the conductive strips from step 10. Your final design should look like the diagram below. Place the LEDs onto the last two strips of conductive tape such that the positive legs are attached to the top strip and the negative leads are attached to the bottom strip.
Y OU ARE ALL DO NE ! Test your circuit by opening up the door. When opening up the door, your LED’s should light up! If your LED’s are not lighting up, be sure to check that all of your conductive tape connections are tight and secure. Also be sure to check that the LEDs are wired correctly and that your battery is oriented with positive side up.
Troub l e s ho ot i n g 23
TROUBLESHOOTING 24
TROUBLESHOOTING To make a corner pinch the tape at a 45 degree angle and turn the other side of the tape perpendicular like in the diagram above. Do not tear or cut the tape! To “patch” 2 paths of tape you can take another piece of copper tape and place the nonsticky side across the gap you want to patch and then stick another piece over the top of it.
WHAT IS IN CLUDE D IN YO U R KIT 1X LEVER SWITCH The lever switch has a lever on the top that can be pushed down. It will spring back to an open position when there is no pressure applied. Is it also a “momentary switch.” To turn “on” push down on the lever, to turn “off” release. OR push down to turn off and release to leave on, depending on how you have the circuit connected. 1X TOGGLE SWITCH The toggle switch will hold the state (on or off) when toggled and won’t change until it is toggled again.
