Keep the forms as symmetrical as possible! Since they spin on an axis if the are not symmetrical and/or balanced they will spin off the battery! This happened to us.

The dancers require more time to fine tune. It’s easy to bend and shape and you should have success with it.

Start with your basic homopolar motor.Please monitor the motors closely as they spin. One educator warned me about a defective battery that peeled open during this experiment. I recommend againstreusing a battery that got overheated. If you notice a battery getting usually warm stop the project, let it cool down and remove the magnets. MONITOR THESE FOR HEAT! Some of the motors that got going really fast heated up quite quickly.Slide it up onto the dancer and secure in place with a dab of hot glue. Step Six (optional) to make a skirt for your dancer cut a small circle of crepe then cut a slit in the center of the circle.If properly constructed it should start to spin. The round section at the bottom of the motor must be low enough to encircle the magnets! Step Four Place the motor on top of the battery so that it touches the positive pole.Step Three Place three neodymium magnets on the negative side of your battery.Remove the battery and gently widen the circular wire form with your fingers. Step Two To create the base section of wire that wraps the magnets, I recommend bending the end of the wire around the battery.No need to be perfect HOWEVER try and keep your form as symmetrical as possible. Lay it on the template of your choice and bend as shown using 3-in 1 tool or pliers.

Steps One Cut a long piece of wire off your spool, I started with about a 10” long piece.3 in 1 Combination Tool or pliers/wire cutters.Don’t be discouraged if at first it doesn’t work, keep tweaking and see our tips sections for some troubleshooting solutions. Each dancer will need to be tweaked to get them to dance properly on a battery. Note: Before we get started I want you to know that despite this looking very easy there is a fair amount of TWEAK TIME you will need to invest to make this project work! I recommend starting with a BASIC HOMOPOLAR MTOR to get the hang of how the motor actually works, then trying your hand at making a tiny dancer. See our TIPS section for safety precautions. Neodymium magnets are extremely strong and MUST BE KEPT OUT OF REACH OF SMALL CHILDREN! Do not give them to any child who might put them in their mouth, they are dangerous if swallowed and must be surgically removed! This is a project for older children who can understand the precautions and I recommend ADULT SUPERVISION! For more about neodymium magnets safety and precautions go here Additionally neodymium magnets can interfere with electronic devices so please keep them away from phones!Īlso please note that these motors do heat up. This post contains affiliate links to products I love and recommend to my readers.

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