8.03.2008

A Simple Way to Make Things Motorized

One fast and simple way to transmit power from a motor to a wheel or object is to move is to simply wrap duct tape (or even better, find a round peice of rubber that will fit around the end of the motor) around the moving part of the motor then attatch the motor to something near to the object that will be turned (such as a wheel) so that the moving end of the motor applies some pressure against the wheel (but don't make it apply to much pressure). Once your ready just turn on the motor and it should be working. This isn't nearly as effective as gears however, it provides a quick and cheap alternative.

Simple Diet Coke and Mentos Nozzle


This is an idea that I haven't found anywhere on the internet so I thought that it would be a good idea to share. All that it involves is simply drilling a hole in the middle of the cap of a diet coke bottle and screwing the cap on directly after the mentos are deposited into the coke.

POTATO Cannon!

This is a cool thing that I saw my neighbors use one. It is AMAZING and can be built for less than $25.00 (It's way worth the money). There are also some videos on Youtube that will help you understand how to build this if this isn't sufficient enough.

Assembly:
Get all your parts ready for assembly.
Cut all your pipes to the correct length using a saw.
Glue the end cap holder onto the end combustion chamber pipe (Fatter, shorter one) Make sure you don't get glue into the threads.
Take the 3" to 1.5" reducer and glue the 3" end to the other side of the combustion chamber.
Glue the barrel to the other end of the reducer.
Put two 3-inch nails into the 3" section on either side so there about 1 cm apart.
Put small alligator clips on the leads to your BBQ sparker.
Let it dry for a day, then you're ready to fire.

Loading:
Ensure a tight seal around the projectile. This prevents the combustion gasses from escaping around the projectile instead of pushing it forward and will result in inefficient shots.
Cut each potato in half and put it on a board or hard ground. Use the barrel as a cookie-cutter to force a perfect circle of potato into the muzzle and force it down with a ramrod.

Firing:
Open the end cap.
Spray propellant (almost all hairspray will do) inside the chamber and close end cap tightly. Seven seconds of spraying is plenty.
Connect the alligator clips to the nails in the chamber.
Aim away from all people and click the sparker (it may take a few sparks so don't be discouraged if it doesn't work).

Instructions Source: http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Potato-Launcher