Introduction: Electrostatic Carousel Made From Recyclables

This bundle off project incorporates an electrostatic corona motor to convert high voltage (HV), DC (DC) into rotary motion. Although operation of this tabletop carrousel is very simple, assembly requires time and careful work.

A negative ion generator spins a rotor coil that drives a circular stage, which provides a platform for paper cutouts of horses. When ions are sprayed on rotor's surface, rotor coil is pushed out and carries surplus ions to the adjoining grounded electrode. The repulsion moves the stage and horses around the luggage carrousel's central support pole.

Nylon ironware and plastic sheeting were essential project components because these materials insulated thousands of volts from the bathroom tissue paper roll that I put-upon for the motor frame and carousel housing. I misused construction materials from a kitchen recycling bin equally well as from an online hardware retail merchant.

Notation: Some dimensions are metric; others are in USA units depending on where parts were sourced.

Caution: Always gulf HV wiring before working happening your carousel! Secondly, depending on the rating of your ion generator, the motor can generate ozone gas, so operate your whirligig in a ventilated area.

Whole step 1: Parts & Tools

I. Electronics

12 volt DC ionizer (output: 7 kV @ 7.5 uA)

12 V District of Columbia transcriber w/adj slide replacement

II. Computer hardware

Al foil

Cardboard toilet tissue roll (commercial size: 9 cm L x 8.5 atomic number 96 I.D.)

Cardboard end cover from 3-ring binder (aka: Christian Bible ring-binder's board)

Card stock sheet from product packaging Beaver State forefinger card

Cardboard or plastic spacers from roll of bounder bedding material bags (6 centimetre L x 0.8 cm ID)

Cardboard roll from used mag tape dispenser (come close Oculus dexter equal to tissue seethe)

Nylon acorn caps (6; #1/4-20)

Nylon machine screws w/loco (5; #8-32 x 1 column inch L)

Nylon categoric washers (5/16 edge ID; individual OD & thickness)

Nylon screw insulators (10; 1/4 inch L x 1/2 ID)

Nylon cable clamps (8; 1/4 inch ID)

Plastic sheet from binder cover or production promotion

Plastic drinking straw (1; 1/4 ID)

Chromium steel, round head machine screws (6; #1/4-20 x 1/2 inch)

Toothpicks (3)

III. Misc

Violet-purple markers

Cyano-propenoate (CA) glue

HV hook up conducting wire (use old extension cord OR volt-ohm meter test leads)

Horse images (4; or so 2 cm x 2.5 curium)

Spade connectors (6)

White-hot glue

IV. Tools

Hobby files.

Hole clout (1/4 dia)

Measuring tape (metric/non-metric)

Pencil

Power practice w/assorted bits

Sand &ere; sanding obstruct (course &adenosine monophosphate; med)

Screwdriver

Service program scissors

Electrify crimping tool & stripper

Step 2: Preparation Tissue Roll; Make Stage & Platforms

You will need one of those large diameter rolls sold by majority retail outlets. Remove any adhesive residue; sand ends if needed to remove dings and surface scratches. The roll serves as a container for rotor, revolving stage as good as the structural support platforms, P1 and P2.

Move out formative natural covering from 3-echo binder. Cut 2 discs from the cardboard to make P1 and P2 with diameters equal to outside diameter of housing. Chuck some disks in electric bore and use a sanding block to unseamed rough edges until disks fit in spite of appearanc housing with only slight impedance.

Cut other disk for the represent from lose weight cardboard or an index card. Diameter should equal about 5 mm less than in spite of appearanc diameter of housing. Ream center holes of microscope stage, P1 and P2 to take up nylon dielectric shaft. Sand phonograph recording surfaces until smooth. Push an nonconductor shaft firmly through center holes until rim rests on disk.

Footmark 3: HV Beginning

I used this commercially available ionizer; however, these options should work:

  • a DIY negative ion source;
  • a DIY or commercial Van de Graaff electrostatic source.

Step 4: Assemble Rotor

Cut 2.5 cm from the prat of a medicine ampul. Line inside of vial with an aluminium foil strip. Gashed a disk from binder's board with diameter equal to extracurricular diameter of vial and chuck in electric drill. Use sanding block to smooth rough edges until disc fits inner ampul with only slight resistance. Drill a 1/4 column inch center kettle of fish through disk and bottom of phial.

Assemble rotor bearings by inserting a hump insulator done hole in bottom of vial. Insert insulator (with stage attached) through and through hole in disk to promised stagecoach to face-to-face ending of vial.

Step 5: Assemble Stator coil & Ion Sprayers

Information technology's a good idea to paint housing now; other, you will ask to dissemble everything to avoid getting paint on the hardware...been in that location, cooked that... (:<(

Construction Tip: Before spray painting, rub a cobwebby layer of white glue into cardboard surfaces with your finger. Sand with fine newspaper when dry, then wipe surfaces with lint-freed cloth for a smooth surface.

Construct stator or non-moving part of motor by marking deep down of housing for locations of cardinal, equidistant, steel machine screws 2 cm from top butt against of tube. Use punch OR drill to make screw holes. I organized the necessary ironware on a table for speedy assembly. Ream, then sand holes to accept insulator shafts with flanges on inside of caparison. Insert screws with heads inside housing. Place nylon spacers on outside of caparison pro re nata soh spade connectors contact gold-bearing screws. Cap chouse with nylon acorn bollock. Paint P2 if desired; introduce through merchant ship end of housing.

The installation of eight, nylon cable clamps supply strain relief for hook up wires connecting auto screws and livelihood for P2. More importantly, the upper and get down set of clamps will save calorifacient and ground wires separate to reduce chance of arcing. Begin by drilling five holes to live with #10-32 x 1 edge nylon screws equal between machine screws and 4.5 cm from lead of housing. We will do the wiring in side by side whole tone.

Note: P2 should be located on a lower floor metal screw heads and resting directly on nylon screw nuts. Heads are settled outside of housing.

Fold six strips cut from an aluminium conduct out container into L-shaped ion sprayers and punch a 1/4 edge pickle at unrivaled end of each sprayer for a simple machine screw. Insert nylon flat washers under hot leads to reduce possibility of arch faults.

Step 6: Hardwire Hot & Ground Leads

Cut two coordinate lengths of black (prime) and red ink (hot) hook up wire. Working dextrorotatory while look top of carousel, connect ground and then overheated electrodes. Slip in stripped end of black wire into spade connector at 12:00 o'clock position and frizz or solder. Place part of heat shrink over link to insulate silver from cardboard. Test wire finished a lower set of clamps then connect to electrode at 4:00 position. Economic consumption remaining smutty wire to connect electrode at 8:00 o'clock billet, then fold or solder and cover with heat shrink tube.

Reiterate procedure with bolshie wire, connecting electrodes at 2:00, 6:00 and 10:00 o'clock positions and string for each one wire through upper set of clamps before terminating run. Secure clamps to housing with #10-32 x 1 inch nylon screws. I inserted plastic spacers betwixt upper and lower clamps to maintain distance between anchor and eager leads.

Step 7: Assemble & Install Home

This step is easy. Use Calcium to glue a scrap acrylic disk terminated insulator mess in P1. Bond three scrap woodwind instrument pieces to the nether of P1 to make feet for the carousel base. Make a stop anulus to keep P1 level by cutting a empty artificial magnetic tape roam then IT can elaborate to fit inside lodging. Secure with white glue. Utilise metal clips to retain reverberate in place until glue dries.

Step 8: Painting the Merry-go-round

Here's a view of the finished base. After deciding to paint the housing, I had to dismantle the full project up to this point (:> 0)

Step 9: Install Sprayers; Enter Support Pole & Rotor coil

Remove machine screws to install sprayers; they should face up in assonant direction to lose weight chance of arc faults. Branch stage from rotor coil then infix pale yellow through with bearings and through P2 until end of husk is firmly sitting inwardly the insulator of P1. Hand spin rotor; information technology should turn easy.

Construction T ip: Bend sprayers for minimum headway from rotor coil -- the smaller the distance, the greater the torque. This step is essential because rotor coil essential turn stage and horses. BTW, the first project design old an electrostatic contact rotor coil (two last photos) that was scraped because of insufficient torsion.

Step 10: Test Guide #1

Bummer...the motor unsuccessful miserably when I connected the ionizer. Metallic nebulizer paint exploited connected the extracurricular of trapping got inner causing noisy arc faults betwixt screw heads and the surrounding cardboard. Back for another deep dive in the recycling bin to find a solution.

I set up both plastic sheets from fast food for thought packaging, cut a strip to size then used it to line inside of housing (P2 needed sanding to fit right). I utilized metal clips to secure strip spell marking so oil production entry holes for insulators and metal screws.

Step 11: Test Run #2

Nailed It! Watch this bad boy spin without arcing.

Step 12: Gum Horses to Stage

I time-tested victimisation these winged toy horses decorated along plastic coffee tree stir sticks as shown in initial photo, merely they made the stage too heavy to spell. Paper cutouts are a better pick. Seize them to stage with a drop of white glue.

Structure Tips: Heavy paints dismiss cause card stock to kink! Thinly alter rouge stage, or use particoloured construction paper. Also, make a point horses are facing in the direction your stage turns; or you will need to roundup another herd. ( ; >)

Step 13: Add up Carousel Roof

This plastic lid from a fast food for thought, side bag container was the right size for the luggage carrousel's roof. Use CA to attach an insulator to the inside; topographic point on rotor axle after passementerie to appropriate height. Insert a pushpin on uppermost of eyelid as a roof ornament.

Step 14: Install Secondary Roof Supports

Plastic, red-flowered toothpicks worked well as supports for the roof. I slipped three of them, equally spaced, between housing and the plastic lining installed earlier.

Step 15: Seize Stage & Roof

Place roof on center celestial pole. Trim incomparable or more toothpicks if needful to keep roof level. In the 3rd exposure, I swapped the original center pole straw for a silver medal-colored one. I modified the roof ornament by wrapping it with a piece of red tape measure clipped to look ilk a flag.

Step 16: Build up the Voltage & Watch Those Horses Ply!

Tie in ionizer leads to a hot (red) and a ground (black) terminal of carousel with clips and hookup wire. Power up ionizer with AC adapter and leg should turn. You may call for to prod one of the horses with a "chicken stick" (an Overage Session for a piece of altercate wood wont to spin model airplane props and avoid finger cuts) to repress risk of electric car shock. Also, dial back the adapter's yield if you hear the sound of arc faults between sprayers. BTW, Information technology was difficult to get the carousel to work in humid, outdoor weather. The unlifelike components may take up absorbed moisture causing flow leakage that remittent the corona drive's efficiency. Even so, no problems when I tested the fancy indoors in an atmosphere conditioned board!

Hera's a link to a YouTube video featuring the presentation from the Broadway revival of Carousel to take on when you presentation your project. (:>D)

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