CJT wrote:

wrote:

When I was a kid my dad and I built a homemade electric motor from
plans in a book or magazine.

Components were a frame made of a cut and bent tin can, an axle made
out of a nail, and windings made from magnet wire.

The wiring on the armature had a lot of scotch tape for some reason.

There were windings on both the motor and the tin-can frame, and
commutation was from brushes made out of little pieces of brass sheet.

Does anyone recognize this project, and know of a website or the title
of a book that will help me recreate it with my kids?

Tim.

I certainly recall doing the same thing. I think there was even a kit
in a little red box that had the wire, etc. and an instruction sheet;
the box formed the base.

Maybe something here would suffice:

http://scientificsonline.com/search....=motor&x=5&y=7

Hate to reply to myself, but in fact this one looks a bit like what
I recall:

http://scientificsonline.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_3081416

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .