Elenco Green Projects - Manual (Page 33)

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Project #38 Power Sources
Snap Circuits ® Green has 6 electrical power sources: battery,
hand crank, solar cell, windmill, watermill, and liquid holder.
Let’s compare them. The watermill is similar to the windmill
and its messy, so we’ll skip it.
Connect the red & black jumper wires to the meter and to one
of the power sources at a time, as shown. Measure the voltage
produced using the 5V meter setting; then look at the current
produced using either the 0.5mA or the 50mA meter settings.
Some times the meter reading will be more than the 5V or
50mA scales. Take some notes in the table below.
A. Battery.
B. Hand Crank: Turn it clockwise at different speeds.
C. Solar cell: Place it in sunlight or near an incandescent lamp.
D. Windmill: Mount the motor on the pivot stand, place the
wind fan on it, and blow on it or place it in a strong wind. You
may need to give it a push to get it started.
E. Liquid energy source: Assemble it using the instructions on
page 4. Fill the compartments with cola or juice.
Power
Source Highest Meter
Voltage Highest Meter
Current Clock
(Project 39)
Horn
(Project 40)
Yellow LED
(Project 41)
Big Voltage
(Project 42)
Big Current
(Project 43)
Battery
Hand
Crank
Solar Cell
Windmill
Liquid
Connect to
one source
at a time
The most powerful power
source is the one which
produces the best balance of
voltage and current. Different
types of circuits need different
levels of voltage and current.
For each power source, the
balance between voltage and
current produced can be
adjusted by changing its
construction or with how groups
of them are arranged.
Connect to
one source
at a time
See projects 1 & 3 if
you need to recharge
the battery (B4).