Elenco Circuit Maker Skill Builder 125 - Manual (Page 6)

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About Your Circuit Maker Skill Builder 125 Parts
Electromagnet
Shaft
Shell
Magnet
Power Contacts
The motor (M1) converts electricity into
mechanical motion. An electric
current in the motor will
turn the shaft and the
motor blades, and the fan
blade if it is on the
motor.
MOTOR SPEAKER
TRANSISTOR
The NPN transistor (Q2) is a component that
uses a small electric current to control a large
current, and is used in switching, amplifier, and
buffering applications. Transistors are easy to
miniaturize, and are the
main building blocks of
integrated circuits
including the micro-
processor and memory
circuits in computers.
NPN Transistor (Q2)
LED
LED (D1)
The red LED (D1) is a light emitting diode and
may be thought of as a special one-way light
bulb. In the “forward” direction, (indicated by the
“arrow” in the symbol) electricity flows if the
voltage exceeds a turn-on threshold (about
1.5V); brightness then increases. A high current
will burn out an LED, so the current must be
limited by other components in the circuit. LEDs
block electricity in the “reverse” direction.
Motor (M1)
How does electricity turn the shaft in the motor?
The answer is magnetism. Electricity is closely
related to magnetism, and an electric current
flowing in a wire has a magnetic field similar to
that of a very, very tiny magnet. Inside the motor
is a coil of wire with many loops wrapped around
metal plates. This is called an electromagnet. If
a large electric current flows through the loops,
it will turn ordinary metal into a magnet. The
motor shell also has a magnet on it. When
electricity flows through the electromagnet, it
repels from the magnet on the motor shell and
the shaft spins. If the fan is on the motor shaft,
then its blades will create airflow.
(+) HLD
OUT (–)
TRG
Space War IC:
INTEGRATED CIRCUITS (ICs)
IN1
(+) OUT
IN2 (–)
Alarm IC:
Connections:
IN1, IN2, IN3 - control inputs
(–) - power return to batteries
OUT - output connection
Connect control inputs to (+) power
to make five alarm sounds, see
project 22 for configurations.
IN1
(–)
IN2 IN3
OUT
Some types of electronic components can be
super-miniaturized, allowing many thousands of
parts to fit into an area smaller than your
fingernail. These “integrated circuits” (ICs) are
used in everything from simple electronic toys to
the most advanced computers. The music,
alarm, and space war ICs (U1, U2, and U3) in
Circuit Maker Skill Builder 125 are actually
modules containing specialized sound-
generation ICs and other supporting components
(resistors, capacitors, and transistors) that are
always needed with them. This was done to
simplify the connections you need to make to use
them. The descriptions for these modules are
given here for those interested, see the projects
for connection examples:
Connections:
(+) - power from batteries
(–) - power return to batteries
OUT - output connection
IN1, IN2 - control inputs
Connect each control input to (–)
power to sequence through 8
sounds.
Music IC:
Connections:
(+) - power from batteries
(–) - power return to batteries
OUT - output connection
HLD - hold control input
TRG - trigger control input
Music for a few seconds on power-
up, then hold HLD to (+) power or
touch TRG to (+) power to resume
music.
The speaker (SP) converts electricity into
sound by making mech-
anical vibrations. These
vibrations create vari-
ations in air pressure,
which travel across the
room. You “hear” sound
when your ears feel
these air pressure
variations.
Speaker (SP)
CM-125_Manual_031514.qxp_CM-125_Manual_031514 4/2/14 12:19 PM Page 6