Solar Powered Electric Motor

myminifactory

This motor will win no prizes for speed, torque or efficiency (well okay maybe efficiency as it is solar powered), but it is an interesting project. A video of the prototype is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WQwBnIcQEs. Using the electronics from the inside of a dollar store animated solar powered "devil" (purchased at a local dollar store, for a dollar no less, but also available online), 8 12mm by 3mm neodymium magnets (purchased at a local hardware store but also available online) and a 65mm by 1.6mm "yarn darner" sewing needle (purchased at a local sewing center but also available on line, "Dritz 56YD"), this solar motor will run as long as the light is shining, so printing it using "glow in the dark" filament is probably a waste of glow in the dark filament. Designed using Sketchup 8 (free version), and printed on a Makerbot Replicator 2 in PLA using Makerware 2.3.3.42 "Standard" settings. Inspired by my dad (R. I. P., we built non-solar versions of motors such as this when I was much, much younger), lidmotor (youtube) and magnetman2010 (youtube).