Running head: PROGRESS REPORT XIII 1

EMWiT - Progress Report XIII

Lauren Warner, Paulina Hall, and Shannon Woolfolk

May 18, 2017

Dr. Psaker

The Governors School at Innovation Park

Objectives: Fix the commutator. Test the electric motor to ensure it works. Continue updating the

website.
PROGRESS REPORT XIII 2

Abstract

Progress:

Over the past two weeks, the focus has been reconstructing the commutator. The problem

with the previous commutator was it was not smooth enough, so the brushes were not always in

contact with the commutator pieces. The brushes were also not the most effective design. In an

attempt to solve this issue, the commutator pieces were removed from the epoxy putty, and the

dry putty was filed down. The pieces were then reattached, making sure that the new putty was

smooth around the rod. The next area of focus was figuring out the most effect way to create

brushes. The initial idea was to use long copper pieces and attach wire to the ends to make

contact with the commutator pieces. This proved ineffective, as the brushes were not making

strong enough contact. The next idea was to copper mesh to stretch on either side of the

commutator pieces to act as brushes. Either end of the copper strip was soldered onto the cut out

copper pieces and pulled tight. A plastic zip tie was used to secure the end of the copper mesh

strip in place. Refer to Figure 1 to see the completed commutator. Testing was done with a multi-

meter to determine if there was continuity throughout. The motor was then connected to a 6V

battery, which resulted in the motor smoking. The source of the smoke was the epoxy holding

the two copper pieces in place. The wires also got very hot, so it was decided to wait to do any

further testing. Some reasons for the smoking were discussed, and the conclusion that was made

was that the weight of the motor was too much to get it to rotate smoothly. It was decided to take

two blocks of wood and drill holes at equal heights in them to put either end of the axle through.

On the axle, there will be a bearing to allow for as little friction as possible as the motor is

turning. This design will hopefully prove effective and solve the problem of having too much

weight on motor to rotate.

PROGRESS REPORT XIII 3

Figure 1: This image shows the new commutator pieces and brushes. This design worked

effectively. There was continuity throughout.

Work Planned for the Next Two Weeks:

The presentation of the completed project will take place on May 23, 2017. Symposium

follows on June 2, 2017. The project poster will be completed, along with the website and online

presentation. The electric motor will continue to be worked on, but more time will be put into the

presentation as the electric motor is just an extension of the previous design of the project.
PROGRESS REPORT XIII 4

Data and Results

No new data at this time.

PROGRESS REPORT XIII 5

References

No references at this time.