Student Team Member - Magnificent Mini Motor Project

Save to Favorites

The Shoulders of Giants is seeking high school student volunteers (9th-11th grade) to work alongside our Technical Mentor team in developing a motor design that will be used in an educational setting to teach young students (elementary-middle school age) about electromagnetism.

Students who have an interest in mechanical or electrical engineering may join this team, but no prior experience in these fields is necessary. This project is sponsored by IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). This volunteer opportunity is open to high school students only.

Project Title: Magnificent Mini Motors

Short Abstract: Learn about the basics of electromagnetism and mechanical design to design a motor that can drive a car, turn a fan, or some other application.

Technical Relevance of the Project

To help educate students on:

• The fundamentals of electromagnetism and the structure of DC motors.
• Motor control and the circuit design of motor controllers.
• Designing a DC motor optimized for a real-life use application.
• 3D and circuit design.
• Building a prototype by implementing and modifying your design.

Educational Motivation

Our volunteer Technical Mentors will provide all the background knowledge needed for this team to be a success. In the first 3 weeks, engineers Grace Zhang and Osvaldo Cardona will lead a lecture series to help our student volunteer team know the basics of electromagnetism, mechanical CAD, and project management so they can be effective team contributors.

Project Deliverables:

A functional brushed DC motor kit that introduces the fundamentals of electromagnetism and mechanical design to a middle school audience in a classroom setting. The components and materials used to construct the motor should be inexpensive, easy to acquire, and present no hazard to users. Documentation and curriculum materials provided with the motor design should include a full bill of materials, presentation materials for instructors, and step-by-step instructions for students. The assembly of and activities involving the motor should be able to be completed by students with minimal instructor assistance. The motor should be hand-wound by students. The motor design in the kit should include all of the major components of a typical commercial brushed DC motor to help students learn about real-world motor design, and the motor should be sealed to the outside world when fully assembled. The assembled DC motor should be comparable to a small commercial DC motor. The kit should include an Electronic Speed Control (ESC) board that allows for speed control. The kit should also include additional parts that will be powered by the motor as a demonstration.

Stretch goal: brushed and brushless comparison, speed torque curve, application of motor

For more specific information about this project, email Grace Zhang - gzhang@tsogiants.org or Osvaldo Cardona - ocardona@tsogiants.org

For volunteering questions, email Kareena Chawla at kchawla@tsogiants.org