Motors and Generators Concept

Demonstrations in Motors and Generators

Vintage demonstration motor on a wooden base with a red copper wire armature coil between wooden uprights, horseshoe-shaped iron yoke, and visible commutator assembly
Safety

Demonstration Motor, Permanent Magnet

A permanent-magnet DC motor with exposed components shows how a commutator reverses current direction each half-turn to maintain continuous rotation. Useful for explaining commutator operation and the force on current-carrying …
Simple motor: wire coil mounted on a coffee cup with a permanent magnet behind it, on a wooden base with wire contacts for a 9V battery

Simple Motor

A simple homemade DC motor demonstrates the force on a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field . Students see electrical energy converted to rotational kinetic energy and learn why commutation …
Motor-generator board with large bronze flywheel spinning (motion blur visible), small light bulb glowing on top, switches and colored wiring on wooden base, connected to red-topped 12V battery
Safety

Motor-Generator

Students observe how a single electromagnetic machine functions as both a motor and a generator, demonstrating the reversibility of electromechanical energy conversion. The demo also illustrates electromagnetic braking via armature …
Top: Heathkit battery eliminator power supply with two analog meters connected to a small demonstration DC motor on a black base with visible flywheel. Bottom: Close-up of the motor showing commutator, brushes, field coils, and armature.
Safety

Electric Motor

Students observe the conversion of electrical energy to mechanical rotation in a DC motor, illustrating the Lorentz force on current-carrying conductors and the role of the commutator in maintaining continuous …
Simple unipolar motor: D battery held in hand with brass fitting and steel ball on positive terminal, red copper wire shaped to contact the ball and magnet
Safety

Simple Unipolar Motor

A motor built from just a battery, magnet, and copper wire demonstrates the Lorentz force in its simplest form. Students see how current in a magnetic field produces continuous rotation …
Demonstration AC-DC generator on dark green base with wooden-handled hand crank on left, exposed copper armature windings in center between black field coil poles, commutator and slip rings on the shaft, and terminal posts on the base
Safety

AC-DC Generator

Students see Faraday's law in action by hand-cranking a coil in a magnetic field and observing the induced voltage on a light-beam galvanometer. Switching the brushes between slip rings (AC …
Linear generator apparatus: copper coil with clear plastic guard plates on a metal handle mounted to a clamp stand, positioned between the poles of a large black radar magnet on a wooden cart with wheels. A miniature lamp in a base is connected by wires on the left.
Safety

Hand-Held Linear Generator

Demonstrates Faraday's Law by generating visible current through relative motion between a coil and magnet. A hand-held 1364-turn coil oscillated through a radar magnet's poles lights a miniature lamp, with …
Blue translucent Genecon hand-cranked generator with pistol grip and white crank handle in foreground, black cylindrical PASCO hand-crank generator with black handle in background, connected by wires with alligator clips

Coupled Motor/Generators

Demonstrates motor-generator duality by electrically coupling two hand-cranked generators so cranking one drives the other. Students observe Faraday's law, Lenz's law (back-EMF felt as cranking resistance), and the asymmetric behavior …
Magneto generator on wooden board with glowing frosted incandescent bulb on left, yellow wires connecting through central switch, hand visible on crank
Safety

Telephone Ringer

Students experience the connection between mechanical work and electrical power by cranking a magneto generator to light different bulbs. The dramatic difference in cranking effort between a 25W incandescent bulb …
Bicycle on red trainer stand next to lecture bench with switch box and array of eight light bulbs (CFLs and incandescents) on a wooden board
Safety

Bicycle Generator

A volunteer pedals a bicycle connected to a generator to light an array of bulbs, giving students a visceral sense of the mechanical effort required to generate electrical power. Adding …