Magnetic Robots
 | This is a Magbot. It uses the solar engine to send pulses of electrcity through a coil. This creates a magnetic field and can repulse or attract a powerful magnet placed under it. When this planes engine fires, it's nose lifts. The plane is not attached to the base. It balances on a pivot point near the rear. |
 | Another Magbot. This one was built using the focusing mechanism of a trashed CD player for the coil/magnet assembly. A spring was glued from the moving coil to a butterfly shape. The butterfly was made by printing a piece of clip art onto a transparency using a color printer. When the solar engine fires, the spring moves and the butterfly "jumps". |
 | What would a butterfly look like if it was assimilated by the Borg? Maybe like this. This robot was built on a circuit board that I designed and etched myself. A string of series-connected solar cells ( .4 volts each ) make up the "tail" of the butterfly. The wings are made from a sheet of reflective vinyl ( from craft store ) with a small scrap circuit board glued on for looks. The solar engine discharges through a coil/magnet assembly ( taken from a CD players' laser focusing mechanism )which makes the wings move. |
 | This is the cd lens focusing mechanism. By applying a small voltage to the pairs of solder pads the lens will move up/down or right/left. Too much voltage will heat the tiny copper wires in the coils and destroy them! I got a bunch of these from The Electronic Goldmine but they can be taken from any trashed CD player. |
 | This is a dragonfly made with a 1381 solar engine and a cd lens assembly. The wings were made by printing a circuit board pattern onto a transparency and then cutting out the wing shape. They are suspended from thier hinges by a piece of plastic tubing glued onto the wing with a wire running through the tubing. The cd lens assembly has had a spring glued to the lens which, when the Solar engine fires, pushes against the middle of the wings causing them to move. |
 | This dragonfly was made using a "Suneater 1" solar engine. This engine drives a pair of movements taken from small meters. The wings are attached to the needles of the meters. Because the wings are so heavy, the other end of the meter needle has been counter-weighted with two small nuts and a washer glued on. The wings are a pattern printed on a transparency. |
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