Spin Draw

Project Number: 59

OBJECTIVE: To produce circular artistic drawings.

Description: Rebuild the simple motor connection as shown on the left. This is the same setup as Project #57. Setup: Cut out a circular piece of thin cardboard from the back of an old spiral or note pad. Use the fan blade as a guide. Place the fan on the cardboard and trace it around with a pencil or pen. Cut the cardboard out with scissors and tape it to the fan blade. Do the same thing with a piece of white paper, but tape the paper on top of the cardboard so it can be removed easily later. Drawing: To make a ring drawing obtain some thin and thick marking pens as drawing tools. Spin the paper by pressing and holding the press switch (S2) down. Press the marker on the paper to form rings. To make spiral drawings, release the press switch and as the motor (M1) approaches a slow speed move the marker from the inside outward quickly. Change the colors often and avoid using too much black to get hypnotic effects. Another method is to make colorful shapes on the disc then spin the disc and watch them blend into each other. When certain speeds are reached under fluorescent lights without electronic ballasts, the strobe principle shown in another project will produce strange effects and backward movement. Make a wheel with different spokes to see this strange effect. Adding more spokes and removing spokes will give different effects at different motor speeds.