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How to make a wire game

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Abstract

With wires and polystyrene lying around, you can turn those into a wire game by just adding a battery and a buzzer.
This activity can be developed individually by learners or as a pair activity (2 learners) that shall be focused on the positive use of wires, a battery, a buzzer, and handicraft.

A simple wire game.

Learning Outcomes

The learners will learn how to use different materials to make a wire game.

Skills and competences

The learners can develop following skills and competences:

  • Handicraft
  • Problem solving
  • Teamwork
  • Motivation
  • Do-it-yourself (DIY)
  • Process management
  • Analysation
  • Creativity
  • Initiative
  • Planning and organising

Knowledge

The following knowledge can be gathered by the learners:

  • How to be creative
  • How to work with hands
  • How to understand simple electronics

Other Instructions

  • Cut 3 pieces of electrical cable: one 35 cm, one 25 cm and one 10 cm in length.
  • On both the 35 cm and 25 cm long cables, strip 3 cm of isolation from one and 1 cm from the other end. On the 10 cm long cable, strip 1 cm of isolation from both ends.
   
  • Use electrical tape to connect one end of the 10 cm cable to the negative leg of the buzzer and connect the other end of the cable to the negative lead of the battery.
  • Use electrical tape to connect the shorter end of the 25 cm long cable to the positive leg of the buzzer.
               
  • Using side cutters, cut two pieces of wire, one 50 cm long and one 20 cm long piece.
 
  • Using pliers, bend the longer wire into a track. Make sure to leave the ends long enough to later push into the polystyrene.
  • Using pliers, bend the shorter piece of wire into a hook. Make sure to leave a hole at the end so you can easily place the hook around the track.
       
  • Twist the longer end of the 25 cm cable around one end of the long wire and twist the long end of the 35 cm cable around the unbent end of the hook.
  • Cover both twisted cables with electrical tape.
                           
  • Using electrical tape, connect the cable, that is attached to the hook, to the positive end of the battery.
  • Test if the connections work by touching the hook to the long piece of wire. If the buzzer makes noise, then there is a connection. If there is no noise, check the connections of the battery, buzzer, and wires.
 
  • Attach the longer piece of wire into the polystyrene.

URL

RESOURCES

Author

Martin Maidla
Martin Maidla

Language

English

Main Topics

Engineering, Mathematics, Technology

Keywords

battery buzzer diy recycled materials