![]() |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
'Alternative energy' interactive exhibits Wave power We are quite delighted with this new design. Waggle the red knob to make waves. The round, grey float bobs up and down. It causes a red and blue magnet to move above a coil of copper wire. The alternating electric current is indicated by the needle of an analogue, centre-zero milliammeter. This version is 90cm long, it fits into one of our flight cases, if necessary and is suitable for use as a mobile exhibit.
Water power Here is another new design that seems to work really well. Use the red lever to punp water into the upper tank. When it reaches a certain level it automatically begins to siphon onto the turbine wheel. The small generator is connected to an analogue milliammeter. This exhibit also fits into one of our flight cases, so it is also suitable for travelling. Design a wind turbine This is a simple, robust, table-top mini-interactive, where the challenge is to design an efficient wind turbine. Users can use scissors to cut out their own 'vanes' from sheets of Correx plastic (resembling corrugated cardboard from old packaging, which can also be recycled for this purpose). Six smooth brass rods project from the turbine's hub and these push easily into the holes in the edge of the Correx or corrugated cardboard 'vanes'. To make your wind turbine spin as fast as possible, it is necessary to experiment with the angle of the vanes, the size and shape of the vanes, and the number of vanes... The wind comes from a well-protected fan, operated by a push button and connected to a safe, low-voltage power supply.
We also have a slightly larger version where the turbine incorporates a small electrical generator connected to a sensitive ammeter. Simple generator This is another of our most popular, conceptually simple, mini-interactives. Can you make an electric current by moving the magnet near
the coil? Heat pump & electrical power The Heat Pump mini-interactive makes half your hand warm and the other half cool, depending which direction you crank the handle. It incorporates two Peltier Cells. The Elecrical Power mini-interactive lights up a selection of lamps, selected by push buttons. You clearly FEEL the increased effort needed to crank the handle when you switch on lamps with different power ratings. One of them is a high-efficiency LED which is dazzlingly bright yet requires surprisingly little effort. The circuit also includes an analogue ammeter.
Photovoltaic panels By holding your hand above the photovoltaic panels on the roof of the model house, you can change the reading on the ammeter and vary the speed of a 'spinner' in the model. Other 'alternative energy' interactives Many other 'alternative energy' interactives are possible. I am always delighted to discuss new ideas. Classroom activities Also take a look at some 'alternative energy' classroom activities I have developed. |
|||