The motor’s contacts are connected by a wire that is wrapped in a special way. When electricity flows through the wire, it creates a magnetic field that makes the shaft spin. The direction the shaft spins depends on which way the electricity flows. If you switch the wires, the shaft will just spin the other way, and nothing bad will happen. The plus (+) and minus (–) marks on the motor only show which way to connect it if you want the shaft to spin in a certain direction.
Courses and lessons with this Tutorial
This Tutorial is used in the following courses and lessons
Build a DIY Rotating LED Clock Display – For Parents and Kids (Online and Self-Guided)
Discover the fun of DIY electronics with your child in this self-paced, beginner-friendly online course, where parents and kids work together to build a rotating LED strip display!
Designed for those with no prior experience, this project-based course walks you through the entire process of assembling a spinning LED display that uses persistence of vision to create a glowing clock.
- 60
- 0:00
- 56
Dial It In – Adjusting the Speed
Taking control
The goal of this lesson is to rebuild the circuit from the previous lesson so you can control the motor's speed. We’ve broken the steps into small tasks.
The motor controller has its own resistor, so you won’t need one here. But be sure to follow the instructions carefully - without a resistor, the circuit could short. There’s no risk to you, but it might damage some components.
- 7
- 2
- 7
- 3d_rotation 1