Intelligent Jitterbug
£10.90 Each + Presenter Costs.
This is an activity suitable for Years 9 to 11 and takes 4 - 5 hours.
It gives students the opportunity to investigate control in electrical circuits, from simple switches to programmable computers.
Starting with a kit of parts, students have the opportunity to build a Jitterbug using simple tools. Once built and switched on, the out-of-balance motor produces vibrations, which cause the Jitterbug to move in an unpredictable manner. Building a Jitterbug takes about 1 hour.
Once the Jitterbug has been tested, the students are introduced to control techniques. They adapt their electrical circuit by using a simple switch to turn the motor on and off and add an LED and buzzer. Adding the switch and adapting the circuit takes about 1½ hours.
Students then investigate how all 3 components can be operated independently from an on-board IQ Controller whose PIC chip controls on-off signals for motor, LED and buzzer, allowing each student to programme their own sequence of actions. Adding the IQ Controller takes about 1 hour.
Finally, students use the IQ board to programme a message to be decoded by others in the group. There may even be time to design a cover for their Moon Lander.
The Intelligent Jitterbug addresses QCA Units Sc 4F; D&T 8D:
Design and Technology
• Work in a team and follow a plan
• Assemble & combine components
• Recognise that the quality of a product depends on how well it is made & how well it meets its intended purpose
• How mechanisms can be used to make things move in different ways
• How electrical circuits can be used to achieve results that work
• Recognise inputs, processes & outputs in their product
• Recognise that complex systems can be broken down into sub-systems
• Know about electrical & electronic control systems & how different sub-systems can be interconnected to achieve a particular function
• Respond to design briefs & produce their own design specifications
• Develop criteria for their designs & generate proposals that match the criteria
• Consider aesthetics & other issues that influence their planning
• Evaluate their design ideas as these develop& modify their proposals to ensure that their product meets the design specification
• Test how well their product works & evaluate it
Science
• Cells (batteries) give electrical energy
• Conductors carry electricity, metals are conductors and non-metals are insulators
• Electricity flows in a particular direction and that decides which way an electric motor turns
• A weight on the edge of a flywheel causes vibrations
• Vibrations produce movement and sound
• A switch is a gap in a circuit
• A switch has 2 conductors to be pressed together
• Electricity won’t flow across a gap
For further information or to book a session for your school, please contact:
Marie Roberts - Tel: 0161 295 6374 Fax: 0161 295 2655Email:
mrobertssalford@aol.com