String Machine - fun, simple, cheap kids project


“By attaching a string to two small electric motors rotating in the same direction, you can create and play with a special class of waves called standing waves.”

I finally got around to making this!

The core build instructions are here. They have some really great projects.

My variations

21.6mm pipe instead of 0.5inch - I had the pipe, and it meant that I didn’t need to cut the elbow to hold the motor. I held the motors in place with a bit of dowel.

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5V USB power supply instead of D Cell batteries

PWM motor speed controller instead of a potentiometer. I hot-glued the speed controller to the pipe rather than using a wooden board.

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I ran the wires through the pipes to make the build neater

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I added some non-slip foam pads to the underside to reduce vibration noise transmitting to the table.

By twisting the pipes, I can fold it flat for storage.

This is one of those projects where the fun is in the build plus the next 10 minutes of play, so I have no further use for it. If anyone would like to borrow it, let me know.

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