How to Make a Beakman’s Motor

In one of my college classes, we were asked to create a Beakman's Motor. It is one of the easiest, simplest motors to make. It would be great for a young kid just learning about electronics to try out or for an upcoming science fair. This project uses a few tools: magnetic wire, sandpaper, battery, magnet, and paper clips.

With the guidance of CR4's own Workbench Creations superstar, frankd20, I started to create this motor. Unfortunately, the class had limitations such that the magnet and battery had to be the same for everyone.

There are different online guides that have detailed instructions on how to create a basic Beakman's Motor, which I've listed some below. I am going to focus on improvements to make it faster.

Innovative Improvements to the Beakman's Motor

The fastest that my most basic motor ever reached was 40 Hertz. This was respectable compared to the 8 Hertz I heard one group 'achieved'. I mean, you could probably twirl a wire and it would be faster than 8 Hertz. Even though our speed was respectable, I felt that significant improvements could have been made.

One improvement that would have dramatically increased the speed is if I had applied a reverse current through the coil. I also would have used a stronger magnet and a higher voltage to make the coil spin faster. It would probably also help greatly if the paper clips were more level. Creating this project on a stable board that could be kept permanent, as opposed to a temporary breadboard, would have also helped greatly.

As far as the motor is concerned (aka the coil of wire), there are a few things you can try to improve the speed. Having more turns in the wire will increase the magnetic field as current passes through, but then you have the drawback of the motor being heavier.

The shape of the motor will also have a dramatic effect. In order to get the 40 Hertz, we used a rectangular motor. To reduce friction, it has been suggested to have a small bead threaded on either side of the coil on the leads so that the coil won't touch the paper clips directly.

Have you ever tried to create a Beakman's Motor? How fast has yours turned? Any additional speed increasing ideas are also welcome!

Basic Beakman Motor Link:

https://josepino.com/other_projects/?beakman_motor.jpc

Resource:

https://sci-toys.com/scitoys/scitoys/electro/electro2.html