The Big Engineering Makerspace Manual

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Up in the Air

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24 24 Up in the Air

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25cm t5u6be25-cm tube

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40cm tube

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40cm tube

27 HELICOPTER

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20-cm tube

Done!

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Up in the Air

EXPERIMENT 17

Helicopter WHAT’S HAPPENING

YOU WILL NEED If you turn the crank of the main rotor, the bevel
gear changes the direction of rotation by 90°. The
› The assembled helicopter rotation speed stays the same, since both gears
have the same number of teeth.
HERE’S HOW
When the main rotor is turned, a force counteracts
1. The helicopter has two rotors. You can turn the main the rotation. This force would cause the helicopter
rotor with the crank, while the small tail rotor is turned to rotate around its own axis, so to prevent this,
directly at the shaft. a tail rotor is used. This rotates so fast that it
produces a compensating counterforce, which
2. Move the lever on the switch to the center position.
stabilizes the movement.
3. Pump air into the pressurized air tank (pump between
30 and 50 times).

4. Next, move the lever back and forth — the landing gear
will now move up and down.

DID YOU KNOW?

Since helicopters can take off vertically,
they’re often used in tight landing situations. They’re
able to take off and land on solid ground, in swamps,
on snow and ice, and even on the water. When landing
on soft ground or water, special equipment called
pontoons are used. In this case, any landing gear that
the helicopter is equipped with folds up.

KEY CONCEPT: HOVERING Tail rotor

The helicopter is the only man-made object Main rotor
that is capable of hovering. This means it can stay in
the same position in the air without falling. In the If the lever is turned and air flows into the
natural world, several species have mastered the pneumatic cylinder, the piston is pushed
ability to hover, such as butterflies and hummingbirds. out. The landing gear is extended and
retracted by means of the linkage.

WANT MTOOFRIEN?D WaelwsAeayyRofNruocmIoNuthGlde!gsKeptienehnpuinrytgo. ubrlafadcees,worell
OUT
For this experiment, you’ll need the wind turbine part of the windmill. Attach it to the helicopter where

the main rotor is positioned now. To do so, simply swap out the parts. What happens when you turn the crank with one

hand and hold your other hand above or below the blade? Can you feel the air current traveling upward or downward,

depending on the direction you turn the crank? When the air current travels downward, this is the point at which your

helicopter could start to fly — if it was light enough and if you continued turning the crank while in flight, that is.

103

WINDMILL

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2 x

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88 150mm axle

150mm ax1le50mm axle
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105

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9 WINDMILL 110010
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2 x

70

220mm

69

150mm

3 X2 14 X2 Up in the Air

14 220mm
150mm
TIP! 14 X2
150mm
Place the edges of the 2 x
m 15 sheet onto the bamboo
sticks. The2n2a0ttmacmh two
15 pieces of adhesive tape
to each of the edges of
the sheet, roll these
e2adn2gd0etmshaemrnosutnicdktthoetshteicks,

back of the sheet.

5

Done!

107

EXPERIMENT 18

Windmill KEY CONCEPT: WINDMILLS

YOU WILL NEED In modern windmills — also known as
wind turbines or wind power plants —
› The assembled windmill that are used to generate electricity, only
› Some books the top part, called the nacelle, is
positioned to face the wind. During a storm,
HERE’S HOW the nacelle can be turned to face away
from the wind in order to prevent it from
1. First, place the books on the base of the windmill so getting damaged. In these wind turbines,
that it won’t fall over. the rotational
movement powers
2. Next, take the end of each short bamboo stick and push a generator that
it backward slightly, but just far enough to stop the converts the
blades from getting caught on the base. kinetic energy to
electric energy.
3. Then blow on the blades from the front. This energy can
4. If it’s a windy day, you can try out the windmill outdoors. then be supplied
to customers
You can work out the wind direction by picking up a few through wires.
blades of grass and scattering them in the air.
Smock mill Post mill
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Rotating part
When the wind blows on the blades, which are shown in red
positioned at an angle, it creates the same effect
as we see in sycamore maple seeds. The flow of air
along the blades causes a rotational movement.
If the blades have the right shape, they’ll work the

same way as a glider. The difference in pressure
between the two sides intensifies the rotational
movement. The rotating shaft can then be used to
power a pump, a generator, or a millstone. If the
wind direction changes, the blades will need to

be repositioned so they are still facing the wind.

DID YOU KNOW?

Windmills have been in use for several thousand years.
The various designs we know today were developed
over the course of time. Examples include smock mills,
which have a rotating top on a fixed body, and post
mills, which have a rotating body positioned on a base.

108

Up in the Air

CHECK IT OUT

Light or heavy?

Aircraft, or machines that can fly, can be divided into two
categories. Some are light enough to fly using lift force
alone, while others are too heavy and have to fly
extremely fast to compensate. The first category includes
zeppelins and ...

... hot-air balloons, which are
filled with a gas that’s lighter
than air. Examples of gases
that can be used include
helium and hot air. On the other hand, airplanes and
helicopters are too heavy. They must have curved wings,
propellers, or rotors that must be able to move fast
enough to achieve lift by means of the Bernoulli principle.

What’s faster than sound?

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One example of a supersonic airplane is the Concorde. This
aircraft made it possible to fly from Paris or London to New
York in just a few hours. Because of its powerful engines,
the Concorde was very loud and used a lot of fuel. A serious
accident in the year 2000 revealed a flaw in the wing
structure, and as a result, all Concordes were retired in
2003. Today, they can be seen in a number of museums.

109

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Biotechnology

There is a branch of science called “bionics,”
which focuses on applying observations
from nature to technology. Many technical
inventions would not have been possible
without the inspiration provided by nature,
such as self-cleaning surfaces (lotus effect),
lightweight construction materials
(structure of bones), airplane airfoils
(wings), Velcro (burdock seeds), and many more.

A helicopter’s main rotor blades have the same shape
as the wings of a sycamore maple seed. But unlike

sycamore maple seeds, helicopters often have several

blades. This makes them quieter and more stable when

flying. With sycamore maple seeds, it doesn’t matter if they sway while
flying, as their sole purpose is to fall to the ground as slowly as possible.

In nature, only the precise amount of material that is needed

is used and no more.

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All Things Camera

Modern photography and video technology makes use of a wide range of technical
achievements. This makes it possible to record steady video footage and wide panoramas.
Whether we’re capturing very large objects like stars and galaxies through a camera on
a tripod or very small things under a microscope, the thing that counts is that we set the
image angle correctly and record it without shaking.

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CAMERA STABILIZER MOUNT

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All Things Camera

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TIP!
You can easily adjust the
holding bracket for your
smartphone by changing
the position of the rubber
bands and joint pins.

15 15

small rsumbbaellrrubbanbder b2a xnd51 15

15 small rubber band
15

small rubber band

Done!

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All Things Camera

EXPERIMENT 19

Camera stabilizer mount KEY CONCEPT: CENTER OF
GRAVITY
YOU WILL NEED
The center of gravity of a body of matter is
› The assembled camera stabilizer mount an imaginary point. If you take hold of the
› A smartphone (belonging to your parents, for example) body at this point, it will not move. However,
› 1 25 grams of small stones, washers, or 22 quarters (coins) if you take hold of it at a different point, the
body will try to turn — i.e. a torque (T) is
for ballast exerted. The further from the center of gravity
you take hold of the body, the stronger the
HERE’S HOW torque.

1. Attach the smartphone using the rubber bands so that If the center of gravity is located below the
the lens of the rear camera is “looking” forward, past the point at which a body is supported, the
frame. body is stable. This means that small
changes to the body’s position will be
2. Fill the container underneath the camera stabilizer balanced out, and it will be able to return to
mount with enough weight (approx. 125 g) and adjust the its original position. This effect is put to use
stabilizer arm until the smartphone is in a secure, upright in the camera stabilizer mount, and also
position. demonstrated when tightrope walkers stick
their arms out to balance themselves.
3. Next, open the camera app on the smartphone and start
video mode. Tightrope CG
walker FG
4. Hold the camera stabilizer mount by the handle and move
your hand in different directions — try turning and tilting it. Tightrope S T = FG . d
d
5. Watch the screen to see what happens when you move 117
your hand.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

The camera stabilizer mount (often called a “steady-cam”) is made
up of two parts that are connected via a universal joint. You hold
one part in your hand, and the other part is attached to the
smartphone. For the smartphone to stay upright, the center of
gravity must be below the joint. That’s what the ballast is for,

which we place underneath on the movable part of the camera
stabilizer mount. No matter how far you turn or tilt your hand
now, the smartphone will always be directly above the joint in
an upright position. The joint transfers the movement and allows
you to record steady footage with virtually no shaking.

DID YOU KNOW?

A universal joint makes it possible to transfer
a rotational movement from one rotating
shaft to another, without the need for the two
shafts to be in a straight line. You’ve probably
seen bicycles with a single-wheel trailer. The trailer is connected to
the bicycle via a universal joint and will tilt in the same way as the
bicycle when going around bends.

TRIPOD M21 Tripod

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All Things Camera

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5

small rubber band

5

TIP! Done!
You can easily adjust the
holding bracket for your
smartphone by changing
the position of the rubber
bands and joint pins.

122

All Things Camera

EXPERIMENT 20

Tripod

YOU WILL NEED

› The assembled tripod
› A smartphone (belonging to your parents, for example)

HERE’S HOW

1. Open the camera app.

2. Attach the smartphone to the tripod
using the two rubber bands. These should be crossed in
the middle so that they’re not covering the camera
lenses (the rear camera should be “looking” forward).

3. Next, adjust the camera by turning the crank or the handle.

4. You can now take a photo or video. If your smartphone
has a panorama mode, you can also take a panoramic
shot.

WANT MTOOFRIEN?D Why not use the tripod to send a WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE
OUT
The bevel gear transfers the rotation from the crank
message in Morse code? Morse code can be used to to the camera holder. As the crank has a smaller
number of teeth than the holding bracket, the
send information across great distances. To do so, holding bracket will turn more slowly than the
crank. This makes it possible to position the camera
you’ll need to attach
with precise accuracy.
a flashlight, bicycle
DID YOU KNOW?
light, or headlamp
The tripod is stable because it has three legs. With two
to the tripod. You can legs, it would tip over its single axis, while with four
legs, it could wobble back and forth. A tripod needs
create the long and three points of contact with the ground to remain
stable. With four or more points of contact there is a
short light pulses chance that one of the points won’t touch the ground
if the ground is uneven. Geometrically speaking, one
either by covering plane is defined by three points. The three points of
the tripod legs form a single, stable plane.
the beam of light or

by turning off the light.

KEY CONCEPT: BEVEL GEARS

A bevel gear is used to change the direction of a shaft’s rotation. Usually,
the drive shaft and output shaft are at a right angle to each other. For the
movement to be transferred, the gears must be in a slanted position.

123

SELFIE STICK

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113 3 223

big rubber band

14 big rubberHthboeoa sknlotdhtsesoef into
1144 the
joint pins

big rubber band 2 x 52

All done! TIP!

You can easily adjust the
holding bracket for your
smartphone by changing
the position of the
perforated bars and
joint pins.

127

EXPERIMENT 21

Selfie stick

YOU WILL NEED

› The assembled selfie stick
› A smartphone (belonging to your parents, for example)

HERE’S HOW

1. Attach the smartphone using the rubber bands so that WHAT’S HAPPENING
the lens of the front-facing camera is “looking” toward
you, clear of the bands. Selfie sticks help you to take photos of yourself. They
not only make the process easier, they also increase the
2. Next, open the camera app on the smartphone and start size of the image that’s visible on the screen. The reason
selfie mode. for this is that the selfie stick makes your arm longer. If
you bend your arm and bring the smartphone closer,
3. Hold the selfie stick by the handle so that the
smartphone is at the top. the image frame gets smaller. If you extend your arm
again, the frame gets bigger.
4. When you’re angling the smartphone, it’s important
to move the holding bracket in such a way that the
camera correctly frames the image you want to take.

5. Move the stick toward and then away from yourself.

6. Watch the screen to see what happens when you move
the selfie stick.

7. To test the stability of the selfie stick, hold it vertically

with one hand on the handle and try bending at the

other end. Then hold the handle horizontally and try

bending again.

To stop the selfie stick from bouncing or bending,

DID YOU KNOW? the handle is made of two rectangular frames at
the point where it supports the most weight.

When you move the selfie stick further away, you can see Above this, several bars are arranged at right

more of yourself; when you move it closer, the image frame angles to each other. This also helps to

gets smaller. Using this principle, which is known as the stabilize the stick. In this experiment, you’ll see

intercept theorem, you can find out the height of a tower or that holding the handle vertically is much

a tree. To do so, the different lengths are expressed as a more stable than holding it horizontally. The

ratio as follows: a/b = c/d, where a = Height of tree, angled bars provide additional stability for

b = Distance to tree, c = Height of measuring stick, the connection point.

d = Distance to measuring stick.

WOANUTT MTOOFRIEN?D can also use the selfie stick to look

You

c around corners. To do so, you’ll need to either switch
a
on video mode or attach a small pocket mirror

instead of the smartphone. This means that if you’re

playing hide-and-seek, for example, you can peek

db out of your hiding place without revealing yourself.

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All Things Camera

MICROSCOPE

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M22 x2 Mi1 cx ros2 xcope 2 x 2 x

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M22 Microscope33
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42OD26 o-ring 150mm axle33

9 8

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Through OD26 o-ring
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10 All Things Camera

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18 All Things Camera

18 5 banHdoosklothtsesoef into the
the
big rubber

joint pins

2 x 52

2 x 51
big rubber band

TIP!
You can easily adjust the
holding bracket for your
smartphone by changing
the position of the rubber
bands and joint pins.

Done!

133

EXPERIMENT 22

Microscope WHAT’S HAPPENING

YOU WILL NEED The light emitted from the light source illuminates the
object. The light is transmitted to the sensor through
› The assembled microscope the lenses of the smartphone’s camera, and the
› A smartphone (belonging to your parents, for example) photo or video is created. If you raise the stage
› A flashlight, bicycle light, or headlamp higher, the image frame gets smaller and small
› S mall transparent objects to examine with your
details are more clearly distinguishable.
microscope: leaves, petals, etc.
DID YOU KNOW?
HERE’S HOW
The first microscopes were built in the
1. Open the camera app and start macro or close-up Netherlands more than 400 years ago.
mode, if your smartphone has this feature. Over time, the lenses and mechanical
components used in microscopes improved.
2. Next, attach the smartphone using the rubber bands so Today, we also have microscopes that
that the rear camera is pointing downward, past the frame. work using electrons rather than visible
light. This makes it possible to distinguish
3. Adjust the light so that it’s facing upward and can shine and display extremely fine detail, such as
through the transparent bracket (called the molecular structures.
microscope’s stage) from below, then switch it on.

4. Next, place an object on the stage.

5. Turn the blue gears to move the stage up and down.

6. Examine the different objects you
have collected.

KEY CONCEPT: MICROSCOPES

In principle, a normal microscope is
constructed in exactly the same way
as the one you’ve just built. It consists
of a series of lenses arranged in a
mostly lightproof tube. One of these lenses is placed in
an interchangeable eyepiece. This allows the
magnification level to be adjusted. In your DIY
microscope, all of the optical components, including
the sensors, are located in the smartphone’s camera.

WAONUTT MTOOFRIEN?D What happens when you look through the microscope with colored light? To do so, you’ll need
colored plastic film (from packaging, for example) or tracing paper. Attach these above the light.

Compare images of the various objects when taken with different colored light.

Non-transparent objects can only be studied under the microscope if light is shined on them from
above. This technique is known as reflected-light microscopy. You can recreate it here by attaching
the light to the microscope in such a way that it shines on the stage. Try examining coins or objects
with highly textured surfaces, like wood or fabric, for example.

134

All Things Camera

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Light

Light rays travel in practically straight lines — at least, as long as they’re within

a substance that has the same density throughout. As soon as the density

changes, however, what’s known as the refractive index changes too, and the

light ray appears to bend. This happens all the time. One example is when air

shimmers above a warm surface, because the air density keeps changing.

Lenses are another example. Light ray
Light rays are also

bent — or, to use the

scientific term,

“refracted,” at the point

where air and glass meet. Original object

Lens
Reflection

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Albert Einstein predicted this. During a total solar eclipse
it’s possible to see stars that are usually hidden by the sun
using a telescope. Refraction
effectively allows us to
look around the sun.

135

CHECK IT OUT

You’ll see a rainbow …

… when it’s raining and the sun is
shining at the same time. To see a
rainbow, you’ll need to position
yourself so that the sun is behind you.
The light rays hit the raindrops and are
separated into individual colors at the
point where the light meets the water.
Inside each drop, the individual colored
light rays are reflected back to the
observer. Incidentally, for every rainbow
you see, there are many more formed at
different locations. If you’re lucky, you
might spot a second one as well.

Why is the sky sometimes blue
and sometimes red?

Sunlight is made up of every color of the
rainbow. The distance that light has to
travel through the atmosphere
determines how much light is scattered
by the molecules in the air. Blue light is
scattered more than other colors, making
the sky appear blue. When the sun is close
to the horizon, light has to travel a much
as a result it’s pretty much just red light, which travels in
longer distance, and left over. This is what we see at dawn or sunset.
longer waves, that’s

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