Buzz Wire (A Fun
Project in Electricity and Conductivity)
Introduction:
Buzzwire is a
steady hand game that is well known to many as a table top
amusement. Buzz wire is a challenging and competitive game where you
are playing the number of touches against time. The player has to
get the right balance between speed and skill in order to obtain the
winning score.
For those of you who don’t know the game, the aim is to guide the
grip mounted loop through the wire maze without touching the loop
against the metal maze all the way to the end.
If the metal loop touches the maze, even for a fraction of a
second, the alarm will sound and the player must start again. The
winner will be the player who reaches the end of the maze in the
quickest time.
In this project you will make your
own buzz wire game. Below are the list of materials and step by
step instructions.
(Expert adult
support and supervision is required for using tools and sharp
objects)
List of Main Materials
Copper
Tube 36"
or 24"
Wooden
Handle
Solid Copper
Wire
Battery
Holder
2AA (and
matching batteries)
Buzzer
3-Volt
Light
Bulb
(2.5-V ~ 3-V)
Lamp
Holder
Insulated copper wire gage 24,
26 or 28
List of Optional Materials
Wood base or wood frame
(Depending on your design)
If you don't have access to a wood base or wood frame you may
use foam boards, empty carton boxes or empty plastic boxes. Any
of these can be used as a base or frame for your buzzwire.
Glue, adhesive tapes,
screws and electrical tape
Your buzzwire can work even if all the components are sitting on
a table and connected to each other properly; however, it is
best if you install everything on a wooden structure or heavy
duty cardboard box. In this way your buzzwire will be portable
and you can move it around as needed. Tape, glue and screws are
needed to connect things together.
Some tools such as scissors
and
screw drivers. Complex designs may also need drills, nails and
a hammer for wooden structures.
Some of the materials needed for
making a buzzwire game are pictured below:
Interchangeable
Materials:
Almost
all of these materials can be replaced by similar products.
For example you may use a metal lamp holder, plastic lamp
holder or porcelain lamp holder. Just make sure that the
light bulb you use has the same size screw base as your lamp
holder.
All the light bulbs and
lamp holders sold by MiniScience (in kits or separately)
have 10-mm screws and are compatible with each other.
Important:
The light bulb, buzzer
and battery pack you use must all have the same voltage.
If you buy a kit from
MiniScience, all components are certified to work at
3-volts.
If you are buying the
materials separately, you may choose to buy 6-volt
components or 9-volt components.
Design Options:
You will decide about the
design of your buzz wire maze and the stand or frame. You
will also decide about the start point and end point of your
maze.
In this example the bottom
of the maze is covered with blue masking tape or electrical
tape. This is the place where the loop can rest without
touching the maze. Player may start from this point and
bring the loop up and follow the maze until the loop exits
the maze. Alternatively the player may start from the top
and lower the loop to the bottom of the maze.
You can be very creative in
designing vertical mazes which stand on one or two legs.
Some of the interesting ideas are the outline of the human hand
or human body.
Instructions:
Step 1:
Make the frame and the maze
Make your own design of
buzzwire frame or stand. Twist your own creative design for the Copper tube maze
to match the size and the design of your frame or stand.
The difficulty level of the game is decided during construction by choosing the diameter of the wand loop, and by choosing the number of curves and corners in the wire.
The
circuit
design
is
completely
independent
from the
design
of the frame
or
stand.
Step 2:
Make the circuit
Start by identifying the positive and negative side of all components. Look for + signs and - signs that mark the positive and negative sides. Red wires indicate positive and black wires indicate negative. (The diagram in the right is showing all connections with red line.)
Decide about the location of the components based on your design and install them securely on the board or frame you have prepared. If you are using a wooden base or frame, you can use screws to mount the components such as lamp holder, battery holder and buzzer.
Note that only bare wire can create an electrical contact. Carefully remove the wire insulation from the contact points as needed.
Step 3:
Make
or
prepare
your
loop
wand
The Loop
Wand is
a solid
copper
wire
that you
have
made a
loop on
one end
of it.
If you
have
purchased
a kit,
you
already
have a
solid
copper
wire
about 8
inches
long in
your
kit.
Wrap one
end of
the
copper
wire
around a
round
object
to make
a loop.
The
other
end of
the loop
wand
connects
to a
long
wire.
The long
wire
that
comes in
the kit
has an
alligator
clip on
each end
for easy
connections.
Step 4:
Make
all the
connections
Connect
the
negative
side of
your
power
source
(or the
black
wire of
your
battery
holder)
to your
wire
maze.
(We made
a hole
the same
size as
the maze
diameter,
then
inserted
the
black
wire in
the hole
before
inserting
the maze
in the
base
board.
Connect
the
positive
side of
your
power
source
(the red
wire of
the
battery
holder)
and the
red wire
of the
buzzer
together
and to
one side
of the
lamp
holder.
Connect
the
black
wire of
the
buzzer
to the
other
side of
the lamp
holder
and then
to the
loop
wand.
Additional
Information:
The Loop Wand
You can use your own idea about the design of the loop wand. You can even use a wood dowel or wood handle for it.
Conductivity is Important
Wash the maze wire and loop wand with dish washing detergent. Scrub the surface while washing. Then clean or polish them with sand paper. This will help to remove any oxide or other unwanted materials from the surface of the wire. Then apply some mineral oil or baby oil to protect them from rusting again.
A clean surface on the maze and the loop wand wire will result in a better or more sensitive operation of the buzzwire.
Parallel Circuit
In this project the buzzer and the light bulb form a parallel circuit.
The model in this video is slightly
different than the one shown above.
Buzz Wire
The Buzzwire
Kit Contains:
Copper
Tube for maze
Solid
copper wire for loop wand
Battery
Holder
Electric
Buzzer
Lamp
Holder
Light bulb
Long wire
with alligator clips
Screws for
mounting
The Buzwire kit
does not include wooden parts for the base or
the frame. You must provide your own wood
depending on your design. It also does not come
with batteries. It requires 2 AA batteries.
If you don't
have this kit, you can order it now! It is
available both as a single pack and class pack. The material in the kit provide you with all you
need to make the maze, the wire loop and all the electrical parts.