DIY Speaker

Reach into your kit & pull out the bag that says Experiment 26. Take everything out of the bag and place it around your white mat.

First, remove the batteries from the back of the radio. Take the plastic off from around the batteries and put them back into the radio. Place the flat side of the batteries against the springs. Test by pressing the light button to make sure it works.

Next, grab the spool of red wire and expose both ends of the wire. Take the piece of sandpaper, fold it in half, and gently scrape the red paint off the wire to expose the metal underneath.

Using the same piece of sandpaper and twisting and scraping motion, remove the red paint from the other end of the wire. You should be able to see a difference.

Next, unwind the wire from the outside of the spool, grab the star-shaped rod and place the red wire alongside one of the curved sides leaving a few inches hanging over the edge. Holding the wire in place, start to wrap the wire around the rod to create a coil.

Continue wrapping the wire around the rod until you’ve used almost all of the wire. Leave about 6 inches.

Weave the remaining wire back under the coil, using the grove on the rod. Pull the wire tight, then turn the rod to the next grove, and repeat by weaving the wire back under the coil and pulling tight. Continue until you’ve gone all the way around.

Now finish by twisting the two ends of the wire together 3 times and then you can slide the coil off of the rod.

Next, grab the plastic cup, place it upside down on your mat, then remove the film from one side from the clear sticker and place it in the center on the bottom of the cup.

Remove the top film from the sticker and press the coil down on top.

Grab the alligator clips and connect each one to one of the metal ends on the wire. Be sure its connected to the metal area you sanded in the earlier steps.

Now grab the tube with the magnet, take it out and place it in the center of your coil, pressing it onto the sticker. For best results, try not to touch the wire coil.

Connect the opposite end of the alligator clips into the side of the radio and turn it on by spinning the volume wheel until you hear it click on. Continue adjusting the volume until you can hear static or sounds.

Next, using the up and down buttons on the front, click around until you find a station playing a song you like. You can place the speaker up to your ear to hear it better.

Now, let’s experiment with removing the magnet from the sticker and holding it in your hand. Try bringing the magnet closer and further away from the cup to see what happens.