Check this out! It’s the Spintronics game, and it’s pretty amazing. Even though they sponsored the video, I bought a second kit myself because I enjoyed it so much. Let me tell you why: it includes components like a transistor, capacitor, inductor, resistor, and switch, all powered by a mechanical battery. We use a chain to transfer energy from the battery to these components, creating mechanical versions of electrical circuits. The energy flows from the battery to the component and back, just like in an electrical circuit.
I’ll show you how to use each component, and there’s even an online simulator you can try. Electricity can be hard to visualize because we can’t see electrons moving through wires, but with Spintronics, we can see how a chain moves. We can even add a blue link to make it easier to follow. You can see and feel the voltage in the circuit, which I’ll demonstrate later.
Notice how using a 1,000 Ohm resistor makes the chain turn slowly, while a 200 Ohm resistor allows it to move faster due to lower resistance. This is similar to how a larger current flows in a lower resistance electrical circuit. If we remove the resistor, we get a short circuit, where all the energy returns to the battery without resistance.
In electronics, we use an ammeter to measure current, but with chains, we use a device that lets us hear the current. Lower resistance means higher current, resulting in a higher pitch and volume. A low current circuit produces a low pitch. Don’t worry—there’s a puzzle book with these kits that explains the components, provides tutorials, and challenges you. The answers are in the back, but try not to peek!
The kit also includes a beautifully illustrated storyline that teaches you about electrical symbols, circuit functions, and equivalent circuit diagrams. A simple series circuit includes a battery, switch, and resistor. The switch controls the current, so if we connect the mechanical battery to the switch and then to the resistor, we can control the chain with the switch. The wire must return to the battery to complete the circuit, just like the chain must complete the circuit to function.
In a series circuit, the current is the same throughout, and the chain moves at the same speed through all components. Adding more resistance reduces the current, slowing the chain. In a parallel resistor circuit, there’s a junction that divides the current. We have a mechanical junction too, so connecting the battery to the junction and then to two resistors creates a parallel circuit. The chains move at different speeds, slower on the high resistance circuit, just like fewer electrons flow in the electrical version. Parallel circuits divide the current.
Connecting a battery to a capacitor charges it to the battery’s voltage, then stops as there’s nowhere for electrons to flow. The same happens with a mechanical capacitor, storing energy within a spring. To discharge the capacitor, we short the circuit. A resistor can slow the charging rate by limiting the current. Adding a switch allows control over charging. To discharge, we need another path with a switch. Opening the first switch and closing the second discharges the capacitor.
An inductor stores rotational energy, representing current, while a capacitor stores pressure, representing voltage. Connecting an inductor and switch in series shows the inductor storing energy as it charges. Opening the switch releases stored energy, disrupting the circuit. Adding a resistor in parallel provides a path for energy dissipation. Both the resistor and inductor rotate in the same direction, but the inductor takes longer to reach top speed while storing energy.
A transistor controls other circuits. When the LED is off, the transistor blocks current with high resistance. Applying voltage to the control pin reduces resistance, allowing current to flow and turning the LED on. The mechanical transistor uses a top cog as the controller and a lower cog for the circuit. Turning the top cog reduces resistance, allowing the lower cog to spin faster.
A diode allows current to flow in one direction, requiring a small voltage to open. We can make a diode from a transistor by connecting it to a connector. Applying force or voltage opens the transistor, allowing the chain to move. Reversing direction closes the transistor, blocking movement, acting like a diode.
In our homes, electrical sockets provide alternating current (AC), where current reverses direction. Electronics use direct current (DC), moving in one direction. A rectifier changes AC to DC using diodes, resulting in a rough DC output. Capacitors smooth this ripple into a smoother DC signal, and Spintronics can do this too. The capacitors provide a low-pass filter, smoothing the speaker’s rotation.
What circuits could you build with these components? Let me know in the comments! There are endless possibilities with these kits, and I highly recommend checking them out. There’s a link in the video description, along with a simulator to test your designs. Explore more about electronics engineering in the videos on screen now, and join us for the next lesson. Follow us on social media for more updates!
Using the Spintronics kit, construct a simple mechanical circuit with a battery, switch, and resistor. Observe how the chain moves and compare it to an electrical circuit. Document your observations and explain how the mechanical components mimic electrical ones.
Try using different resistors in your mechanical circuit. Measure and record the speed of the chain with each resistor. Analyze how resistance affects the flow of energy and relate this to electrical circuits. Discuss your findings with classmates.
Design a parallel circuit using the Spintronics kit. Connect the mechanical battery to a junction and then to two resistors. Observe the speed of the chains in each path and explain how current is divided in parallel circuits. Present your circuit and findings to the class.
Connect a mechanical capacitor to a battery and observe how it charges. Then, discharge it by creating a short circuit. Experiment with adding a resistor to slow the charging rate. Write a report on how capacitors store and release energy, comparing mechanical and electrical systems.
Use the Spintronics kit to explore how a mechanical transistor controls current flow. Experiment with creating a diode from a transistor. Document how these components work and their applications in controlling circuits. Share your insights in a group discussion.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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Look at this! This is the Spintronics game. How cool is this? They did sponsor the video, but I personally bought this second kit because I liked it so much. Here’s why: this is a transistor. There’s also a capacitor, an inductor, a resistor, a switch, and more. It’s all powered by a mechanical battery. We use a chain to transfer the battery’s energy to the components and create mechanical versions of electrical circuits. The energy transfers from the battery to the component and then back to the battery, just like in an electrical circuit.
I’m going to show you how to use them all, and there’s even an online simulator. I’ll leave a link for you in the video description, so do check this out. Electricity is hard to visualize because we can’t see electrons in the wire, but we can see how a chain moves. We can add a blue link to make it even easier. We can also see and feel the voltage of the circuit, but I’ll show you that part later on in the video.
Notice that if I use this 1,000 Ohm resistor, the chain turns slowly, but if I use this 200 Ohm resistor, the chain can move much faster because the resistance is lower. Just like a larger current flows in a lower resistance electrical circuit, the speed of the chain represents the current. If we remove the resistor, we get a short circuit; all the energy has returned to the battery without any resistance.
In electronics, we can view the current with an ammeter, but that won’t work with chains. Instead, we use a device that lets us hear the current. The lower the resistance, the higher the current, and thus the higher the pitch and volume will be. A low current circuit will produce a low pitch, but don’t worry—there’s a whole puzzle book with these kits that explains the components, provides tutorials, and sets you challenges. The answers are in the back, but don’t cheat!
There’s also a beautifully illustrated storyline for you to follow, teaching you about electrical symbols, how circuits work, and providing equivalent circuit diagrams. This simple series circuit has a battery, a switch, and a resistor. The switch lets us control the current, so if we connect the mechanical battery to the switch and then the switch to the resistor, we can control the chain using the switch. We could make the same circuit with just one chain. Also, the wire must come back to the battery to complete the circuit, and the chain must also complete the circuit to work.
In a series circuit, the current is the same anywhere in the circuit, and the chain moves at the same speed through all the components. If we add more resistance, the current reduces, and likewise, we see that the chain moves much slower. What about this parallel resistor circuit? How could we make that? Notice there is a junction in the circuit that divides the current. We have a mechanical junction too, so if we connect the battery to the junction and then connect the first resistor and the second, we now have a parallel circuit. Notice the chains are not moving at the same speed; it’s slower on the high resistance circuit, just like fewer electrons flow in the electrical version. Parallel circuits divide the current.
If we added a resistor here, we would make this a parallel series circuit. The power must flow from the battery to the junction, then through either of the parallel resistors and then through the series resistor to get back to the battery, just like in an electrical circuit. What about a capacitor? If we connect a battery to a capacitor, it instantly charges to the battery’s voltage, then it stops because there’s nowhere for the electrons to flow. The same happens when we connect the mechanical capacitor to the battery; the battery stops charging it, and we have stored energy in the capacitor.
In this case, the energy is stored within this spring. Notice on top it shows six spin volts, and that’s because the battery is also rated for six spin volts. We have to short the circuit to discharge the capacitor. We can slow the charging rate down with a resistor because the resistor limits the current. The mechanical capacitor charges slower with the resistor connected. We could add a switch to control when the charging occurs. To discharge the capacitor, we need another path with a switch. By opening the first switch and closing the second switch, the capacitor can discharge. The same applies to the mechanical circuit, but the capacitor discharges instantly.
How can we stop that? We can add another resistor, which slows the discharge rate down. You might know that when we place two equal-sized resistors in series, we create a voltage divider. The voltage drop across both is equal, so if we measure the voltage between them and ground, we see half the voltage of the battery. If we had two 500 Ohm resistors in series, how could we measure the voltage? We place a junction between them and then connect the capacitor to the junction. Now we see that the voltage is three spin volts. If we swapped resistor 2 for a 1,000 Ohm resistor, the voltage increases to 4 volts. If we swapped resistor 1 for a 1,000 Ohm resistor, then we read two spin volts. The total always adds up to the battery’s voltage, so if this resistor is losing 2 volts, then the other must be losing 4 volts, giving us a total of 6 volts.
This is Kirchhoff’s law: the sum of all the volts is zero. The battery provides 6 volts; this resistor subtracts 2 volts, and this one subtracts 4 volts, giving us a total of 0 volts. Now, if we place three resistors in series sharing one chain, how can we measure the voltage drop of each resistor? We just swap the resistor for a junction, connect the resistor to the junction, and then connect the capacitor to the junction. The resistors are all in series still. The junction sends power to the resistor and then back to the other resistors. The capacitor does exactly the same, so it’s in parallel with the resistor. The battery provides 6 volts; the first resistor loses around 0.7 volts, so the chain here has around 5.3 volts. The second resistor loses around 1.8 volts, so the chain here is 3.5 volts, and the final resistor loses 3.5 volts, so the chain here is 0 volts. The total sum of the circuit voltage is zero. The larger the resistor, the larger the voltage drop.
Remember, voltage is a pushing force in a circuit. We often think of it like pressure. On the first 200 Ohm resistor, if we remove the capacitor and hold the top cog with our fingers, we can feel a small pushing force. But if we try it with the 1,000 Ohm resistor, the force is much stronger because the voltage drop is much larger. We can feel the voltage in the circuit pushing against our finger, and we can see the current represented by the speed of the chain.
We also have this component: the transistor. A transistor is used to control other circuits. Here, the LED is off; the transistor is blocking the current by providing a large resistance. But when we apply a voltage to the control pin, the resistance reduces and allows current to flow, turning the LED on. The more voltage we apply to the control pin, the lower the resistance will be. With the mechanical transistor, the top cog is the controller, and the lower cog is the circuit we want to control. Instead of an LED, we will use a resistor. Notice it doesn’t rotate until we apply a voltage or pressure to the top cog. The further we turn it, the faster it spins. That’s because the lower cog is connected to this rubber ring, and these little arms are pushing against it, applying resistance like a brake pad.
If we turn the top cog, the arms are pulled inwards, which lifts them off, reducing the resistance. So how do we control the top cog? We could use a switch, but as soon as we apply voltage, it fully opens, and then we can’t turn it off; it’s just stuck open. So we need to connect a resistor in parallel so that when we turn the switch off, the transistor can discharge through the resistor. For the control circuit, we will use a resistor and the speaker. But when we press the switch, it doesn’t turn on. That’s because we need a power supply to this section, so we add a junction and connect the resistor to the junction and also the switch. Now, when we press the switch, the transistor opens, allowing current to flow through the speaker.
We also have this component: the inductor. You can see that it stores rotational energy, which in spintronics represents current, whereas a capacitor stores pressure, which is voltage. If we connect the inductor and the switch in series, when I close the switch, the inductor turns. It takes a moment to charge and get up to speed, but when I open the switch, the inductor disrupts the circuit because it has to release the stored energy, and it now has nowhere to go, so it forces its way out. We have to add a resistor in parallel with the inductor; that way, it has a path to dissipate its energy. Notice that both the resistor and the inductor rotate at the same time in the same direction. The inductor takes longer to reach its top speed while it stores energy; the resistor is almost instantly at top speed. But when I open the switch, the resistor reverses direction.
Do you see how the chain reverses direction? In the electrical circuit, we can see that when I power the circuit, the current flows through both components. It slowly increases through the inductor while it stores energy in its magnetic field. But when I open the switch, the magnetic field begins to collapse, pushing the electrons to flow through the resistor in the opposite way, allowing them to return to the inductor to keep the current moving, just like we see the chain reverse in the mechanical circuit.
Now, a diode is a device that only allows current to flow in one direction, but it requires a small voltage to open and allow current to flow. We can make a diode from the transistor by connecting it like this to a connector. When I apply a small force or voltage using my hands, the transistor opens, and at that point, the chain can move. But if I reverse direction, the transistor closes, and the chain is blocked from moving, so it acts like a diode.
To change direction, we can change the lever position, and it works in reverse. The electrical sockets in our homes provide alternating current, where the current reverses direction, so we have a positive and then a negative voltage. But our electronics use direct current, where the current moves in just one direction. In the positive region, we need a rectifier to change from AC to DC, which uses just two diodes in a basic configuration. The output is rippled, but it’s only in the positive region, resulting in a rough DC output from an AC input. If we connect two diodes from transistors like this, we have an AC input, but we get a rough DC output at the speaker.
In electronics, we can use capacitors to smooth out this ripple into a smoother DC signal, but we can do that in spintronics too. The capacitors provide a low-pass filter, and so the rotation of the speaker is now much smoother. What circuits could you build with these components? Let me know in the video description down below. There are so many incredible circuits that we could build with these kits, and I highly recommend that you check it out. There’s a link in the video description for you, along with a simulator to test your designs. So do check this out! Links are down below. Check out one of the videos on screen now to continue learning about electronics engineering, and I’ll catch you there for the next lesson. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and theengineeringmindset.com.
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This version removes any informal language, typos, and unclear phrases while maintaining the content’s integrity.
Circuit – A closed loop through which an electric current flows or can flow. – In our physics lab, we built a simple circuit to light up a bulb using a battery and some wires.
Current – The flow of electric charge in a conductor, typically measured in amperes. – The current flowing through the circuit was measured to be 2 amperes using an ammeter.
Voltage – The electric potential difference between two points, which causes current to flow in a circuit. – The voltage across the battery terminals was 9 volts, providing enough energy to power the device.
Resistor – A component used in electrical circuits to limit the flow of current and adjust signal levels. – We added a resistor to the circuit to prevent the LED from burning out due to excessive current.
Capacitor – An electrical component used to store and release electrical energy in a circuit. – The capacitor in the circuit discharged quickly, providing a brief burst of energy to the motor.
Inductor – A passive electrical component that stores energy in a magnetic field when electric current flows through it. – The inductor in the circuit helped to smooth out fluctuations in the current.
Energy – The capacity to do work, which in physics is often associated with the movement of electrons in a circuit. – The solar panel converts sunlight into electrical energy, which can be used to power various devices.
Resistance – The opposition to the flow of electric current, resulting in the conversion of electrical energy into heat. – The resistance of the wire increased as its temperature rose, affecting the overall current in the circuit.
Transistor – A semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electronic signals and electrical power. – The transistor in the amplifier circuit boosted the weak audio signal to drive the speakers.
Diode – A semiconductor device that allows current to flow in one direction only, often used for rectification. – The diode in the circuit ensured that the current flowed in the correct direction, protecting the sensitive components.
