(Please help!) Why isn't the DC motor working?

Question

I made the magnets out of wire and iron nails.
I made the split-ring commutator out of stripped wire.
When I hook it up to the 6V battery, it just sparks - it only looks like it wants to move.
What could be wrong? Are the magnets not strong enough?
Is the battery supplying too much/little voltage?
Thank youu!

Answer 1

The energized coil is holding it in place, and acting more like a brake than a motor.

Try spinning it just prior to applying power (ie make sure its moving when powered).

Answer 2

The angular alighnment of the commutator is critical to proper operation... You want to have the electrical current stop flowing as the armature come into alignment with the magnets. Momentium of the rotor turns the shaft until a new connection is made but with the polarity swapped.

You may also have to give the motor a slight push to get it going as you can have a dead spot where the commutator is swapping connections

Answer 3

Maybe the battery is just not strong enough. You could increase the number of turns on your magnets. Try using different batteries for the magnets and the spinning coil.

You can try this construction
http://www.instructables.com/id/E8CC8DU4IYEP2866C2/

Although the most simple way to build a motor is this
http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/HomopolarMotor

Answer 4

spscamp is probably right, but also the balance may be off, it has to be really well balanced & you may need to add a little weight to one side or the other, because the nails aren't necessarily the same weight. Spin it with the power off and see if one side or the other consistently goes to the bottom. You'll need to add a little weight to the other.