Elenco Snap Circuits Water Clock reg User Manual

ARNING : Always check yo ur wiring befo re

W

turnin g on a ci rcuit. N ever l eave a circu it
unatte nded while the batteries are inst alled.
Never connect additional batteries or any other

ower sources to your circuits.

p

Water Power

Model SCP-07

ARNING: SHOCK HAZARD -

W

ever connect Snap Circuits

N
to the electrical outlets in your
home in any way!

®

Assembling the Liquid Energy Source:

Connect the 3 electrode parts together with screws and
nuts as shown. Tighten by hand, a screwdriver is not
needed.

About Your Parts:

The liquid energy source (liquid holder and

electrodes): Cola-flavored soda is lightly acidic. The

acid is similar to the material used in some types of
batteries but not as strong. The acid in the cola reacts
with the copper and zinc electrodes to make electricity,
just like a battery. As some of the acid in the soda is
used up, the electricity produced drops.

Each of the compartments in the liquid energy source
produces about 0.7V, though the current is very low.
When the four compartments are connected in a series,
their voltages add together to make about 2.8V total.
Each compartment is like a cell of a battery.

The red LED (D1) is a light emitting diode, and may be
thought of as a special one-way light bulb. In the
“forward” direction, (indicated by the “arrow” in the
symbol) electricity flows if the voltage exceeds a turn-on
threshold (about 1.5V); brightness then increases.
Once turned on, LEDs produce light much more
efficiently than incandescent light bulbs. LED’s block
electricity in the “reverse” direction.

The red and black

wires are wires

used to connect
components. They
are used to transport
electricity and do not affect circuit
performance. Wires transport
electricity just like pipes are used to transport water. The
colorful plastic coating protects them and prevents
electricity from getting in or out.

The clock (T2) contains a small crystal. When a crystal
is struck by an electronic pulse, it vibrates. A
microelectronic circuit makes the pulse and measures
the vibration rate. The vibration rate is used as a time
standard, from which minutes, hours, and the date are
calculated.

Clock (T2)

The 470mF capacitor (C5) can store electrical pressure
(voltage) for periods of time. Capacitors are used for
filtering and delay circuits.

LED (D1)

If you have any problems, contact Elenco

®

Capacitor (C5)

Copyright © 2010 Elenco®Electronics, Inc. All Rights Reserved. • 150 Carpenter Ave. • Wheeling, IL 60090

[phone] Fax: [phone] • e-mail: [e-mail] • Website: www.elenco.com or www.snapcircuits.net

753152

Soda can be used in this way to
produce electricity, but it does not
produce very much, so is not
widely used. However, biomass
power plants, which burn decaying
food products and yard waste, are
increasingly being used. These
plants produce electricity from
garbage that would otherwise be
filling up landfills, and they don’t
pollute the environment.

Project #1

+

Liquid Energy Source

Cola Light

Assemble the Lliquid Energy Source. Connect the red & black
wires to the LED (D1); the red wire goes to the copper electrode.
Fill the compartments with cola soda (other soda flavors and lemon,
tomato, or grapefruit juice also work).

The LED should be on, though it may be dim. If dim, it is because the
cola cannot make as much electricity as the LED wants. If you watch
the circuit for a while, the LED brightness and voltage may slowly
drop as the cola reacts with the electrodes to produce electricity.

You can move the copper electrode with the snap on it over to the
next compartment, as shown in the Liquid Battery project. The LED
will be dimmer or not light at all, because the voltage is lower.

If the copper and zinc electrodes get corroded through use, use
sandpaper, steel wool, or a scraper to remove the corrosion and
improve performance.

Don’t drink any soda or juice used in this project. Wash the
electrodes and liquid holder.

If you had pipes pumping
fresh cola into the liquid
cells and removing some
of the used liquid, then the
LED would stay lit as long
as the flow was maintained

- it would be a fuel cell.

Project #2

Replace the soda in the
liquid energy source with
fruit juice. Sour tasting
juices like lemon or
grapefruit work best. See
how bright the LED gets.
Try different juices and
compare them. Don’t
drink any soda or juice
used in this project. Wash
the electrodes and liquid
holder.

Juice Light

Some fruits and vegetables have a
sour taste because they are lightly
acidic. This acid can be used to
produce electricity just like the cola
and batteries do.

Using the natural chemical energy in
fruit is a very green (environmentally
friendly) way to produce electricity.

Project #3

Connect the liquid energy
source to the LED (D1). Fill
the compartments with
water. The red LED (D1)
may be dimly lit, depending
on your local water supply.

Dissolve some salt in the
water in all four
compartments. The voltage
will be higher and the LED
should light now. See how
long it lights the LED for.

Try replacing the red LED
with the clock (T2). See how
long the water can run the
clock.

Don’t drink any water used
in this project. Wash the
electrodes and liquid holder.

Water Light

The water in some areas is
slightly acidic due to impurities
in it. This may be strong enough
to produce electricity by reacting
with the electrodes, similar to
how a battery works. These
impurities should be safe to
drink. Adding salt to the water
increases the impurities.

Liquid Energy Source

Project #4

Setting the time on
the clock (T2):

• Press the left button to
select what to change
(month, date, hour, or
minutes).

• Press the right button
until it is correct.

Press the left button until

•
the time is showing, then
press the right button
once to start.

• The colon (“:”) will be
flashing when the clock
is running.

• Press the right button to
display the date.

Cola Clock

Connect the clock (T2) with the red & black
jumper wires, the red wire goes to the copper
electrode. Fill the compartments with cola
soda (other soda flavors and lemon, tomato, or
grapefruit juice also work). The clock should
be running. Set the time if you like.

With cola, the clock will typically run for a
week. When the display gets dim, replace the
cola.

You can move the copper electrode with the
snap on it over to the next compartment. The
clock display will not be as bright now.

If the copper and zinc electrodes get corroded
through use, use sandpaper, steel wool, or a
scraper to remove the corrosion and improve
performance.

Don’t drink any soda or juice used in this
project. Wash the electrodes and liquid holder.

The clock needs very little
electric current to operate. The
liquid power source does not
produce much electricity, but it
can supply enough for the clock.
Slowly, the chemical energy in
the cola is used up, and the
voltage drops enough for the
clock to stop working.

Project #5

+

Cola Clock with Memory

In the preceding Cola Clock project, when you
disconnect the liquid energy source to replace
the cola, the time is lost. Wouldn’t it be nice if
the clock remembered the time long enough
for you to replace the cola?

Add the 470mF capacitor (C5) to the clock as
shown here. The capacitor stores enough
electricity to run the clock for a while if you
disconnect the liquid energy source.

Don’t drink any soda or juice used here. Wash
the electrodes and liquid holder.

You could also use a battery for electricity storage instead of the
capacitor. A battery stores much more electricity than a capacitor
but you don’t need much storage here. Batteries are much more
expensive than capacitors and contain chemicals that can harm
the environment when you throw them away.

Project #6

Modify the Cola Clock project by adding the
LED (D1) to it, as shown. The clock will
become dimmer or stop working, and the LED
will be dim or completely off.

The small amount of electricity produced by the
cola may not be enough to operate both at the
same time, or will not run both for very long.

Cola Overload

OTHER SNAP CIRCUITS®PRODUCTS!

PARTS LIST

Contact Elenco®to find out where you can purchase these products.

Snap Circuits®Jr. Model SC-100

Build over 100 projects, contains over 30 parts.

Snap Circuits®Pro Model SC-500

Build over 500 projects, contains over 75 parts.

Snap Circuits

Build over 300 projects, contains over 60 parts.

®

Model SC-300

Snap Circuits®Extreme Model SC-750

Build over 750 projects, contains over 80 parts, and PC interface included.

Qty. ID Name Part #

r 1 C5 470mF Capacitor 6SCC5
r 1 D1 Red LED 6SCD1
r 3 Copper electrode 6SCEC
r 1 Copper electrode

with snap 6SCECS
r 3 Zinc electrode 6SCEZ
r 1 Zinc electrode

with snap 6SCEZS
r 1 Jumper wire,

black 6SCJ1
r 1 Jumper wire, red 6SCJ2
r 1 Liquid holder 6SCLH
r 1 T2 Clock 6SCT2
r 3 Screw 8-32

Phillips 641840
r 3 Nut 8-32 644800

Important: If any parts are missing or
damaged, DO NOT RETURN TO
RETAILER. Call toll-free [phone] or
e-mail us at: [e-mail].
Customer Service • 150 Carpenter Ave. •
Wheeling, IL 60090 U.S.A.

Musical Recorder

Model SCP-01

FM Radio

Model SCP-02

Motion Detector

Model SCP-03

Flying Saucer

Model SCP-06

Electromagnetism

Model SCP-08

Note: If the copper and zinc electrodes get
corroded through use, use sandpaper, steel
wool, or a scraper to remove the corrosion
and improve performance.

You may order additional / replacement parts
at our web site: www.snapcircuits.net