Solar Cockroach Virbobot-Castilleja School : 7 Steps

Hey guys! I am going to teach you how to make a Solar Cockroach Virbobot. This solar cockroach is really cool because it can vibrate when placed in the sun. This is because the solar cell can harness the energy from the sun and convert it into electricity. The electricity then flows through the motor, which causes the solar cell to vibrate. This is because this motor, called a Pager Motor, is designed to vibrate when electricity flows through it. This type of motor is also used to make phones vibrate.

Here are the steps to make your own Solar Cockroach Virbobot:

Step 1: Gather Your Materials and Tools

The tools you will need are:

Soldering equipment

Hot glue

Wire cutters

Make sure all of these materials are in your kit:

2V Solar Cell

Pager Motor

Two paper clips

Magnet Wire (optional)

Googly Eyes (optional)

Step 2: Solder the Pager Motor to the Solar Cell

Solder the motor to the metal plates on the back of the solar cell. Feel free to use helping hands here. It does not matter which color wire is soldered to each plate because there are not any positive and negative terminals. Once the motor is soldered, go outside and check that the solar cell can vibrate before you proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Cut the Legs

Cut the paper clips to make legs for your cockroach. Make sure that the legs are the same length so that the cockroach is not lopsided! There are many ways to make the legs, but this is how I made mine. To copy me, just open them a little, and cut the clip where I drew a black line.

Step 4: Glue the Legs to the Solar Cell

You may use a hot glue gun to attack the legs to the solar cell. Make sure that the legs do not come in contact with the solder or the stripped part of the wire. If it does, there will be a short circuit and the solar cell will not vibrate. Also, try to make the legs an equal distance from the edges of the solar cell to ensure that the solar cell will not be lopsided when standing up.

Step 5: Attach Antenna and Googly Eyes to the Solar Cell (Optional)

If you would like, you can also use a hot glue gun to attach a wire and googly eyes to your solar cell. To make the antenna, take one of your wires and bend it in half. Use your hot glue gun to attach it to the top of your solar cell. Glue the googly eyes to the side of the solar cell.