Labelled part diagram

Full repair video

How to use a screwdriver

Repair

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Safety at home

🧐

Always get adult permission and supervision before taking things apart.

🔋

Always take out the batteries first if you do take something apart.

⚡️

Never touch bare wires, you could shock yourself!

🔌

Never take apart things that plug into the wall.

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How does this wind up torch work?

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Diagnosis

Try winding up the torch

Complete an initial check to see if the handle mechanism works and lights up the torch.

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Diagnosis

Why isn't the torch switching on?

Tap why you think the torch isn't switching on when you wind it up!

Dislodged Gears

Correct!

There is no resistance when the handle is turned, because there is a problem with the gear mechanism.

Flat Batteries

Try again

There are currently no batteries in the torch - you should be able to power it just by winding it up!

Broken Lightbulbs

Try again

The lightbulbs don't look broken from the outside.

Damaged Circuit Board

Try again

Check all other components before assuming the circuit board is broken. It's usually something much more obvious!

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Disassemble

Take the torch apart

Undo the four screws joining the two halves of the torch, and pull apart the casing.

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Diagnosis

Remove the LED casing and the loose gears

The torch wasn’t lighting up as the gears were not in place!

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How do gears work?

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Diagnosis

Lay out all the gears

Notice the three spindles showing where gears are needed. Find the missing one in your spare parts bag, Bag 1.

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Repair

Work out the correct placement of the gears

Each gear is a slightly different size. They'll only fit in the torch one way to transfer motion from handle to generator.

Hint 1

The medium diameter gear slots onto the bottom spindle, flat side down.

Hint 2

The smallest diameter gear slots onto the middle spindle, flat side down, connecting with the bottom gear.

Hint 3

The largest diameter gear slots onto the top spindle, flat side up, connecting with the middle gear.

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Repair

Check the gears are correct and get the black component board

Before we put the component board back in place, let's find the generator.

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Repair

Can you spot the 'generator' component?

You're about to connect the gears to the generator to generate power. Tap on the image you think is the generator!

Try again

That's the rectifier! It's what makes sure the battery charges no matter which way the handle turns.

Correct!

You got it! Now let's find out how generators work.

Try again

That's a gear! It's what spins inside the torch to turn the generator.

Try again

That's the button! It's what you push down on when you press the 'on' button on the casing.

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What is a generator?

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Repair

Place the component board onto the gear train

The gear attached to the generator needs to line up with the end of the gear train. Make sure the screw holes line up and the gears are connected!

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Repair

Reattach the light reflector to the torch casing

Align the two casings and thread the bulbs through the holes in the light reflector. Make sure the side of the light reflector with the tab faces the bottom.

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Repair

Place the top cover of the torch back on and hold it in place

You will need to bunch the wires in the middle of the board so that it all fits together. Before screwing it back together, let's run a test!

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Test

Try winding up the torch using the handle base

What do you notice about how the torch is working? Can you identify two problems with it? (You may need to press the 'on' button first.)

Problem 1

It is difficult to turn the handle quickly.

Problem 2

The light doesn't stay on when you wind up the handle.

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Diagnosis

It is difficult to turn the generator without using a handle as a lever

A lever is the mechanism used to turn the handle. Let's find out more about how they work!

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How do levers work?

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Experiment

Build a lever

In your kit you will find a cardboard piece and some marbles in Bag 2 to build your own lever!

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Lever Experiment

🎯 Objective

Build a cardboard seesaw to understand how levers work in real life! Use the template provided as well as any weights (marbles or coins) you can find at home to test how it works.

Use the seesaw to work out how much longer a side with one marble has to be to balance as side with two marbles.

Video Demo

Question:

Now that you know how much more force a longer lever can produce than a shorter one, how much more force would the torch handle apply than just turning the round base?

Roughly how much extra torque do you apply when you use the long handle?

4x as much

Try again

2x as much

Try again

6x as much

Correct!

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Applying force using a lever

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Repair

Reattach the handle

Using the handle parts in Bag 3, align the holes in the handle and base. Push the pin through the holes, smooth end first.

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Test

Wind up the torch using the attached handle

Now that the handle is fixed, try winding the torch up again to power it.

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Test

The light works but doesn't stay on

Usually, the energy created from turning the handle should be stored, meaning the light should stay on. Let's find out why this isn't the case here!

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How is energy produced and stored?

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Test

Why won't the light stay on?

From watching the video, tap why you think the light doesn't stay on when you stop winding it up!

Broken handle

Try again

We fixed the handle in the previous step so that mechanism should now work.

Empty batteries

Try again

We are generating power by winding up the handle, which should charge any connected batteries.

No batteries

Correct!

No battery is currently connected! We need to add a battery to the circuit so that the power can be stored and the light can stay on.

Broken lightbulb

Try again

If the LED lightbulb is broken, it wouldn't turn on at all. In this case, it does switch on, but just can't stay on!

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Disassemble

Pull apart the torch

Lay out all the components, leaving the gears and handle in place.

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Disassemble

Lift up the circuit board

Take a look at the green circuit board. You should find some battery connector wires hidden behind it.

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Repair

Thread the battery wires through the gap and put the circuit board back in place

Thread the battery wires through the slot in the board and put it back in place, green side facing down. The wires should be sticking out the front.

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Repair

Connect the spare battery cells

You have been given a battery cell pack in Bag 4. Connect this to the battery wires, matching up the red and black wires with each other.

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Reassemble

Place the components back in place

Line up the component board with the gear train, making sure the generator gear is connected and the screw holes line up. Reattach the light reflector too.

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Reassemble

Reattach the front cover of the torch

Place the front cover back on, making sure all the wires are tucked in, then screw the two halves back together.

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Test

Does the torch light up and stay on?

Switch on the torch and test to see if it works and stays on!

Yes, the torch is working!

You fixed it! 🎉

No, something is still not working.

Open the torch back up and make sure everything is well connected.

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Nice one, you fixed a wind up torch! 🎉

Now that you've finished the repair, you can explore and get creative with all the bonus challenges. Some parts in Bag 5 may help!

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