Easy Squiggle Bot

Don't let the number of steps in this Instructable fool you. This Squiggle Bot is as easy as advertised. If you have all of the parts on hand and any experience soldering wires together, you can probably build this bot in five minutes flat. So, what are you waiting for? Amaze your friends and scare your cat with your very own drawing robot!

Check out my book Homemade Robots for more robot projects!

Go Get Stuff

You will need:

- Computer Fan
- 9V Battery Snap Connectors
- Alkaline 9 Volt Battery
- Craft markers
- Rubber bands

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Snap

With a pair of pliers, snap off three adjacent fan blades from the computer fan.

Wire

Solder the red wire from the battery connector to the red wire from the fan.

Solder the black wire from the battery connector to the black wire from the fan.

Insulate

Cover each of the exposed solder joints separately with electrical tape so that they can't cross.

Rubber Bands

Pull rubber bands through each of the four corner holes of the fan.

Markers

Use the rubber bands to attach markers to the fan. Make sure that all of the marker tips are pointing the same way. Adjust the height of the markers so that the fan is suspended level above your work surface.

Battery Time

Rubber band the battery onto your fan in such a way that it won't interfere with the fan spinning.

Caps Off

Remove the marker caps and set them aside.

Plug

Plug in your 9V battery. The bot should start to wobble.

Go!

Put your bot down on a piece of paper and watch it draw.

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