Make your Own Circuit Board

The kids made their own electric path on a layer of a circuit board.

This experiment came from the Discover and Do Science Experiment curriculum.

They glued aluminum foil in a maze pattern onto a sheet of cardboard. Then they used wires connected to a battery, and a light to test their circuit.
I used to work as an engineer, and although the video hasn't yet mentioned circuit boards, to me, it looks like that is exactly what they built. Circuit boards are made up of layers, with small strips of metal winding in maze patterns on each layer. In a real circuit board, each layer would have several "mazes" connecting to various chips, or small electronic devices. What a cool way to introduce high tech electronic concepts to children. I love this science series.

Science Sunday abc button

* I did not receive any compensation for this recommendation. I'm just a homeschooling mom who has found many products that I like. If you're interested in the products I recommend on this blog I want to make it easy for you to find them. 
** I am an Amazon associate and receive a small portion of the sales on orders made after clicking in from this site, which I promptly spend on homeschooling books and supplies for my children.
Labels:

5 comments:

  1. AmyApril 7, 2012 at 9:09 PM

    The boys have done similar projects as well, and they are always a great hit! And yep, looks like a circuit board to me as well.:-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. SusanApril 9, 2012 at 3:40 PM

    This looks like a neat project! I know one can get the basic idea from the photos, but I wondered if further directions/details are available, not being very familiar with circuit boards myself.
    It's nice that you've found a science series that your family enjoys so much!
    Thanks for linking at Look What We Did.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. jmommymomApril 9, 2012 at 3:50 PM

      It was really a very simple experiment. They just glued the foil to the cardboard in a maze pattern. Then they touched the wires, which were attached to batteries, and a light to different locations in the maze. If the two locations were connected continuously with foil the light went on. In a real circuit board this would be something like one layer.

      Delete
    2. SusanApril 11, 2012 at 11:35 AM

      Ah, OK. Makes sense :) Thanks!

      Delete
  3. pcb desinJune 18, 2012 at 11:27 AM

    Nice project!kids are doing a great job..Keep it up...

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...