← TAKE IT APART

The pager

Make it buzz. Then take it apart.

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This switch turns the model on. The real one is two springs and a loop — wire it on the bench.

The pieces

  1. the case The cardboard case, sized to sit in one hand — flat enough to ride in a pocket.
  2. the motor The motor that makes the buzz, spinning a weight bolted off to one side of its shaft so it shakes instead of turning smooth. It draws about 20 mA — build it bare at Pager in your pocket. Build it on the bench →
  3. the switch The slide switch that turns the pager on, breaking the 9 V line to the motor. Build the two-switch version at Series switches. Build it on the bench →
  4. the battery A real pager runs off one small watch battery. On the bench, Ohm’s law draws the same motor circuit off a 9 V cell instead. Build it on the bench →