All Lessons
LESSON 02Beginner
Make It Move: Power a Fan with a Battery
~4 min8 components Video Available
Watch the Lesson
Try the Circuit
Interact with the circuit right here — click the button, watch the LED, and experiment!
About this Lesson
Now we move from light to motion. In this lesson, you will power a small DC motor (fan) using a battery and understand how electrical energy becomes mechanical movement. You will learn polarity, rotation direction, and how motors are different from LEDs. This is your first step into robotics — turning electricity into motion.
What You'll Do
1
Understand what a DC motor is — a device that converts electrical energy into rotational movement
2
Identify the two motor wires — unlike LEDs, motors work in both directions
3
Connect the motor wires directly to the battery terminals
4
Observe — the motor starts spinning immediately when the circuit is closed
5
Reverse the wires — notice how the motor changes rotation direction
6
Understand polarity — direction of current determines direction of motion
7
Attach a small fan blade to visualize movement clearly
8
Learn the difference between LED and motor — LED gives light, motor creates motion
9
Feel the energy conversion — electrical → mechanical
10
Think like an engineer — this is the base of robots, cars, drones, and machines
Components Needed
- Arduino Uno
- USB Cable
- 1× LED
- 220Ω Resistor
- Pushbutton
- 10kΩ Resistor
- Breadboard
- 4× Jumper Wires
Don't have the parts?
The Robotik Starter Kit includes everything you need for this and all beginner lessons.
Order Starter Kit →