“In this Instructable I show you how to make a simple homopolar motor. In the previous YouTube project I made a Maglev train. For this I purchased a number of Neodymium magnets. While searching for what else is possible with these magnets, I came across a number of homopolar motors. They are often very simple but I continue to find them fascinating to see.
How it works:
The homopolar motor is driven by the Lorentz force. As it moves through a magnetic field, the conductor is pushed through a magnetic field by opposing forces. This force induces a torque around the axis of rotation. Because the axis of rotation is parallel to the magnetic field, and the opposing magnetic fields do not change polarity, no commutation is required for the conductor to keep turning.
For this simple project you need the following parts:
Neodymium magnets
Copper wire
AA battery”