Switch+Adapter

 **Battery-Operated Fan with Switch Adapter**

I teamed up with Gracejoy to find out how to interrupt the current of an item, battery or electrically powered to insert a switch that would enable an exceptional needs student to utilize a device that would typically be too difficult or challenging to complete without fine motor skills.



 I would probably not have done this work for a student just for the sole purpose of turning a tiny fan on and off, but the skills and experience I developed were beneficial as I will definitely create a switch arrangement for a device in the future. I chose to use the fan as our learning experience guinea pig because it seemed very simple to figure out how it works and it was battery operated (so we wouldn't have to worry about electrocuting ourselves on our first run). I figured out that we needed to remove the batteries and that using the provided electrical wire I needed to attach one stripped end of the wire to the positive side of the battery and an end of another wire to the negative side of a battery. The other ends of the wires would then attach to the switch.

I knew that it would be more practical to attach the wires to the casing where the batteries are inserted into the fan, than actually attaching the wires to the batteries directly (that way I wouldn't have to change the wires' attachments when I changed the batteries). Using the soldering iron, which was a new experience, I attempted successfully to solder the bare ends of the wires to the metal plates inside the battery compartment where the batteries touch. Then we figured out that the batteries wouldn't fit into the compartment because the solder was taking up too much space. To counteract this problem, I took the metal plates out of the battery, wrapped the wires to the plates with electrical tape, and removed the solder. I then attached the other ends of the wires to the switch and could not get our initial switch to work. (Pictured above). I then tried a simpler toggle switch (Pictured below).



The fan worked!!! I couldn't figure out why the first switch didn't work, but the second one did and that's what matters! I also learned that you have to make sure that the device is turned on so that there will be a current passing out to the switch in order to bypass the devices' switch for your own bigger or alternative switch. I now understand the concept of how to manipulate something battery or electrically powered to incorporate a switch that can be used for those without fine motor skills. I know that even some of the students I have observed in both Mr. Quarles' and Ms. Setright's classes would love to take advantage of using a switch adapter. I know specifically of a boy with a high functoning level of autism that would love to have his own switch to use for certain devices such as turning on the computer. Not only can switch adapters be used to bypass another switch, but interupting the flow of electricity to install a switch in something like a strand of lights or an object attached by an extension cord could give certain students "jobs" or something of their own to complete when they might not have been able to complete the task before; it would be very dangerous for a special needs student to attempt to plug a cord into a wall socket, so creating a switch for that individual to flip on instead would be very rewarding and safe.