Tenergy Geo Salt Water and Solar Powered Robot Kit Review
Tenergy Geo Salt Water and Solar Powered Robot Kit Review
Buy it at Amazon: Tenergy Geo Salt Water and Solar Powered Robot Kit [Affiliate Link]
Takeaway: Fun build kit, simple/quick setup, explains the science in manual, nice learning tool.
This tiny robot is a DIY assembly that requires no tools to put together. You can have it up and running in just a few minutes. You'll receive all the parts to assemble the robot, a small measuring cup, a bag of activated carbon, and a set of instructions. Salt for the salt water battery must be provided on your own. The instructions are pretty easy to follow, well-written and illustrated. There's also some historical facts and brief explanations of how the solar cell and salt water battery work. Since the solar cell is so tiny, it'll only work outdoors where the sun is the brightest, though this is typically true of all small scale solar cells. For indoor use, use the salt water battery.
Assembling the few pieces of the robot consists of simply snapping some parts together. It also disassembles just as easily. The salt water battery was a little tricky making sure the charcoal grains didn't prevent the lid from closing. You should also note that the copper and magnesium plates face opposite directions during assembly. After adding the salt water drops tot he battery, you'll have to wait about 20 seconds for the chemical reaction to begin powering the robot. As you use up the salt water battery, the magnesium plate will oxidize. Once fully oxidized, the battery will no longer run and you'll have to swap in a new magnesium plate. You'll receive 4 magnesium plates and 2 copper plates for multiple uses. You can also try to scrub off the oxidation between uses with some steel wool to extended the life of the battery. The solar panel is a bit more basic but powers the motor much faster in bright sun light. The robot works best on smooth flat surfaces and the wheels tend to get stuck on rough or soft surfaces.
Overall, this is a really fun and simple build kit. The instructions are thorough and it's a neat little experiment and teaching tool to help get kids interested in science, electricity, and mechanical engineering. It's also a nice way to spend some time with the kids.
Buy it at Amazon: Tenergy Geo Salt Water and Solar Powered Robot Kit [Affiliate Link]
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