Hi everyone!

Many many years ago I bought a flat electrovoltaic plate from Proops. It was about 1.0" by 1.5", very thin, and with two wires coming from it. Commonly used in garden ornaments these days.

One evening I connected it to a germanium transistor, probably an OA10 as silicon ones hadn't been invented yet, a U2 cell, and an electric motor of the type used in model boats. In the darkness of my unlit bedroom it did nothing, but when I shone a torch at the light sensor the motor burst into life! This was exciting, I'd only ever built crystal radio sets before. The whole lot was sitting on the top surface of a small wooden chest-of-drawers, and the vibrations of the slightly unbalanced motor echoed a pleasant purring sound throughout the room.

After a while I disconnected one end of the cell and went downstairs to watch Dr Who. Later, it was bed time. My mother had closed the curtains while I was watching Dr Who from behind the settee, so the room was in darkness. I re-connected the cell with the elastic band, shone the torch at the sensor, and Lo and Behold, it still worked! I don't know why I didn't disconnect the battery again, but i didn't.

Came the morning, the sun was shining through the tiny holes in the wartime black-out curtains. I was thinking about getting up when mother strode in, told me to get up as it was school today, and opened the curtains...

The low hum from the motor just behind her scared her so much that she ran screaming from the room, all the way downstairs and into the kitchen. Some of the words that she used were unknown to me, despite me being an avid book reader. I was not the most popular of her offspring for several days, although my father was intrigued.

So be careful joratcliffe, you never know how people will react to modern technology!

Many many years ago I bought a flat electrovoltaic plate from Proops. It was about 1.0" by 1.5", very thin, and with two wires coming from it. Commonly used in garden ornaments these days.

One evening I connected it to a germanium transistor, probably an OA10 as silicon ones hadn't been invented yet, a U2 cell, and an electric motor of the type used in model boats. In the darkness of my unlit bedroom it did nothing, but when I shone a torch at the light sensor the motor burst into life! This was exciting, I'd only ever built crystal radio sets before. The whole lot was sitting on the top surface of a small wooden chest-of-drawers, and the vibrations of the slightly unbalanced motor echoed a pleasant purring sound throughout the room.

After a while I disconnected one end of the cell and went downstairs to watch Dr Who. Later, it was bed time. My mother had closed the curtains while I was watching Dr Who from behind the settee, so the room was in darkness. I re-connected the cell with the elastic band, shone the torch at the sensor, and Lo and Behold, it still worked! I don't know why I didn't disconnect the battery again, but i didn't.

Came the morning, the sun was shining through the tiny holes in the wartime black-out curtains. I was thinking about getting up when mother strode in, told me to get up as it was school today, and opened the curtains...

The low hum from the motor just behind her scared her so much that she ran screaming from the room, all the way downstairs and into the kitchen. Some of the words that she used were unknown to me, despite me being an avid book reader. I was not the most popular of her offspring for several days, although my father was intrigued.

So be careful joratcliffe, you never know how people will react to modern technology!