Building your Mini VDG V2

Take the pieces of acrylic and remove ant protective plastic from the front and back of the pieces. Ensure that all of the holes and slots are completely clear.

Take the top comb, the foil and a piece of wire.

Cut a piece of foil 15mm wide with a pair of scissors.

Take the wire and cut off a 120mm length, with a screw driver, neatly wrap the wire around the screw drivers shaft to produce a spring, leave 15-20mm at one end uncoiled.

Poke the end of the wire into the two small holes in the top comb

Cover the top comb with foil, securing the wire.

Cut off the excess foil with a sharp knife, ensure that the foil is cut off square to the acrylic and doesn’t “fold over” the edge. This is especially important on the slightly curved end.

Take the bottom comb, and another piece of 15mm wide cut foil.

Cover the acrylic, and cut off the excess flush to the edges, pay special attention to the slightly curved side.

Using a pin, clear out the two holes in the smaller end.

Take the base acrylic piece and one of the VDG column pieces.

Place the bottom of the column piece into the holes in the base as shown, secure with a 10mm M3 nut and bolt.

You my find a piece of blue tack, or a small magnet is useful to hold the nut in place whilst screwing these together.

Take one of the motor holder pieces of acrylic, and another 10mm x M3 nut and bolt.

Secure the motor holder into the holes shown with the nut and bolt.

Take the second motor holder, nut and ,M3 bolt and fit into the holes shown.

fit the bottom comb into the slot on the bottom plate and the slot in the VDG column piece. You may have to lightly slacken off the bolt holding the column piece to do this, don’t forget to tighten it up afterwards.

Take the motor and the bottom roller (with a cross shaped hole)

Push the bottom roller onto the motor shaft by pushing it down onto a hard surface. the roller should no more that 4mm from the main front face of the motor.

Push in the motor through the two motor holders, until the larger face is flush with the VDG column. Ensure there is a 1mm gap between the acrylic and the inner face of the roller.

Take the belt and slightly stretch it, it should be able to freely fit into the gap between the roller and the top of the lower comb.

Take the top roller and axel.

Ensure the axel will rotate easily into the aluminium bearing in the top roller.

Push one end of the axel and the top roller onto the 2mm hole in the VDG column. Stretch the belt around the top roller.

Take the other VDG column piece

And place into the holes shown. Secure with a 10mm x M3 nut and bolt.

Take the top comb.

and slot into the top of the columns, Make sure that the top of the comb is flush with the top of the columns.

Take the 4mm green banana socket and cut a 60mm length of wire.

Disassemble the banana socket, and wrap the end of the wire around the sockets lug. (if you have a soldering ion you can solder this joint. )

Screw in the banana socket as shown.

Thread the wire through both holes in the bottom comb acrylic so it ataches to the foil. Cut off any excess length of wire.

Take the set of four feet

and place as shown.

Take the piece of acrylic shown. and pass the end with the slots closest together (the other way around to this picture) into the two VDG columns.

Seat the acrylic down onto the motor holders and both VDG columns.

If the columns are bowed and/or it wont fit neatly onto the motor holders, then you have put this piece in the wrong way around.

Stretch the spring slightly, and place the dome on top of the VDG

If the dome won’t sit properly on the VDG, slightly compress the spring again.

Ideally the spring should just touch the inside of the dome.

Take the battery box (without batteries) and using cutters carefully strip off 8-10mm of the insulation of the two wires.

Wrap these wires around the two lugs at the back of the motor.

If you have access to a soldering iron, solder on these two connections.

If you don’t, use a thin (5mm or so) strip of the aluminium foil to wrap around and secure the connection.

Place batteries into the battery holder, and you are good to go.

For troubleshooting and more information take a look at https://extkits.co.uk/resources/van-de-graaff-kit-resources/