How to Make a Simple Telegraph Set
Samuel B. Morse's invention of the telegraph in 1844 was a major step forward in rapid communication. The telegraph used a system of dots and dashes called Morse Code. Learn how to make a simple telegraph, and begin talking to your friends in code!
Materials You Will Need:
- Energizer® Power Pack
- Electromagnet
- Strip of 3" to 5" metal from can
- 3" x 1" x 1" block of wood
- 6" piece of number 22 insulated wire
- Switch or alternate commercial knife blade switch
- Piece of wood for base
- 4 nails
Please Read Carefully!
All experiments use safe, low-voltage battery power. Household electrical current contains high voltage that could cause serious injury. DO NOT use household electrical current for any of these experiments. ALL experiments should be conducted under adult supervision.
- Carefully follow wiring instructions for each experiment. Improper wiring can result in battery leakage and/or rupture.
- DO NOT take a battery apart. Contact with internal battery material can cause injury.
- DO NOT dispose in fire, recharge, put in backwards, or mix with used or other battery types. This may cause the batteries to explode, leak and cause personal injury.
Steps to Make a Simple Telegraph:
- Nail the wooden block to one end of the board.
- Drive the nail of the electromagnet into the board (wood block should be slightly higher than the nail head).
- Nail metal strip to top of block and bend in a dip so it is just above nail of electromagnet.
- Connect lower electromagnet wire to the telegraph switch. Connect other wire from switch to negative (-) lead of the Energizer® Power Pack. Connect upper electromagnet wire to positive (+) lead of the Energizer® Power Pack.
- Press and release switch.
The telegraph switch closes the circuit and controls the sound. Short and long pauses between clicks are dots and dashes of the code. You may have to adjust the distance between the metal strip and the electromagnet head to make a click. With your telegraph set, you're ready to practice Morse code.