How do you plug in Power Functions motors?

Battery box → (switch or receiver) → motor. Plugs stack like bricks. Power flows from the battery box to the motor through the grey 2×2 plugs, which stack on top of each other like bricks. Put a direction switch in between to flip forward, stop and backward. Or use the IR receiver: its red socket follows the left dial of the remote and its blue socket the right dial, and the channel number on the receiver and the remote must match. If a motor turns the wrong way, stack its plug turned half way round: that swaps the wires (the polarity) and it spins the other way!

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Try it yourself

Plug a motor into the red socket, then the blue one. Which dial on the remote drives it each time? Now stack the plug turned half way round — which way does it spin?

Build it: 26 builds that teach Power Functions wiring

🔋 Motor Buggy: Your first car that drives by itself — with a forwards/backwards switch and headlights! (level 3 of 5, about 30 minutes, 20 steps)
🪢 Belt-Drive Buggy: No gears touching: a loop carries the power from the motor down to the wheels. (level 3 of 5, about 35 minutes, 11 steps)
⚙️ Clutch-Gear 2-Speed Car: Push the gear lever and a driving ring grabs a different gear: 1st climbs, 2nd races! (level 3 of 5, about 45 minutes, 18 steps)
🎛️ One Motor, Knob Steering: The motor drives, YOU steer — turn the knob as you walk beside it. (level 3 of 5, about 40 minutes, 21 steps)
🔥 Twin-Piston Engine: See inside a car engine: two pistons race up and down in turns! (level 3 of 5, about 40 minutes, 22 steps)
🌬️ Oscillating Fan: A desk fan that turns its head left and right all by itself! (level 3 of 5, about 40 minutes, 18 steps)
🛢️ Nodding-Donkey Pump Jack: A slow crank rocks a long beam up and down — nod, nod, nod, all day long. (level 3 of 5, about 45 minutes, 30 steps)
🎡 Ferris Wheel: A big wheel turns slowly while its gondolas always hang the right way up. (level 3 of 5, about 45 minutes, 28 steps)
🪖 RC Tank: Two motors, two tracks, one remote. Spin on the spot and climb over anything! (level 4 of 5, about 60 minutes, 27 steps)
📦 Conveyor Belt: A factory belt that carries your parts from one end to the other — and drops them in a box. (level 3 of 5, about 50 minutes, 22 steps)
🚂 Floor Express: A remote-control locomotive with headlights, a chimney and a log wagon. (level 4 of 5, about 40 minutes, 17 steps)
↩️ Reverse-Gear Truck: The motor only spins one way — the gear lever decides forwards or backwards! (level 4 of 5, about 55 minutes, 18 steps)
🔄 Reverse-to-Turn Car: Only one motor — but it can still turn! Drive backwards and the wheels swing round. (level 4 of 5, about 50 minutes, 24 steps)
🎮 First RC Car (Servo): Your first remote-control car: one dial drives, the other dial steers. (level 4 of 5, about 50 minutes, 27 steps)
🛵 Front-Drive Servo Trike: One front wheel does everything: its own motor drives it and the Servo swings it round. (level 4 of 5, about 50 minutes, 21 steps)
🏁 Three-Speed Car: Two little gearboxes in a row make a big one: crawl, cruise or fly! (level 4 of 5, about 60 minutes, 20 steps)
🚜 Skid-Steer Loader: No steering at all: left motor, right motor — spin it round on the spot! (level 4 of 5, about 65 minutes, 25 steps)
🧗 Worm-Drive Crawler: Super slow, super strong: worm gears drive both axles and it never rolls back. (level 4 of 5, about 50 minutes, 20 steps)
🔒 Diff-Lock Mud Truck: Stuck in the mud? Slide the diff lock and both wheels are forced to turn together! (level 4 of 5, about 60 minutes, 33 steps)
🚞 Cog Railway Climber: A mountain train that grips a toothed rail — it climbs super steep ramps and never slides back. (level 4 of 5, about 55 minutes, 20 steps)
🏆 RC Racer: A real remote-control car: motor drive, differential, servo steering and headlights. (level 5 of 5, about 75 minutes, 38 steps)
🤖 Robot Arm with Servo Claw: Swing, lift and grab! Three motors and a remote turn you into a factory robot operator. (level 4 of 5, about 60 minutes, 30 steps)
🏆 Independent Rally Car: Every wheel on its own springy arm, a differential, universal joints and Ackermann steering. (level 5 of 5, about 90 minutes, 47 steps)
🌐 AWD with Central Diff: All four wheels driven, with a differential in the MIDDLE of the car — like a rally car. (level 5 of 5, about 90 minutes, 28 steps)
🚧 Twin-Motor Dozer: Wide caterpillar tracks, one motor per track, and a blade that cranks up with a worm gear. (level 5 of 5, about 100 minutes, 33 steps)
🕷️ Klann Walking Spider: A robot that WALKS instead of rolling — beams and pins turn a spinning crank into steps. (level 4 of 5, about 60 minutes, 17 steps)

In the classroom

I8 Motors & Circuits (Inventors, Intermediate)

Common engineering questions

How can I try Power Functions wiring at home?