Your thoughts on this magnetic device ?

[Seeker]

Hi y'all

I'm interested in what you think of this device, which is trying to harness magnetic energy, to repeatedly pull a ball up a ramp.
Could such a machine work, without violating any known Scientific laws, such as the Law of Conservation of Energy ?


http://jnaudin.free.fr/html/smot1.htm

Seeker

[BBBix]

Wow...Cool. I will have to build one!!!


Bill B.

"Those who think that they know everything are especially annoying to those of us who do." ;)

[Seeker]

quote:Originally posted by BBBix

Wow...Cool. I will have to build one!!!


Bill B.

"Those who think that they know everything are especially annoying to those of us who do." ;)


Hey Bill,

That's great that you're going to experiment with these ideas ! I think I might do that myself, as well. What I'm trying to figure out at this point, and maybe you can help with this, is if people are able to get the steel ball to be pulled to the top of the ramp, why can't the ball drop down, and return to the bottom of the ramp, to begin the cycle again ? I'm sure there must be some challenge in doing this. Would it be that the ball doesn't want to fall down, because it's being attracted to the magnets at the top ?

My thoughts would be to have a hole somewhere along the ramp, which the ball could fall into. Once the ball falls off the top of the ramp, it might need to fall onto some other ramp ( a less sloped one) that takes it back to the bottom of the first ramp, so it can repeat the process again.

What do you think ?

Seeker

[Deviant]

To make it perpetual, you might position about 5 or 6 of these ramps into a circle, like a pentagon. Then, if each cup contained a spring that would absorb the impact then return it to its original height for next takeup, maybe then have each cup could be a coil for creating electricity as the platform containing a magnet lowers and raises again.

Interesting....

"Laws protect some and impede others." - Deviant

[BBBix]

Wow..a real perpetual motion machine....cool...The only problem that I see with the ball-return system is that you would have to have the return ramp go around the device, not directly under it. I think that I am gonna go magnet shopping tomorrow.

Bill B.

"Those who think that they know everything are especially annoying to those of us who do." ;)

[BBBix]

Check out these links...Looks like they have made improvments on the designs. Also, check out this other linear magnet powered actuator:

http://www.theverylastpageoftheinternet.com/magneticExp/adsitt/explain1.htm

http://jnaudin.free.fr/html/smotidx.htm

Bill B.

"Those who think that they know everything are especially annoying to those of us who do." ;)

[Deviant]

I'm sorry if my description was inadequate. The originally posted articles already indicated that it worked for one ramp after another (assuming it works for any).
Try this for visualization: 4 of these ramps arranged as 4 sides to a square, each one drops the ball ready for the next ramp to pickup.

[Seeker]

Check out the Omega Levitron. It's a top which you spin and it levitates due to the repulsive force of the magnet, which it sits on. A new addition to this product, called the perpetuator, uses an electromagnet, rather than a magnet, to keep the top levitating. The link claims that this machine was able to keep the top spinning and levitating for 10 days (at which time they decided to turn the machine off)

http://www.arborsci.com/Products_Pages/Magnetism/Magnetism3.htm

I can understand how the top will levitate for 10 days, but can anyone tell us how it would be able to continue to spin for 10 days ?

Seeker

[Seeker]

Here's a slightly different toy, which I just ordered for myself and should be receiving in the next week or two. It's also a spinning top, only in this case, it isn't supposed to levitate. It also works by magnetic principles.

But what are they exactly ? :)


http://my.execpc.com/~rhoadley/magemtoy

Seeker
p.s. While I was at university, one of my profs brought this toy to our class for the first day. The class ran about 1.5 hours, and the top was spinning the entire time !

[BBBix]

I think that the perpetuator some how influences the spin, causing it to not degrade.

Bill B.

"Those who think that they know everything are especially annoying to those of us who do." ;)

[Seeker]

quote:Originally posted by BBBix

I think that the perpetuator some how influences the spin, causing it to not degrade.

Bill B.

"Those who think that they know everything are especially annoying to those of us who do." ;)


Hi Bill,

Yes, what you've said makes sense. I'm still trying to understand the mechanics of it better.

Here's an interesting link which explains some of the Physics behind it :

http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/display/displaycase.htm

Some of the things I'm gathering from this info are :

- The top is a magnet and as it interacts with the magnet in the base of the Levitron, this induced a current to flow
- The base keeps providing energy back up to the top
- The base makes the top stable, which prevents it from falling

Maybe someone with a better physics background than me can help 'crack this case'.

Check out the info at the end of the link I've given. It gives an interesting history of the display case which one of these Levitron devices was kept in. See what happpened to the device on Jan 31, 2000 !!

Seeker