Basic 4 Weighted Wheel Concept

[johnny874]

Very cool,but I predict you will not have success with this one. A  lot of us have drawings like this in our old notebooks and a lot of old wheels in the basement.  The math that you need to understand is trigonometry which can be elegant and agonizing in its precision of showing you exactly where your limit is.

To put it briefly, for every 1 degree of motion on your wheel, the 4 weights will each have a change in sine. In other words, they would each have a slight net increase or decrease in upward motion relative to the center of the wheel. Sum the changes in sine for all 4 weights and you will know if that 1 degree of motion would tend to be clockwise (negative net sine) or counterclockwise (positive net sine). When you find the point where one degree is positive and the next degree is negative, that is where your wheel will stop.

To leap ahead, what you will discover is that all that matters is the total net sine change over one complete rotation.  And if, as was mentioned earlier in this thread, you are in exactly the same place after one rotation, the the net positive changes in sine must always (precisely, dammit!) equal the net negative changes. Bottom line: You can't go down more than you go up.

I have an Excel spreadsheet that I developed that helps me calculate these because I haven't given up on it either. I would be willing to share if anybody wants to see it.  Keep plugging !!

Jameson

  Jameson,
In the picture, the motions A and B cancel each out as well as C and D.
This would leave the area between them as over balance. What could be a
problem with this design is where D is when the weights shift. It would have
lost momentum.
If enough torque were geenrated, it might be possible to have the weights strike
a stationary post and shift quicker, a reflexive type action if you will. If so, then
D might maintain it's momentum. It's kind of a study in motion.
Maybe you might rethink cause and effect ? maybe ?

                                                                                        Jim