Working SMOT ramp from Tom Ferko ?

[supersam]

hey tom,
don't give up!  ican ride ba six foot unicycle and juggle three balls at one time!

lol
sam

[supersam]

hell tom,

I got, spell checker in my tenth grade year and still I don't use it !!!

lol
sam

[magnetman12003]

Hi Sam,

I almost have the support frame finished and am moving along.  I am not going to give up on this one. Everything indicates it should work if balanced right.

Right now construction is a guesstimate here and a guesstimate there.  This is the most interesting device I have ever attempted to build.

Looking way down the road if this works engineering can: Use a precision "linear" shaft pillow block bearing - Wrap a donut ring magnet around it - Install a long 316 grade stainless steel linear rod through the bearing/donut assembly. That package can slide back and forth very easily on the rod mounted topside on the balance beam. Repelling itself at balance beam ends. All Friction will be kept to the utmost minimum. All that is expensive but can also be done.  Food for thought later.  In the meantime the most inexpensive way to construct this device is as described.

The only tools I used were a bandsaw, drillpress, screwdriver, a little wood glue, and some sandpaper. Nothing exotic.  If it works anyone can make one.  The pivot and pendulum rods you see are titanium left over from past projects.  Titanium is extremely strong as well as expensive.  Good luck trying to cut it.
You can use 316 grade stainless steel rods and screws throughout as that particular grade of steel is non magnetic.  Its inexpensive.  Brass is ok but a long soft pivot rod might flex.

I am going to purchase a small scale and weigh the ring runner magnet accuratly as well as the pendulum.

What total lenght of the balance beam should be is an unknown factor at this point as the runner will never touch the magnetic ends but bounce off the repeling magnetic fields.  I will have to find that by guess or by golly.


The beam end magnets wont have to be weighed - just mounted in place equally from the pivot point and then the whole beam must be accuratly balanced.

After that the runner magnet will be placed in the center and the beam tipped by hand to start movement.  The runner should be lighter than the pendulum weight or the pendulum will never swing. How much lighter I dont know.

In any event I found an inexpensive source for 1 pound lead donut weights so I can build up the weight of the pendulum as needed easily.

Tom

[supersam]

hey tom,

thanks for the reply.  been out of town for a couple of days and just catching up.  good luck with your latest experiment!!! LOOKS GREAT!!

STUPID question of the day.  i know you have alot more experience with magnets than i do.  have you ever tried spinning a ball magnet inside of one of your big magnets?  like a gyroscope?  i know it would take power to overcome the flux to make this happen but i was just wondering what would happen.  especially if you wound a unit like that with copper and used this as the mass for the pendulum.  maybe a copper ball would be better. don't even ask me to draw a picture.  i'm doing good on the computer just to figure out how to post a message.  just think about it and pm if you have any questions.

lol
sam

ps. dang you have some nice magnets!!!

[magnetman12003]

hey tom,

thanks for the reply.  been out of town for a couple of days and just catching up.  good luck with your latest experiment!!! LOOKS GREAT!!

STUPID question of the day.  i know you have alot more experience with magnets than i do.  have you ever tried spinning a ball magnet inside of one of your big magnets?  like a gyroscope?  i know it would take power to overcome the flux to make this happen but i was just wondering what would happen.  especially if you wound a unit like that with copper and used this as the mass for the pendulum.  maybe a copper ball would be better. don't even ask me to draw a picture.  i'm doing good on the computer just to figure out how to post a message.  just think about it and pm if you have any questions.

lol
sam

ps. dang you have some nice magnets!

Hi Sam, If you put a ball magnet inside a ring magnet one of the polaritys on the ball magnet will seek out the opposite polarity on the ring magnet.  It will stick there and nothing moves.

Take a look at the "Hamel Spinner"  described on the internet and make one. Its a lot of fun and works.   Two ring magnets and one steel ball is all thats required.

Tom