Double pawl magnetic ratchet

[lumen]

It looks like the double action is taking energy, why not just make the magnet arm more horizontal and use gravity to drop into the next notch and let the magnet rotate the wheel, then drop into the next and the wheel rotates again.

[DreamThinkBuild]

Hi All,

Here is a failed attempt at using a modified ratchet. This uses a single pawl. Even though this version failed it was a good learning experience.

When I first made this design I measured the magnets field of influence with the pawl magnet. Side to side the gating dropped off at around 1.8cm diameter and the field for pushing would be half that .9cm. Based on those values I built the model.

What I didn't take into account was the next field creating a overlapping field which creates the sticky spot. This causes a big problem with this ratchet design I don't think there is any way to get useful power from this current setup.

In order to overcome the next magnetic field it would have to be spaced almost double distance from the next magnet. By doing that it would also decrease the strength that the magnet could push off of. With larger magnets the problem is amplified.

I put this here so maybe someone else has a better idea or inspires something new.

[gyulasun]

Hi DreamThinkBuild,

Many thanks for reporting your findings with this interesting idea.  Perhaps, just perhaps the use of small soft iron plate pieces on or at the appropiate sides of the magnets could help reduce overlapping of the fields.  (I do not mean you try that of course.)

Gyula

[mscoffman]

I've wondered whether a unidirectional Halbach Magnet array could be used to reduce the size of the sticky spot. One could
place the sticky spot out of the direction of the central magnetism. With the proper linkages any magnetic orientation could be
utilized. For example in a pendular machine the drive arrays could be placed directly back to back. I challenge the array to
form a correct polarity and strong inhibitory sticky stop under all circumstances.

There is a science company in England that builds aluminum array holders that hold cube magnets in the correct orientation to
become small Halbach arrays. They use allen screws to hold the magnets in correct orientation. Halback array don't resist magnetic
fields but instead direct both magnetic poles out in a single direction.

:S:MarkSCoffman