Self-sustaining DC Motor, using old 5 1/4" Floppy Drive Magnet

[MagnaProp]

Great work pomodoro. Strange that it appears to run just as long with the bare magnet facing the motor or the shielded part facing the motor. Do you have a source for the exact motor you used?

Thanks sm0ky2 for posting your info on this. Very interesting.

[gyulasun]

Ok ive got all the bits.



Motor is a 5v DC.


Do the dimensions of your setup seem similar to those in the pic?

Hi pomodoro,

Smokey wrote in his Reply #3 that the diameter of his motor was about that of a US quarter dollar coin (which is about 25mm if I am not mistaken)  and the length of his motor was between 1&1/4 to 1&1/2 inch.  and it was a 6 to 12 V DC motor.
The magnets size should be the same for all the 5&1/4 inch floppy drives.

[lumen]

Does the magnetic disc affect the motor in any way?
Maybe rotate the disc near the motor without being connected, and see if there is any effect on the motors rotor.

[pomodoro]

Here is the motor in question. There is a PDF that comes up with all the info you need, just google the part number.  I have not been able to do more tests as yet. The fact that the upside down mounting is just as good probably means that the motor has very low friction and that the magnet is not interacting with it. Anyhow, that my opinion.  I guess it would be worth while spinning the motor for a few minutes, stopping it by hand and using a charged up large capacitor to restart it. The repeating the process after a long rest, but with the cap only.  To see if Aspdens experiment can be replicated with this sort of weird magnet.  I wish he gave us more details.  Here is the best I could find .
http://www.scribd.com/doc/76567187/1995-Harold-Aspden-Discovery-of-Virtual-Inertia#scribd

[conradelektro]

I guess it would be worth while spinning the motor for a few minutes, stopping it by hand and using a charged up large capacitor to restart it. The repeating the process after a long rest, but with the cap only.  To see if Aspdens experiment can be replicated with this sort of weird magnet.  I wish he gave us more details.  Here is the best I could find .
http://www.scribd.com/doc/76567187/1995-Harold-Aspden-Discovery-of-Virtual-Inertia#scribd

One page up I pointed to Aspden and gave the same link:
http://www.overunity.com/15581/self-sustaining-dc-motor-using-old-5-14-floppy-drive-magnet/msg441000/#msg441000

But it is good that you discovered it as well. If there is something worth while, it could be that "memory of space" or "memory of the earth magnetic field".

The big question: is it necessary to spin a magnet or just a "mass"?

Since you have already built your spinning magnetic disk, you could do the "Aspden test" in case you have a stop watch.

But be aware that Aspden measured the spin up time (up to a certain rpm) not the spin down time. But may be the spin down time is significant as well.

Mount you contraption (DC motor + magnetic disc) on a table an do not move it, then:

Step 1: Spin your disk just a few seconds till it reaches terminal speed, measure the spin down time T1.

Step 2: Wait for at least 30 minutes.

Step 3: Spin your disk for 5 minutes, measure the spin down time T2.

Step 4: Wait for at lest 30 minutes. Go to step 1 (repeat a few times to get average values for T1 and T2)

According to Aspden: T2 should be longer than T1.

Greetings, Conrad

P.S.: Most mobile phones have a "stop watch application".