Here it is, Bessler's 12 ft wheel

[AB Hammer]

From my drawing, I am using disk. So if it is not lined up correctly the disk could drag and would cause a negative effect to the wheel. But what I also looked at that it would tell how fast it was going as well when running. So it will go on the 1/3 scale model as diagrammed.

[fletcher]

Well Hans, as I said, perhaps you are right about that application - but - it does raise some other interesting thoughts - the first is that since the pendulum's are connected by cranks to the axle, one assumes that they could only complete one full arc & back, each revolution of the wheel - the slowest two-way wheel was reportedly at 20 rpm under load [with Archimedean water screw attached or perhaps the mill stampers IIRC] - so by looking at the relative dimensions of the Kassel & Merseburg wheel 'pendulums' it looks like they were pretty slow to swing back & forth at about 3 secs per revolution, for a 12 ft [or thereabouts] wheel - if the wheels had perhaps 8 mechs [hypothetically ; rather than one mech, one stroke etc] then its hard to see how two synchronised pendulums swinging once per revolution was any big help to the wheel, with that many mechs in each wheel ?

There are witness reports of the wheels both operating with & without the pendulums, as you say, so they weren't essential for its operation, in some uses at least.

Are you or have you ever been a member of Besslerwheel.com as with your background & analytical thinking you would be an asset over there ? Especially, as you point out, Bessler was fond of his wordsmithing skills & his ability to hide from prying eyes & ears the source of his Prime Mover. You obviously have an interest in Bessler's wheel ! - if we can spend this much time discussing the add-on perfunctory pendulum's what other juicy theories might stir within about how it actually worked 

[Jason]

I am usually the one getting criticism from my half-baked ideas but I will say one thing that could possibly slow down if not stop the motion. When the weight drops to force the ball it seems like it will create a counter hammer effect against the momentum that it is trying to gain. Though, I hope it works. If it does I might build one. Jason

[hansvonlieven]

G'day Fletcher,

No, I have never been connected to Besslerwheel.com or any other perpetual motion outfit.

Having said that, I am a retired engineer with a lot of experience and I am German, though I live in Australia. Bessler, Paracelsus, Hertz, Helmholtz, Daimler, Sachs, Diesel and so forth are all part of my technological heritage and as such have received perhaps more than their fair share of attention from me over the years.

Bessler's book has always fascinated me. I have not only read it for its content but as practice in my medieval German and Latin exercises, though for purity of language his Latin leaves much to be desired. I find the man intriguing, perhaps even a bit like me because he, like me, turned his head from the areas that a classical education was supposed to lead to and took up engineering instead. In his day, even more so than in mine, this was a courageous thing to do.

I think I have said it before. Bessler was a very competent and visionary engineer, even by today's standards. Any engineer, looking at his drawings and concepts as expressed in his "Maschinen Traktate" would no doubt agree with me. He is worthy of study, whether his "Wheel" was a scam or not.

There is much knowledge and experience in what he says and how he approached technical subjects. He was also a man who did not mind to get his hands dirty and he built things, often by himself. That in itself was frowned upon in his time. If by now you think I have a soft spot for the man you are absolutely right.

Perhaps you understand a bit better now where I am coming from.

Greetings from the land down under

Hans von Lieven

[AB Hammer]

P Motion

  LOL
I'll talk to you later on that, when we all get together. It also may be closer to christmas before I get up there to Ky. to take my step son to his Dads.