Latest: No back torque generator.

[gravityblock]

@BWS:

It is because the field is uniform or near uniform when rotating the magnet on it's axis over aluminum with no magnetic resistance and has nothing to do if it's stationary or moving with the magnet.  Just because the field is uniform doesn't mean the uniform field can't rotate with the magnet. The field would still be uniform if it rotated with the magnet or not. This is a mute point as far as I am concerned. 

[Yucca]

Hello all,

Sorry to keep banging on about homopolars in general, I know this thread is about Brolis idea, but I thought you'd all like to hear about my experiment.

I tried the experiment of spinning The magnet disk along with the takeoff and load. Took me a few tries and a few flying capacitors to get it balanced well enough. I just stuck the cap to the axle using super glue.

Magnet: N52 Nickel Coated Neo (diam=38mm thick=6.5mm)
Electrolytic cap: 6.3V 1000uF
Resistor: 100k metal film

Outer rim is connected to the -v cap terminal.
The magnet axle is connected via the resistor to the +v cap terminal.

In this configuration the cap will discharge at about 2mV per second.

I discharged the cap by shorting and then did a spin up to 3000RPM for 2 minutes.

I noticed no difference in the capacitors charge after measuring as soon as it stopped. spinning, GUTTED!

I wondered if the centrifugal force made my rim connection go open circuit as it's only bound on with tight sellotape so I also tried precharging the cap to 300mV and then left it to discharge for 30 seconds. Tried this spinning and static, same discharge rate.

[broli]

GB I think the CF has a very minor role in the system. The speed must be VERY high for it to near the size of the centrifugal force. According to my quick analysis the speed must be 10 000 times higher than the speed of light for the CF to be equal to the electromagnetic force. In a normal setup that turns around 1000 RPM the CF is about 100 000 000 000 times weaker and the EM force. This is because the the charge of an electron is much higher than its mass.

BUT it's interesting that you brough this up because last night I was thinking how one could turn the homopolar generator into a hydrodynamic model. You would have a liquid spinning that has a pressure gradient going from the center to the rim due to the centrifugal force. At the rim you have a point where the liquid can escape. A week ago I built a magnetic stir for another project but this might be helpfull for this one as well.

The idea is that as the stir is rotating the water the water starts to press against the sides of the container due to the centrifugal force. At the top the liquid is allowed to escape due to this pressure. Just like the homopolar generator now you introduce a "load" namely the turbine to generate some electricity or w/e. But UNLIKE a homopolar generator wether there's a load or not it will not slow down the motion of the water AFAIK. After it has done the work the water is circultated back in the container.

Since I already have a magnetic stir I might play around with this concept.

If you do not know what a magnetic stir is here's a good youtube video showing it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMR_E2ZJarU

You can built these yourself for the fraction of the retail price.

[BWS]

Your reply is notable because you are taking an EE's point of view.  That is, you have probably been taught that induction can only occur only when there is a change (delta) in field strength on a charged particle.  This is the system used when working with oscillating fields and induction in coils, and it has no application to the uniform/steady field physics we are talking about here.  To see my point, take a strong look at cyclotrons.  In a cyclotron induction is definitely happening even though there is no change in field strength relative to the particle, but the moving particle must move perpendicularly through the steady field, and then induction can not be avoided.
-BWS

[gravityblock]

GB I think the CF has a very minor role in the system. The speed must be VERY high for it to near the size of the centrifugal force. According to my quick analysis the speed must be 10 000 times higher than the speed of light for the CF to be equal to the electromagnetic force. In a normal setup that turns around 1000 RPM the CF is about 100 000 000 000 times weaker and the EM force. This is because the the charge of an electron is much higher than its mass.

The electromagnetic force has nothing to do with how strong the electrons are bound to the atom.  The electrons that flow along a conductor are free electrons and are not bound to the atom.  Sometimes they move in random directions on there own along a conductor without any external force. 

Once these free electrons start cutting through the lines of force due to the CF, then the electromagnetic force is responsible for the movement of the other electrons since a current was induced by those free electrons cutting the lines of force.