OT fun with levitation

zachary vex · August 18, 2004, 12:25:24 AM

i recently met with Matt Bellamy of Muse and showed him an idea i have for a custom effect to install in his guitars (he uses my fuzz factory and wah probe in a couple of his guitars already) and he loved it, but i also brought him a small gift of a magnetic levitation experiment i built up from a kit (the company has gone out of business but there are others and you can easily build your own.)

here's one method... this is a piece of pyrolytic graphite floating about 1mm above 9 magnets arranged
NSN
SNS
NSN

you can get those parts at sci-toys.com

i built up a plastic version of this one here for matt, which floats a magnet:

mikeb · August 18, 2004, 12:42:04 AM

Bah! No need for magnets or what-not, just seek enlightenment and attain nirvana!

I wonder if I can get my hands on something equivalent down here....

Mike

zachary vex · August 18, 2004, 12:52:31 AM

sci-toys will ship you stuff wherever you want... there's a calculator on his site that figures the price with shipping... i'm ordering a steam-powered boat and some liquid metal right now! 8^)

on edit: oops, you have to use a credit card, no paypal.

Dan N · August 18, 2004, 01:04:40 AM

Don't forget one of these!

zachary vex · August 18, 2004, 01:12:40 AM

yeah, right, you are at a DIY stompbox forum calling me a nerd. hah! you're knee-deep in nerds, nerd!

8^)

onboard · August 18, 2004, 01:34:29 AM

Hmmmmm....a pyrolytic graphite outfit and huge enough magnets...David Letterman's Wall of Velcro suddenly seems tame. :wink:

mikeb · August 18, 2004, 02:08:42 AM

I'll have to get out my VISA from the depths of my pet kangaroo's pouch, but it can be done.

As a general rule, anything sold in 'vials' is cool and interesting ... especially so if it is sold in 'ampoules'!

Mike

Peter Snowberg · August 18, 2004, 02:09:00 AM

Quote from: zachary vexyeah, right, you are at a DIY stompbox forum calling me a nerd. hah! you're knee-deep in nerds, nerd!

8^)

:mrgreen:

Nerd, and pround of it!

(Pretty cool stuff Zach!

)

zachary vex · August 18, 2004, 02:10:43 AM

pround?

Peter Snowberg · August 18, 2004, 02:13:49 AM

Hehehe.

That's what I get for typing one handed while watching TV at the same time.

zachary vex · August 18, 2004, 02:15:58 AM

man, that really didn't sound very good either!

i hope you were holding the remote in the other!

Peter Snowberg · August 18, 2004, 02:47:25 AM

Naw... T'was scratching the cat behind her ears with the other.

(as I was distracted by a Seinfeld re-run)

She attemps levitation, but gravity wins every time.

Athin · August 18, 2004, 04:16:07 AM

I've got a magazine with maglev done with a trannie and a regulator - it keeps a metal ball floating an inch under the trannie.

zachary vex · August 18, 2004, 06:00:51 AM

that takes power. this system is perpetual and requires no external energy. theoretically, you could make the magnet spin forever in a vacuum.

petemoore · August 18, 2004, 09:53:28 AM

That would be cool...cool stuff.
The trains that ride on a 'magnet cushion' ...take alot of current but are nonetheless amazing, from what I gather the floating' graphite is doing somewhat the 'same' thing.
The only way I think of right off to use for stomps is using it as an LED/LDR light shield, might take some doing to find out it's not possible...
Cool stuff all the more, can I borrow a pen?...nerd to the rescue!!!

Hal · August 18, 2004, 11:42:41 AM

Quote from: zachary vexthat takes power. this system is perpetual and requires no external energy. theoretically, you could make the magnet spin forever in a vacuum.

I understand that there's no friction in this case, but wouldn't it dissipate energy in the form of an induced electical field, somewhere...?

Peter Snowberg · August 18, 2004, 01:29:29 PM

Quote from: HalI understand that there's no friction in this case, but wouldn't it dissipate energy in the form of an induced electical field, somewhere...?

I think you're right. The flux it's floating on is square shapped like the graphite so rotation is bound to generate eddy currents.

zachary vex · August 18, 2004, 01:38:30 PM

hmmph... eddy currents in the graphite. that sucks. but keep in mind, the poles are at right angles to the graphite (and everything else nearby is made of wood.) because it's spinning on it's axis through the poles it may not induce eddy currents anywhere at all!

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OT fun with levitation

mikeb

mikeb