Posted by Vector Viper (205.162.15.2) on January 25, 2003 at 02:13:25:
These are just some ideas to classify wheels...BTW, I'd LOVE
to see 20+ wheel makers get together sometime and show off
their work...
BTW, I'm not really giving away anything here, and no,
I don't have a wheel working YET.
My first wheel (code name:pinball)
Status-not complete, but close
I may give this one away IF it works, it shows just how simple
a PM wheel can be once you 'get it'
Size:1 foot around
(I figure if you can get a small one to work,a large one
certainly will)
Construction:metal sheet,circuitboard material, metal bar,
old VCR wheels, shafts, bearings, springs, luck.
Weights type used:pinballs (duh!)
Number used:varies with operation
Bidirectional:NO
Selfstarting:Maybe,probably not
RPM:unknown at this time,perhaps 60-120 Rpm or so
Power:unknown-should pass 1 watt test running small generator
to light LED or something...
Now these last 2 classifications are real interesting...
1 Power to total weight ratio-unknown as of yet.
Thoughts: These gravity motors are interesting,
in that weight IS power, but obviously a lot of it is
just sitting there holding the wheel together.
(Hmmm...no different than a car engine, I suppose)
Larger wheels use weights more efficiently,(more leverage)
but use more framework to do it. I was wondering earlier
today-how must power can you get out of a 1 foot cube area?
How heavy IS a car engine anyway?!;50-70 HP is enough to drive around with...my car does!
Can a wheel be made powerful enough to fly itself off
the ground? (remember, more power=more weight!!)
2 Weight use ratio-unknown
Obviously,the best use of weights wins here;the best
possible solution is all weights on one side, and none on the
other, always. I actually have a design in progress that
does exactly this-the wheel does NOT have to lift any
weights! (grins and giggles with glee..)
In other words, how much torque gets
cancelled out by the weights lifted up the other side?
More later...it's late here...
Viper