# Nutty Miniature Engineering Project



## Shipbuilder (Jun 30, 2005)

*Mysterious Miniature Engineering Project*

May amuse you. I have no idea how it works, but it has been spinning away for more than an hour now! I have put a wine glass over it so it is not influenced by air movements.
The wire does not touch either the spacers or magnets, only the top of the button cell. It only appears to be touching in the image because of the angle.
Any ideas on how it works. I can't understand it at all!
Bob
http://youtu.be/XYhv8DpcGfY


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## Mad Landsman (Dec 1, 2005)

My first thought was; Is it similar to Michael Faraday's electromagnetic rotator?

I assume that it does not self start and that it would not work with an iron magnet. 

Maybe the 'return' current is minuscule and carries via the very strong magnetic field.


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## Shipbuilder (Jun 30, 2005)

I really don't know! As soon as I put the rotator on, it began to turn and it is still going 6.5 hours later.
I did not invent it, I just duplicated it with 100% sceptiscism! I really would like some ideas on how it works. It is still churning away after 6.6 hours! At the moment feeling underwhelemed by the response, so thank you Mad Landsman.
As there is not a complete circuit, nothng is going out of the battery, unless, as you suggest, it is passing via the magnetic field.
It all very puzzling.
Incidentally, Neodymium magnets are quite cheap and readily available to the public - extremely powerful though.
Bob


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

Fascinating!

Are those mono-polar magnets? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR6Qait2JGY


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## ben27 (Dec 27, 2012)

good day shipbuilder.sm.yesterday,23:01.re:mysterious miniature eng,project.thank you for posting a most interesting subject,had a look at your thumb nail.if you cannot work it out.you have got it working.thats a plus,regards ben27


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## Shipbuilder (Jun 30, 2005)

Thanks for replies. I don't believe monopolar magnets exist!(EEK) I looked at the U-tube Monoplar project and feel that whatever make the coil spin is inside the suspiciously thick block of wood underneath. Cut a normal magnet in two and you get two smaller magnets, each with north & south poles!
There are plenty of these strange little motors on U-tube that are very easy to make. I was 100% sceptical when I made it, but had nothing better to do at the time!(Jester)
It has now been going continually for 18 hours!
The magnets are just Neodymium - extremely powerful! They can be purchased from Maplin Electronics (UK) or Ebay and are not very expensive. You have to be very careful with bigger ones because they are so powerful, they can easily squash your finger flat. Even these small ones can give you a very painful "nip" if you are not careful!
Bob


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## Gareth Jones (Jul 13, 2007)

Well this thread has had 283 views as I write and I would assume none of those viewers know the answer or they would have proudly announced so !

It's very interesting - I suppose Faradays rule for motors must apply somewhere for motion to exist - If you left it running forever until the battery ran down and it stopped. would indicate that current is flowing somehow - but how ? I'm buggered if I know,

I'm looking forward to the answer.


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## funnelstays (Nov 19, 2008)

A magnetic field is being induced between the copper rotor and the fixed steel spacers by virtue of the battery.The rotor being no different from an armature on a DC motor.The only mechanical point of contact is the shaft needle.
The magnets are acting as the windings and when you give it a spin with your fingers l would think a back EMF will be generated and the polarity of the copper wire will change with each revolution there by inducing motion.


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## Shipbuilder (Jun 30, 2005)

The steel spacers have nothing to do with the operation, I introduced them myself just to increase the spacing, as the rotator was a bit too long! If you look up "Neodymium Motors" on U-tube, you will see dozens of different types, the simplest being a button cell, one magnet and a twist of wire. Earlier today, my wife made one with a spiral rotator and it really whizzes round! 

Mine is still going after 27 hours. There is definitely no drain on the battery because the rotator does not touch either spacers or magnets.

Bob

PS
This is the link to the one that inspired the one with the spiral. Lots of others shown on the right hand side.
http://youtu.be/5Z4Bh4mRUzA


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## Duncan112 (Dec 28, 2006)

Bob,

Does the motor work whichever way round the battery is?

As regards the incomplete circuit I remember in Physics being shown a demonstration (using a mirror galvonometer) that showed current would flow from the positive terminal of a battery whether or not there was a complete circuit - can't for the life of me remember the explanation though - the Physics Master had been a Fellow of Downing College and spent some time at the Cavendish (Also been badly wounded in Palestine but that's another story) so I don't think he was given to fibbing.


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## Shipbuilder (Jun 30, 2005)

I haven't tried turning the battery over, but turning the magnets over changes the direction. I have now made another much more powerful one that requires current. It has what I call a "hanging bearing." The top needle is fixed to a frame. An AA cell has a magnet on top and bottom and hangs from the top needle by magnetism. If a wire connected to the needle is held on to the edge of the lower magnet, the battery rotates at quite a high speed, bouncing off it regularly, but maintaining speed!
These things are great fun to mess about with if you have a spare hour or two!
Bob


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## Gulpers (Sep 8, 2005)

A kid explains how it works *here* - so simple and looks like fun. (Applause)


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## Shipbuilder (Jun 30, 2005)

I watched that one as well. But if the rotator does not touch the magnet or the spacers, current does not flow! If you make it touch, it admittedly goes considerably faster!
You can get the magnets at Maplins (UK) or on Ebay!
Bob


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## Mad Landsman (Dec 1, 2005)

In the motor using an AA cell and copper wire there are some differences to consider:
The pivot point is not a fine point and the lower ends of the wire make contact with the magnet - Both of these add friction and use more power. 
The battery casing is not a solid magnetised bar, just a tube and the resulting field would be of lower flux.

In Bob's motor the friction has been reduced to an absolute minimum - similar to a balance staff in a cheap clock - and by using iron bars it has increased the effective size of the magnetic field. 

I would say that it does work, therefore, in exactly the same way as Faraday's experiment. 
The return circuit is simply made by induction rather than contact which is possible because the current is so low.

Malcolm


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## Shipbuilder (Jun 30, 2005)

Malcolm,
That all makes sense to me. Using a needle does reduce the friction to almost zero, and even then, it does not turn very fast. I suppose it could go on working for years until the battery decays naturally! 
The ones where the rotator wires bounce off the magnet really whirr round, making a noise as they do so!
Bob


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## Mad Landsman (Dec 1, 2005)

Now I suppose I will have to make one and use a very sensitivite meter to measure the voltage across the cell:

1. static
2. with rotor in place
3. with rotor turning


this should show that a current is being passed. The difference might be too small to measure with anything I have and #3 will be tricky to do without adding an extra conductor which might effect operation. 

M


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## Shipbuilder (Jun 30, 2005)

It stopped during the night(Sad)
Battery was down to 1.3V, so I am now wondering if one of the wires did come into contact with the magnet without me knowing. 
Since then, I have made several more of different designs and the results are quite startling.
Here are a few more on U-tube:
http://youtu.be/aNskxdi4f_c 
Bob


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## david freeman (Jan 26, 2006)

amusing but I suspect solvable? Gyroscopic movement machine induced some how by a magnetic field. Place a coil of wire around the dome and indiuce either ac or dc current, and see if this prohibits the movements. Then you have a base point. The earths magnetic field is i suggest not strong enough to induce perpetual motion?? Have fun. I suspect you have your mind in neutral while index finger is well and truely stuck up your fundemental orifice!!! never mind play on.


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## Shipbuilder (Jun 30, 2005)

Of course it is solvalble Never for one moment thought it was a "perpetual motion" machine! I don't know how it works, but was just wondering if anyone else did! But with over 700 views, it has sparked quite a lot of interest. 
But all this technical talk goes over my head(Bounce)
Most of the time, my mind is in "neutral",(Jester) but this little project has really given me food for thought!(Scribe)
Bob


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