Belated SQUEEEEEE!!!

[tcepsa]

The parts from the order that I placed back on craft night came in a few days ago. I've now got most of the means to get power from my motor to the part that actually needs to be rotating in the generator that I'm attempting to build. I've got a mess of little neodymium magnets (about 1/2" diameter). I've got a fairly sizable spool of copper magnet wire somewhere, but the gauge is higher than I'd like it to be (it's thinner than I really want) so I'm agonizing over whether to try to get some thicker copper, use the stuff I've got, or try silver (for mostly romantic reasons, though the fact that it technically is a better conductor than pretty much anything else also is appealing--practically, however, it is unlikely to make that big of a difference). I also have yet to make the part of the rotor that will actually hold the magnets--that's the biggest remaining hurdle. I think I've worked out a way to create a template using the GIMP (custom scripts rock!) so I can just follow the pattern when making most of the cuts and everything should line up as long as I'm careful. It's less "traditional" than making all of the measurements by hand, but I'm also reasonably sure it's less error-prone, and I want to get rid of as much error-possibility as I can.

I also need to build the stator/something to hold the whole thing as it's spinning, but I don't think that'll be as big of a challenge.

Of course, the rest of my life has been incredibly busy this week, so while I did get a chance to play with all the parts a little bit and get excited about how well it looks like they'll all fit together, it'll probably be at least next week before I can actually start making the rotor part... patience is a good thing!

Comments

[dreamtigress.livejournal.com]

What gauge of wire would be best ?

And would silver plated copper work ?

[tcepsa.livejournal.com]

I honestly don't know what gauge of wire would be ideal, but I think probably something in the 22-24 range would be great. I'm looking for something that's relatively thin, but not so much that it won't hold whatever position I put it into. I think what I've got currently is in the 28-30 range, like thick hair. It's kind of fragile, it has a tendency to want to revert to the curve that it held while it was on the spool instead of holding the path that I try to bend it to, and it's incredibly tricky to attach it to anything else in order to complete the circuit. Even though I could probably use it (and may actually want to, down the road, once I'm past the "proof-of-concept" stage) right now it is mainly another source of potential error. I don't want to get an output of zero and think that it doesn't work when what really happened was I accidentally snapped the wire when I was trying to set it up or it came loose or something ;)

Silver-plated copper sounds marvelous, as the electrons generally tend to travel along the outer surface of the wire anyhow. Really it just has to be something with a fairly high conductivity--pretty much any metal would probably work. I'm hoping to start with copper or silver since they're both pretty well established as being really good conductors. Once I've established that yes, this really does work, I may play around with other things like brass for aesthetic reasons (mmmmm, steeeeampunnnk ^_^ )

[grum]

With any fine wire, it'll try to revert to the spool's curve. Either anneal it, or run it through your fingers enough to work harden it in the new configuration.

Oh, and I may well have some copper in that ballpark. Or if not, I know I have some silver (either FS or sterling, I'm not sure which). How much length do you actually intend to use?

[tcepsa.livejournal.com]

~nods~ Hadn't thought of the work-hardening-into-new-config idea. I'll have to give that a try if I do get to a point where I want to try the fine stuff.

The math tells me that I'm going to need about 20 inches. I'd like to start with at least twice that, though, to give myself plenty of room for error and because I'll need some extra for leads. The more materials I can try, the better. It probably won't make much difference in whether or not the concept will work, but assuming that it does it would be great to compare the performances of different materials.

[3ravensringo.livejournal.com]

Are you building something maglev or just a flying saucer?

[tcepsa.livejournal.com]

Hehe, actually it's a prototype for an electrical generator design that I started dreaming up back in college (my god, has this thing really been rampaging about in my brain for almost six years?) It's had a few evolutions, but I'm finally to a point in my life where my finances and my crafting skills are to the point that I can actually begin building the thing. (It's not actually any more expensive than any of my other hobbies, but I needed to get to a place where I could be okay with "wasting" some money because I bought a part that won't do me any good)

Though your comment about maglev has gotten me thinking... a magnetic rack-and-pinion set for something would be really sweet ;-) (Actually, the maglev experiments start after I'm done with this one, based upon which I then hope to proceed to the flying saucer ^_^ )

[reedrover]

Yay for engineering!

Do you like old children's books? You might want to investigate Mad Scientist's Club.

[tcepsa.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, I haven't heard of that one, but I was a big fan of the Encyclopedia Brown and The Great Brain series ^_^ I'll have to give it a look!

[nminusone.livejournal.com]

I have spools of magnet wire (enamel coated copper) in 4 or 5 thicknesses, I think in the range you're looking for. The smallest is about 28 or 30ga I think, and they go up from there. 20 inches seems way too little, did I read that right? In any case you're welcome to use what I have. They actually came from Radio Shack in a single package, if you want to go check there.

Oh I also found a wall wart you can have that'll power the 68hc11 board.

[tcepsa.livejournal.com]

~grin~ Good catch on the 20 inches; it's definitely way less than I'd need for a more traditional design. But for the way that I'm doing this, 20 inches (plus the extra for leads, etc.) should be enough. At least, it should be enough to tell me whether it'll work or not.

Thanks for the offer--I'm not sure I'll need it, but if you're not using it I may pick it up just in case ^_^

Yay for powersupplies!

[nminusone.livejournal.com]

Sounds pretty interesting! I definitely want to see it when it's done.

[tcepsa.livejournal.com]

Assuming that I am not compelled to burn it in shame, I think that could be arranged ^_^

[nminusone.livejournal.com]

Even if it doesn't do what you expect, it's still a success as long as you learn from it.

And tangentially, you just gave me a cool idea. I have to do some numbers to see if it's feasible and then I'll let you know.