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Solar motor with levitating rotor

Little by little a Mondocino motor develops - fascinating!

Author: Klingon77, Germany

Project 356 - Online since: 19/05/2010, Number of visits: 94487

Little by little I built a Mendocino motor. What makes it special is its (almost) levitating rotor, which is powered by small solar panels.

The rotor only touches a hard plate axially on one side and levitates otherwise, being carried by permanent magnets.

This is the base body of the rotor, which is made of 2 mm thick transparent polycarbonate.

My 3D CAD made it possible for me to design the pieces shapely and stable. My little CNC milling machine facilitated a speedy fabrication.

The first piece of the rotor is done. Later, the coil wire will be wound into the notches in the corners.

The solar panel is mono-crystalline and has a maximum current of approx. 200 mA at a voltage of approx. 0,5 V.

This translates into a maximum power of approx. 0,1 Watt.

The match shows the small dimensions of the motor.

I milled the pieces a certain way so I could insert the solar panel with little pressure and create a clamp-connection.

Later, the pieces will be glued together for a permanent hold.

Here you can see the completely glued rotor. The axle is made of Plexiglas, because I couldn't find round polycarbonate rods.

I glued a steel sphere (1,2 mm diameter) into the peak (right).

It is hardened and provides a long life expectancy with little wear and tear.

I put two R-10-04-05-N ring magnets on the front and the back of the rotor respectively.

Then I built a mounting for the rotor, also made of polycarbonate. I put another four ring magnets into the depressions of the mounting. The rings in the rotor and the mounting reject each other and keep the rotor levitating.

I used a Q-40-20-05-N block magnet for a stator, which I embedded and glued into a Plexiglas plate.

On this picture you can see the dark wood inlaid work (marquetry) pretty well, which I used for aesthetic reasons.

I embedded a small wooden plate and a tiger's-eye on the side. This semi-precious stone constitutes the counter bearing to the steel sphere of the rotor. That's basically an inlaid work in the inlaid work.

The stone has a Mohs hardness of 6-7. So, it should last for a while when the rotor peak rests on it.

That's how it looks schematically

Here you can see the complete motor with all windings. Only now, when everything was done, did I glue the magnets to the mounting and the rotor.

The rotor really levitates in the magnetic field! I am pretty satisfied with this "debut work".

The next Mendocino motor will be out of wood. I have already something in mind that I want to try out.

keywords

plastic (11)
electricity (17)
experiment (39)
engine (7)
floating (18)
repelling (11)
academic (18)
demanding (20)
impressive (37)
aesthetic (21)

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