Posted by grim (206.162.192.40) on August 10, 2002 at 19:58:22:
Thanks for the info on Jean Naudin's site, those lifters simplicity is genius at its finest. It's always impressive when something is built basically out of the basement "parts collection". There was supposedly a patent by a young boy in the 30's called "electric rocket" that was similar, but the capacitor was bulky, didn't generate a lot of thrust and was real hard to duplicate. Looks like this guy's got the bugs worked out for sure.
Wonder if the thrust is a function of how much wattage one can feed it?
By the way, I'll still keep everyone updated on the positive weight placement mech. for the wheel. Have just been busy with work and getting to eat sometimes takes priority. The jist of it is my daughter was playing with our curtain traverse rods, pulling the curtains back and forth when it struck me that the curtains moved in opposite directions as did her hands. The lightbulb popped on and I looked at J.B.'s drawing and lo and behold
is a rope, weight and pulleys. Got four spring-arm pulleys from the hardware store, and am working out a modification of the throw-arms in the drawing so there is a pulley at the point end and one near the counterweight. If the weight is attached to a stout cord running the length of the throw arm, as the arms move they can be rigged up like curtain traverse rods to move the weights from counterweight end down to point and and back as
they shift position during rotation.
Anyway that's what the plan is. Since the weights have to have 1/2 if their diameter for clearance, have to modify throws slightly to keep weights from jamming into the wood of the throws. I really need to get back to it. Could really get some stuff done if work didn't get in the way....
Regards to all,
Grim