Posted by grim (206.162.192.40) on November 08, 2002 at 07:56:15:
In Reply to: Re: Gill Simo's Ideas posted by Steve on November 07, 2002 at 19:18:08:
A balance beam (similar to what Blind Justice holds in her hand) can be made to deliver tremendous torque by altering the position of one of the balance weights. Smithy and I have been testing such balance alterations with excellent results. Were going to wait until mounted in a "case", but Steve's "coin on edge" is so close, there was not much sense in waiting. Test it yourselves. Take a balance beam, put your weight pivot point IN THE WEIGHT ITSELF, NOT hanging by anything. Let, say, the one on the right hang down like a chick's earring below the beam. On the left side, INVERT the weight so it pivots above the beam. Like sitting on a bicycle without rolling, if you CAREFULLY balance the inverted weight, the beam balances out and stays horizontal. BUT allow that topheavy weight on the left to fall (which it wants to do to right itself) and lay on a 37 degree inner stop, and it will flip the whole beam over trying to hang "normally" below its pivot point. Meanwhile, the rotational inertis carries the former
"normally" hanging weight to the "inverted topheavy" position on the left side of the beam. A linkage on the "normal" weight on the right yanks the new "Inverted over to the inner stop due to centrifugal force and it starts all over again. Got 1 1/2" turns acceleration from a standing stop on the first slop model, but the linkages were bent coathangers slop-fit into 1/4" hole drilled into the 1 1/2 lb. weights,and when they flew off it stopped. Have figured out how to mount a pair on a disk wehile avoiding the "thru the axle" linkage problems. Further tests after its mounted in a case and improved linkasges installed. Any questions oor if construction is unclear onthe balance beam ig, let me know and if Scott is kind enough I'll draw out what we did and .jpg it to him. Johann was a damn mad genius!