I make a setup (see attached picture).
- ONE coil (1" diameter x ~120 turns), which is separated with a gap, is mount on two sides. Each side has an iron rod (1" diameter x 6" long) to increase the focus of the magnetic wave.The wire for the core is 14 gauge motor wire (5.9 amp power rating max).
- Two super strong magnets (1" diameter x 0.5" thick each) are mount at the middle block (plastic) under Duck tape. Each of them is rated ~40 lbs holding force. Each side of the block has one magnet.
- I use 6 power resistors in series to create 50 ohm resistance. I connect the circuit to wall power 120VAC. Since the impedance of the coil is small, I think I give 2.4 amp @ 60 HZ to the circuit.
- Everything for holding is by very smooth plastic (Acetal Resin).
- Before I connect the power, I put the system at rest. The magnet is so strong that, they make the middle piece to go to either one of the iron.
I thought the MIDDLE PIECE would swing to the left and right with 60Hz. However, the system does NOT move at all. Any idea?
Best Answer
60 Hz is rather fast. While the magnetic fields are strong, the mass (and therefore inertia) of the center magnet is probably so large as to keep it from accelerating quick enough to oscillate at 60 Hz. Try using a power supply with a variable AC output, set to 1 Hz. The mass should probably move in this case. If it doesn't, then there is likely a fault in the setup.