Magnetic power generator

Okay this might just be me being completely stupid, but hear me out on this one.
I was messing around with the magnetic darts that came with with a magnetic dartboard i got years ago and came up with an idea. What if you could harness the power of magnetism to turn a generator and make electricity? We all know that two magnets of the same polarity will repell each other. So why not harness this power in the same way that the power of falling water is harnessed to turn a waterwheel.

My idea is to have one horizontal North magnet positioned facing the bottom of a wheel that has several other north magnets around the outside of the wheel, facing the opposite way and kept constantly parallel with the main magnet using some sort of mechanism inside the wheel. If the magnets were strong enough then wouldnt the repulsion created when the main magnet was close to one of the wheel magnets be enough to rotate the wheel which could in turn power a generator. Or even if it wasnt efficient enough to do that then you could possibly create a perpetual motion machine with it.

If anyone has a better idea of the physics behind this then could they please let me know if it's doomed to failure.

If it works and goes on to solve the worlds energy problems then you know where you heard it first.

Although i dont quite get your idea of a generator, if you could post a more detailed discription or a diagram, i could tell you if it would work or not.

[edit on 6-2-2005 by beyondSciFi]

A dam would be a very good example of this. Water moves the generator which makes magnetic(sp) fields to make electricty.

I think.

[edit on 6-2-2005 by SpittinCobra]

Not quite, electric generators use elecromagnetic induction which is different to what i'm describing. I'm talking about using permenant magnets not electromagnets which loose their magnetic fields when no current is passed through them

Originally posted by SpittinCobra
A dam would be a very good example of this. Water moves the generator which makes magnetic(sp) fields to make electricty.

I think.

[edit on 6-2-2005 by SpittinCobra]

Yep although the generator itself isnt moving... the water wheel connected to a shaft to the generator does however.

perhaps i didnt explain it properly. No actual water would be used. I'm just talking about using the concept of a waterwheel, but replacing the water with magnetic repulsion using permenant magnets.

Originally posted by lost_soul
Not quite, electric generators use elecromagnetic induction which is different to what i'm describing. I'm talking about using permenant magnets not electromagnets which loose their magnetic fields when no current is passed through them

Please describe your idea for a generator in more detail.

P.S. electic generators dont have to have electromagnets to work, permanent magnets work as well.

Using permanent magnets to turn a wheel is the idea behind perpetual motion and most free energy systems. Most people say its impossible ... but u never know. I for example thought of an idea that seems to work on paper ... but u never know until you try it in real life...There are numerous patents on devices that claim to do this, so it might be plausible

[edit on 6-2-2005 by beyondSciFi]

Okay, if you have to permanant magnets whose north poles face each other they will repel. right?

Now imagine one of them is fixed to the outside of a rotating wheel and the other is placed in a fixed position relative to the wheel. If the magnets are positioned closely enough they will repell and cause the wheel to turn.

If several magnets were placed at different points on the wheel this could keep the momentum going.

Maybee i'm wrong, i dont know.
Just an idea

Hmm,

What about using a system like rollercoasters?

They use strong magnets to pull and repel the cart.

Here is the track of a rollercoaster.
- = Direction of Cart
> = Track
# = Magnet number

---------->Cart[N|S]
[S|N]>>>>>>>>>>[N|S]
1 -------------------------2
Now, A roller coaster would use some computer system to swap the poles of the magnet. But what if the Carts magnet was simple turned by a lach of some sort which would turn the Cart magnet S facing the S magnet as shown below.

------------------------------->Cart[S|N]
[S|N]>>>>>>>>>>[N|S]>>>>>>>>>>[S|N]
1-------------------------2-------------------------3
It is repelied by the S south magnet 2, Then the North Pole of the cart is pulled to the S pole of magnet 3. In thoery it wouldnt stop...I think(Hey its late),

Now twist this in a 360o circle and attatch a pole to the Cart which turns an axel connected to the generator(what water does at a dam). All it it would need is a push no?

Would this work?

[edit on 6-2-2005 by Vowles]

Originally posted by lost_soul
Okay, if you have to permanant magnets whose north poles face each other they will repel. right?

Now imagine one of them is fixed to the outside of a rotating wheel and the other is placed in a fixed position relative to the wheel. If the magnets are positioned closely enough they will repell and cause the wheel to turn.

If several magnets were placed at different points on the wheel this could keep the momentum going.

Maybee i'm wrong, i dont know.

Just an idea

Nope im sorry to say that it will not work. The magnet in connected to the wheel will turn until it will find an equilibrium between the opposing north magnets. Yes it will turn, but not rotate.

[edit on 6-2-2005 by beyondSciFi]

Originally posted by Vowles
Hmm,

What about using a system like rollercoasters?

They use strong magnets to pull and repel the cart.

Here is the track of a rollercoaster.
- = Direction of Cart
> = Track
# = Magnet number

---------->Cart[N|S]
[S|N]>>>>>>>>>>[N|S]
1 -------------------------2
Now, A roller coaster would use some computer system to swap the poles of the magnet. But what if the Carts magnet was simple turned by a lach of some sort which would turn the Cart magnet S facing the S magnet as shown below.

------------------------------->Cart[S|N]
[S|N]>>>>>>>>>>[N|S]>>>>>>>>>>[S|N]
1-------------------------2-------------------------3
It is repelied by the S south magnet 2, Then the North Pole of the cart is pulled to the S pole of magnet 3. In thoery it wouldnt stop...I think(Hey its late),

Now twist this in a 360o circle and attatch a pole to the Cart which turns an axel connected to the generator(what water does at a dam). All it it would need is a push no?

Would this work?

[edit on 6-2-2005 by Vowles]

Nope this would not work either for the same reason, it would stop where it would find the greatest magnetic attraction, so couldn't continue the cycle to turn.

Ah... Ahwell, My attempt to look good failed hehe. Iam still going to test it!

[edit on 6-2-2005 by Vowles]

Originally posted by Vowles
Ah... Ahwell, My attempt to look good failed hehe. Iam still going to test it!

[edit on 6-2-2005 by Vowles]

The power need to switch the poles would be more then the system would generate... so no

Oh wel, worth a try
Maybe someday i'll get round to taping my magnetic darts to some sort of disc and trying it out for myself.

Originally posted by beyondSciFi
Nope im sorry to say that it will not work. The magnet in connected to the wheel will turn until it will find an equilibrium between the opposing north magnets. Yes it will turn, but not rotate.

[edit on 6-2-2005 by beyondSciFi]

Couldn't that be solved by having the external magnet rotating at a frequency of 'n' times per wheel rotation, where 'n' is the number of magnets on the wheel. That way the south pole attracts the oncomming magnet and the north repeals it so there would be no equilibrium and it would keep going???

[edit on 6-2-2005 by lost_soul]

[edit on 6-2-2005 by lost_soul]

this is pretty much what you are talking about...
pesn.com...
(there is a video of the moter in action in the link)
its called a magnetic shield engine...

i got that link from a previous thread discussing it
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Originally posted by lost_soul
Couldn't that be solved by having the external magnet rotating at a frequency of 'n' times per wheel rotation, where 'n' is the number of magnets on the wheel. That way the south pole attracts the oncomming magnet and the north repeals it so there would be no equilibrium and it would keep going???

No it would find equilibrium again, if i correctly understand what you are saying.

damn! some b****d beat me to it!
Oh wel, back to the drawing board to make a time machine so i can invent it before they did

Originally posted by lost_soul
If several magnets were placed at different points on the wheel this could keep the momentum going.

It eventually reaches equilibrium... will settle on one position and hang there. Try it for yourself and see.

Originally posted by Urn
this is pretty much what you are talking about...
pesn.com...
(there is a video of the moter in action in the link)
its called a magnetic shield engine...

i got that link from a previous thread discussing it
www.abovetopsecret.com...

As for this guys motor, I would like to see a schematic before I make any conclusions. Which by the way are not posted on his site...