Hi !

  Ok ! Let's say that this topic ("wheel vs. topic") is not substantial for us...

  Then,thinking that a wheel concept (or a lever one...) is made up,in a possible elementary design,as a repetitive addition of a certain number of identic spokes to a common hub,we can simplify our "search"...

  Now we have a single and final "minimum minimorum" type question:how is a spoke,a single one...

  This is all what we want,nothing more...

      All the Best!  /Alex

 ......can be a "PM dilemma",in my opinion.

       This questionable attempt,was solved,in some way,in the art of flying.

       If you take a look at:   http://www.flyinggiants.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10595&page=4

         you can see,that an aircraft can use a propeller with a single blade...

       Then,why not to imagine, a possible PM with a single spoke!?

           All the best! / Alex

Why not just attach a flywheel to the side of the lever
Then you have the mechanical advantage
As well as the rotational momentum

….if lever plays as a practical “minimal /spokes” wheel .at : https://www.gettyimages.in/photos/lever-physics
   Al_ex

Reference post 33
.....or playing gravity with a wheel concept , as :
     www.energythic.com/view.php?node=264

I tested the concept of moving the arm/weight 90 degrees in line with the wheel and it does rotate because its mass is shifted from the axle. I call that the "set" and then after it rotates less than 180 degrees a "reset" must be done so it is re-balanced and no work is required to get it back to the top for a repeat . So I call that "switching" and it would have to have more energy from the rotation than the "switching".

I made something similar where a smaller weight with leverage raised a larger weight upward from the axle as it tilted and went past noon and did rotate about 100 degrees but would not continue. Then when those leveraged weights got to the bottom it reset itself....

Norman

The latest test takes the weight from noon to 9 pm but when it goes past 4.30-5 the weight goes outside the circle and would take work to lift it back into a balanced position. Now the hard part is to get the switching to work with the power that is created from the rotation/leaning. Indeed it is a very clever idea to avoid the losses in the reset.

Norman

Perhaps an image?

Thanks for sharing this method. It has lots of merritt but what I have found is that when weight is shifted  as in this case just past noon that half of the wheel becomes bottom heavy and that has to be corrected before it gets to the bottom. And usually one thinks that adding more weights will fix it but I have found that often it reduces the work out because now there is more mass to move.

So my current effort is to add something to undo the bottom heavy problem before its too late in the rotation. But without some clever geometry it will counter affect the rotation.

Currently I do not have a wheel but a "seesaw/pivot/rotation" that works best in reverse of the drawings.

But the great point in this design is that it has a smaller "reset" loss than other designs I have seen and worked with. When the shifted weight starts the wheel to turn the "reset loss" is not near zero unless the weight is at the bottom and with a wheel in motion that would be tough to time correctly.

I am only using 2 weights/arms

Norman