Read the simanek link. Or build one that works. Or show a simulation that does.
In other words, put up or shut up.

"We don't have access to software that can do the physics involved with such a machine."

This statement is also inconsistent with the claim that one is a robotics engineer working for a major engineering firm. If such a firm doesn't have such software, who the heck does?

you know of any CAD software that takes into account mass, kinetic energy, gravity, and such? Maybe in some university somewhere but not in an engineering dept!

That link you provided was very interesting but it is based on the premise that the energy gained by the mass shift is nullified by the energy lost in the opposing mass shift. This design may overcome this, we will see. The simplicity of the design is what is exciting. If the mass on the heavy side of the wheel is great enough to overcome the magnetic or EM resistance of moving or "loading" the mass of the magnets into the "mass switch" then it should work, right?

By the way, Mondrasek has in fact been a mechanical engineer for as long as I have known him. He successfully modeled several innovative designs for his company as well. Don't belittle people because you think you know better man, its just mean.

@ CLaNZeR
Latch suggestion. Use plastic from plastic container lid or other stiff but still flexible plastic. If plastic just catches edge of moving magnet it should hold it against gravity but the force of the moving magnet should be strong enough to push through it easily. No guarantees but it might work. Playing card could be used in place of plastic just to try it (but I suspect it will not hold up as well as plastic).

you know of any CAD software that takes into account mass, kinetic energy, gravity, and such? Maybe in some university somewhere but not in an engineering dept!

That link you provided was very interesting but it is based on the premise that the energy gained by the mass shift is nullified by the energy lost in the opposing mass shift. This design may overcome this, we will see. The simplicity of the design is what is exciting. If the mass on the heavy side of the wheel is great enough to overcome the magnetic or EM resistance of moving or "loading" the mass of the magnets into the "mass switch" then it should work, right?

By the way, Mondrasek has in fact been a mechanical engineer for as long as I have known him. He successfully modeled several innovative designs for his company as well. Don't belittle people because you think you know better man, its just mean.

Google "phun" and have phun. It's pretty processor intensive and has only rudimentary physics but it will show you what is out there for free, and you can imagine what the professional packages can do. Yes, it models mass, KE, gravity, friction, air resistance, stickiness, spring constants and other stuff (but not, sadly, magnetics) , and it's just a toy. I think it will be possible to model mondrasek's wheel in phun, the weight-shift part anyway. Why don't you try it?

"That link you provided was very interesting but it is based on the premise that the energy gained by the mass shift is nullified by the energy lost in the opposing mass shift."
And all theories of working gravity wheels are based on the premise that it is not so nullified. So? Nobody's done it yet, and although Simanek doesn't stress them, there are sound physical principles why not. Like gravity being a conservative field, for instance. Like conservation of momentum, for another instance.

It's not unusual for people to make very basic errors when they try to work out of the field they are experienced in. But usually a bit of prior research minimizes the embarrassment. Everything, with the possible exception of the latches, in mondrasek's patent has been suggested and tried before, many times, and has never worked. Everything he has suggested as add-ons in this thread, has also been suggested before, and tried, without success. Are we to expect that the latches are the critical element that will save the world from the tyranny of oil, simply by adding them to an existing non-working design? Or should we expect that this endeavor, too, will be another one of those never-ending threads, like so many you see here, that start off with "I have found Free ENergy!" and wind up...just sort of trailing off....into nowhere....


EDIT to add: http://www.scribd.com/doc/259189/Orffyreus-wheel  This link is about the only gravity wheel in history that may have worked, and as you will see near the end, Besseler (Orffyreus) himself invented a magnet-assisted version, but knew that the magnets available at the time would not be strong enough. It is likely that his design's magnetic portion was similar to mondrasek's, although the gravity drive was probably different.

xee, it seems to me that your latch suggestion is a good one--it might be a low-loss way of implementing the latches, as it might return the energy required to go thru it, on the way out, by slapping the magnet in the 'butt' so to speak. There will still be losses of course, that will have to be made up from the rotational energy somehow.

(see there, I'm not a total nay-sayer.    )

At the moment the wall is too strong and I need to reduce the strength of the stator stacks. One thing you will notice though that the faster you push through the higher the magnets will flick, so maybe a small force is needed on the stators and go for a higher RPM to do the flick as such.

@CLaNZeR

Perhaps a spring attached to the flat side of the ring magnet to dampen the flick effect?  Or even consider oscillating the stator kind of like ZeroFossilFuel's OSPMM.

Awesome work, man!  You're definitely added to my list of heroes!

I have already stated to shorten your distance of lift, so now make sure that the catch is of an easy movable catch and when upside down it releases. any hard movement with what you are doing will hurt.

@AB Hammer

Would this kind of latch work?

@xee

Sorry for absconding with your art, but it makes the point so well.

LOL it looks like a cooling fan. I don't see much hope for this one either.

The following is what Archer posted about it, maybe he is seeing something that you're not.


Now this guy is a geneius, that will absolutely work, i urge everyone to look at the drawing, it would likely work with most mag train setups actually, not as easily as one that runs under instead of both sides. but with the new array that would work. Of that i have no doubt at all.

Go for it, you should be able to build heaps of machines using it. That what you need people, more of these.

Exceptionally well done.

Note.

I should note you will need to find a way to break the wall on a vertical climb. But the mecahnics are brilliant. I could fix it for you only takes about five mins for me to work that sort of stuff out. but I let others have a play for a while.

PS got it already

try thinking along the lines of shakmans idea and you will see what i mean, think how the rods work