2018 POTD Thread Archive

[dfsmoto]

This is the best thing I've seen in days. It's first thing I've seen here that made me laugh out loud.

Yeah, finally someone is building something important on here!

 

[mattthemuppet2]

I do my best Hammy was kinda sleepy and just not motivated to run, even with the spinach leaf held just out of reach. I tried one of the gerbils (more power) but it wasn't interested. I think her plans of using the rodents to power the house hit the brutal wall of reality. fun project though.

 

[MontanaAardvark]

I do my best Hammy was kinda sleepy and just not motivated to run, even with the spinach leaf held just out of reach. I tried one of the gerbils (more power) but it wasn't interested. I think her plans of using the rodents to power the house hit the brutal wall of reality. fun project though.

Somewhere I came across the quote, "Another beautiful theory dashed on the ragged rocks of reality". It works here.

 

[T Bredehoft]

Might I suggest better bearings, a larger diameter wheel, or a stronger hamster. Maybe a more flexible belt, too.

 

[Nogoingback]

Might I suggest better bearings, a larger diameter wheel, or a stronger hamster. Maybe a more flexible belt, too.

Or make a bigger one, and use the family dog!

 

[woodchucker]

Then we'll use it to annoy visitors with "wanna see my little engine running?"

That's the kind of thing you need to keep to yourself. They may take you away if you get too excited abou it...

 

[f350ca]

With hope that the end of winter is in sight I started planting the garden. Inside the house that is, 30 hot pepper plants and 30 tomato plants. Once sprouted they go under a grow light in the house then out to the green house early April.
Can almost taste the fresh tomato sandwiches.

Greg

 

[mattthemuppet2]

Might I suggest better bearings, a larger diameter wheel, or a stronger hamster. Maybe a more flexible belt, too.

yeah, there are a few different avenues we could have taken, but they each run up against the ragged rocks of reality (I like that one) The plain bearing for the hamster wheel was free spinning, even with some side loading. The motor needed to reach a certain speed to generate enough volts to light the LED (~3V at ~300rpm) but we had to keep friction as low as possible which excluded the jack shaft approach we first tried (see the pulley at the top). A larger wheel would have been better, but it would have increased the drive:motor ratio and the leverage that Hammy would have had to overcome. Plus we didn't have one. A larger motor pulley would have increased wrap and reduced slip, but would have required a larger wheel to hit the required motor/ generator speed. Belt was 1/2 a 6J polyV - a nice large o ring would have been better, but I didn't have one of those either.

As for a bigger hamster, we have enough pets already

It was a neat engineering exercise and working through the different approaches, their pluses and minuses, as well as all the math (like working out pulley ratios) was really neat.

Or make a bigger one, and use the family dog!

we do have a dog but she's as mad as a box of frogs. At that point it would be easier (although not necessarily more ethical) to make it a bit bigger and use one of our children.

 

[Groundhog]

"It was a neat engineering exercise and working through the different approaches, their pluses and minuses, as well as all the math (like working out pulley ratios) was really neat."

Projects don't always have to reach the expected or desired outcome to be successful. You learn more working your way through trials and tribulations than along a straight and easy path

 

[Boswell]

Made a hamster powered LED light with my youngest daughter

Spending time building things with your kid makes it a success in my book.