Hamel 45 Gallon Drum Experiment - Mark 2 - The Motor Approach Details

The following are details of the motor approach used in my Hamel 45 Gallon Drum Mark 2. The idea here is to use Steve Thompson's idea of replacing the top repelling magnets with a motor. I managed to arrange it so that the motor makes the cones wobble without any spinning whatsoever.

Steve Thompson's approach was to have an arm extend out from the motor to the cone rim. Instead, here I have a bearing at the top of the cone where the top magnet would normally go. I also have a short rod (actually the thin end of an unused rivet, the part that is normally discarded) attached to the motor shaft but off-center. The rod is inserted into the bearing. Since the rod is off-center, it makes the cone wobble. Since the rod is in a bearing, it does not spin the cone.

The bearing centered at the top of the cone. The hole in the bearing is where the rod will be lowered into. Since the rod is off-center, it will push the cone a little to one side.

The motor assembly lifted up so you can see the details. Note the rod extending down from the motor shaft, but off-center from the shaft. The rod will be lowered into the bearing hole, visible at the top-center of the cone.

One view of the motor assembly with rod already inserted into bearing.

Another view of the same thing.

The cover of the drum has been left off. The motor is running at this time.

The cover is on the drum. The battery and the rheostat (a toy racing car gun control) are visible on the milk crates. Note the wire going into the top of the drum. The holes in the drum cover are closed in this picture.