Nice work! Which coils are the double layer ones that should behave bifilarly? And is that a magical DPDT I see?

Really pretty!

If that don't Orbo, orboning can't be done

Posted By: overconfidentNice work! Which coils are the double layer ones that should behave bifilarly? And is that a magical DPDT I see?

Thanks, the first coils above are the best ones of that description. The one on the right I wound, my, er, assistant wound the one on the left. You can see how the windings interleave.
I'm not super happy with these W toroids. I imagine Nicke might be laughing in his beard, causing me to chase a wild goose instead of a red herring...Oh well, live and learn. I would be happy if you would give me the DigiKey part number of some toroids that you think would be optimum.
Yes, there is a DPDT for coil polarity reversal on the driver board.

Posted By: legendreWill the rotor be overhung in the final configuration?

Maybe, I'm not sure. I may just surprise everyone and make a set of magic levitating bearings, if I can figure out how to incorporate an output shaft along with the end float pivot/adjustment...which I think I just did....run the output shaft out the bottom bearing....
The rotor is made the way it is so that I can remove it without disturbing the rest of the setup. The overhang is to help even out the radial washboard loads on the bearings.
Besides, what's it to you, anyway. I'm not sure I like your hit-and-run style lately. You know things you aren't sharing.

Posted By: AngusReally pretty!

If that don't Orbo, orboning can't be done

Thanks, we'll see what can be done.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0S84Sct2xA

Posted By: poynt99Well done TK.

No mount for a pickup coil?, or is that the unused white post near the corner?

Will you be switching with an optical interrupter?

.99

The unused post was for the "mylow drive" stepper motor to run the rotor up without the drive coils. I think I will replace this with a pneumatic system, a little air jet with a valve, for the rundown tests. There are 8 holes for posts around the circle: I intend to use some of the ones not mounting drive coils, to hold one or more pickup genny coil mounts.
Right now I like the Hall sensor for switching: it is internally regulated, stabilized and debounced, all in the same chip, and runs on a wide input voltage range, 4.5 to 28 or something like that. For a single chip with 3 wires, it does a lot. I could conceivably run the optical encoder signal into a microprocessor and have it count lines and do the timing and dwell that way... But I'm adding a module to the driver board that will include an optocoupled input that will allow triggering externally from the FG with a flip of a switch, and also will accept, invert, Schmitt-trigger and debounce any TTL level input for triggering, so I might try some of these phototransistors for triggering again.
But the Hall sensor is easier. But the optical commutator will allow magnet-missing rotor tests. So I dunno, we'll see.

Hey Al, ClaNZer (or Mr. Damn It's a Pain to Capitalize in the Middle of a Word) has offered to ship you a free set of magnetic bearings over on Steorn's forum. Perhaps one of the stalwarts who has access to both foramina can interdigitate for you.

By the way, you know what happens to you if you keep playing with your toroids.

Posted By: maryyugoHey Al, ClaNZer (or Mr. Damn It's a Pain to Capitalize in the Middle of a Word) has offered to ship you a free set of magnetic bearings over on Steorn's forum. Perhaps one of the stalwarts who has access to both foramina can interdigitate for you.

By the way, you know what happens to you if you keep playing with your toroids.

Yeah, I saw that, Mary, thanks.

But you're a big girl, you know by now that nothing in this world is free.

I appreciate CLaNZeR's offer, in the midst of a post accusing me of not making an attempt at a "sincere replication" I think was his words, but I'm perfectly capable of stringing together some magnets myself in a levitating bearing design. Mine, though, will avoid a major disadvantage of the Steorn ZeroF bearing design: I will incorporate an OUTPUT SHAFT, which Steorn's does not.

I know CLaNZeR does what he does for fun, but I really think he's gotten too caught up in this Steorn project. He's too intimately involved and has more ego invested here than he usually does in his research. The goal that some of us seek, a "self runner" or something that TRULY is OU in a way that even a terrestrial primate's bright ten-year-old child could understand...that goal is as ever-distant as ever. Being imaginary, it will remain so...but CLaNZeR seems to think it's within his grasp if only some little improvements could be made here and there in what he's gotten from Steorn and the SKDB's secret layer cake.

And sure, playing with my toroids will make me grow hair on my eyeballs, or something. But at least I'm spending quality time with someone I love.