Week of 1/20 - 1/24

This week was only a 4-day week, however I still got a decent amount of work done in this time. I started my week off by adjusting the potentiometer as seen below which corresponds to how far the magnet will be suspended. I had to adjust it until it was at the perfect height so that the magnet would be pulled up just enough, and let fall just sufficient so that it remained static in the air. This took a while since it had to be very precise or it would not work.

This worked, though, and I got the magnet to be suspended in the air as seen in the video below. However, I had to prop it up on my box so that the magnet would not shake too much. I also have to start it when it is already near the perfect height because if it starts moving up and down too much, it can get out of the magnetic field even if it is at maximum current. My shop teacher also recommended a power supply that would be able to provide 20 amps instead of the 5 I have right now, which could make it so that the magnet would be suspended from lower, so I'll try that out next week. I am also worried about the increase in current being too much for the electromagnet and MOSFET though, as the MOSFET already gets very hot and if the electromagnet gets too hot it could melt some of the parts attached to it.

This week I also began creating a holder for the electromagnet so that it could be above the electromagnet without having to be propped up or held. My first print got messed up halfway as Euan Walcott Rees bumped into the 3D printer as it was about halfway through and so it stopped and I was not able to make it continue. This was not a complete waste though, and I was able to see if this part would fit onto the top of my electromagnet which it indeed was able to do. It worked too well and was so stuck that when I took off the unfinished print to put the new one on, the legs broke because it was so stuck.

After my first print was interrupted, I started my second one and once that was finished I was able to attack it with not much difficulty. This one spanned the full length of the electromagnet which is exactly what I needed. Since I haven't finished designing the other end yet though, the legs are a bit unstable so I put a few wraps of electrical tape around it so that it would stay in place and wouldn't accidentally break. I also neatened the wires with this so that it will be easier to manage when I want to make my PCB eventually.