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rowdymagi5 Inner circle Virginia 3613 Posts |
How hard and costly would it be to build an electromagnet with a delay timer? Say to hide in a tabletop or even a book? Could be some interesting PK applications there. I'm lost in this area, are there "kits" available for this for those of us that are not electronic technicians?
Thanks |
GuySavoie Loyal user Tampa, FL 242 Posts |
That's a good starter project if you're interested in getting your feet wet in simple IC electronics. You're looking for a 555 IC time delay circuit.
You can use the output of a 555 time delay circuit to drive a relay to handle the very heavy current demands of an electromagnet. Look for 555 countdown timer circuits on Google. --- Guy |
kristel New user Quebec, Canada 87 Posts |
Hi rowdymagi5,
Consider this strong lab electromagnet for your effect: http://sciencekit.com/category.asp_Q_c_E_440148 Andre Le Magicien
Andre Le Magicien
Quebec Canada Excuse my French... |
Michael Berends Loyal user Canada 220 Posts |
The problem with the idea is that to have an electromagnet that will have enough power to do any PK type of effects. You'll need a large power supply to produce enough current in the coil to produce a really strong magnetic flux.
Also the coil of the magnet would be fairly large and heavy too. The power of an electromagnet is measured in amp/turns. This means that the more current you can get into each winding (coil) of the magnet the stronger it will be. The problem is that the more current you put through it, the thicker the wire has to be. If the wire is too small it will heat up and melt. Just think of a lightbulb that gets too much power. Remember PK magnets are very strong rare earth magnets (Cobalt or neodynium). They produce far more magnetism for their size compared to their electrical counterpart. It can be done but it would have to be quite a large contraption. Cheers, Mike
www.michaelberends.com
"IMPOSSIBLE HAS JUST BECOME AN OPINION" |
kristel New user Quebec, Canada 87 Posts |
Hi Michael,
I think rowdymagi5 is building a trick inspired from 'The Light & Heavy Box' effect created by the french magicien Robert Houdin. He wants to apply the effect on smaller object like a book. As an exemple for the book, you are invited to lift the book and on the first try no problem you lift it. Then, with just a those words, "Sim sala bim" or intense concentration from the magi, the book is now too heavy to be lift. It's not the kind of PK effects associated with the use of a strong magnet. It's different, but I agree with you that an electromagnet is not recommended for the use of the known PK effects using a strong magnet. Andre Le Magicien
Andre Le Magicien
Quebec Canada Excuse my French... |
rowdymagi5 Inner circle Virginia 3613 Posts |
Thanks guys, I appreciate all the information. I think I will continue to research some ideas using an electromagnet.
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Bryan Gilles Inner circle Northern California 1732 Posts |
I figured I'd add to this as I am interested in this type of effect. Is it completely impossible to find an electromagnet small enough to occupy the small space of say- 3" x 5" x 1/2"? I'd love to build the magnet into my close-up table and randomly mount the metal brackets into some of my equipment (hidden of course). As a running gag, it'd be great to do a "Light/ Heavy" effect with various items throughout the course of the show...
Any ideas are gladly welcome! -Bryan |
Flying Magus Loyal user 286 Posts |
Robert-Houdin's box did not always work on the usual construction of an electro-magnet (EM). EM's are usually contructed around a long cylinder of mild steel. Robert-Houdin, however, used a very short, flat cylinder. Much more like a plate. This was built into a plank that he had lying over the orchestra pit. That way even those who knew about EM's were baffled.
My suggestion would be to expand you thinking of how Electro-Magnets can be constructed. Think railguns for a start.
Magically yours,
Michel Fouché Believe in the Impossible |
Bryan Gilles Inner circle Northern California 1732 Posts |
Railguns?
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