Hello Community,
I have the idea to use 2 permanent magnets that hold on to each other like so:
Then I turn a wire around the lower one. Putting power from the arduino to the wire will produce an electromagnetic field that negates that of the lower permanent magnet. And the magnets could part from each other:
In the end, it could for example, release a heavier weight on the other side of an arm. The weight flls down and presses the button.
Is something like this possible? I mean the negating of a permanent magnet? The other stuff should work.
Are you a descendent of Heath-Robinson or Rube Goldberg?
I doubt if that is practical - have you ever tried to make your own electromagnet?
Why not just use a servo to press the button ?
...R
There was a question similar to this a month or two ago. It was originally phrased as a complex question on a capacative power supply for a solenoid, but the idea seems identical. Try searching for that.
I'm sure it can be made to work but it might be more effort than you expect. A fun project to try.
I'd use some iron (nail...) instead of the second magnet, that will stick to the magnet as well. Eventually with a gap of nonmagnetic material between both, to reduce the attraction - depending on the load on the other arm. This will save some power, required to compensate the magnetic field.
Yeah, that' maybe a good idea. With the gap between the two magnets I could also fine tune the opposing forces so that they just offset each other. E.g.: if the electro-magnet is not powerful enough to counter the permanent magnet completely, I just increase the thickness of the gap.
I also came across these nice little guys:
http://www.conrad.de/ce/de/product/1218314/Elektromagnet-15-N-12-VDC-18-W-Intertec-ITS-PE-1212-12VDC?ref=list
The are (f I understand correctly) just what I was looking for. In non-powered condition they are magnetic. When powered, they turn non-magnetic.
I think, I am going to experiment a bit with building my own electro-magnet with a nail. If it fails I turn to the professional solution.
Thank you very much guys,
Matthias