build · 2023-01-19Transcript-backed
I Finally Got My Pulse Motor Running (Reed Switch)
Watch me get my reed switch motor spinning on its own after multiple fails. From 15V zero amps to a quirky 24 magnet pulse motor setup – raw bench tests, what worked, and why the wood stick beat steel.
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Hear it on the bench
Each link opens “I Finally Got My Pulse Motor Running (Reed Switch)” on YouTube at the first time that topic comes up in the captions. Stay on YouTube for the complete runtime.
- ▶ Watch at 4:11reed switch motorprimary
“…and I mean look I just I got my read switch right here on a wood stick which…”
- ▶ Watch at 4:18magnetic poleslong-tail
“…there's no magnetic interference so if you put it on a steel pole you're…”
- ▶ Watch at 5:22long spin magnet disclong-tail
“…how long this thing can spin on its own power but now the magnet is going to attract and it's going to get in the way and slow it down hardcore Rectify man but …”
See it on the bench · full runtime on YouTube
What to watch for
- ▸Reed switch on a wood stick eliminates magnetic interference that steel poles cause
- ▸The 24 magnet pulse motor uses a non-standard 1-3-1 array totaling eight magnets
- ▸One solenoid magnet setup draws microamps at 17-20 V and runs for minutes
- ▸Levitation plus central bearing lets the rotor spin freely with added weight possible
- ▸Backing voltage down prevents burnout while still producing visible rotation around 100 RPM
Watch the full long-form video on YouTube — that's where the full bench audio, runtime, and experiments live.
Experiment notes (read while you watch)
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After burning up previous attempts I finally got the reed switch motor to run on its own power. It spins slow but steady using a weird 1-3-1 magnet pattern on a levitating rotor with one solenoid. Voltage climbs from 15.3 V at zero amps up toward 24 V while I wonder how long before it cooks.
Key takeaways
- Reed switch on a wood stick eliminates magnetic interference that steel poles cause
- The 24 magnet pulse motor uses a non-standard 1-3-1 array totaling eight magnets
- One solenoid magnet setup draws microamps at 17-20 V and runs for minutes
- Levitation plus central bearing lets the rotor spin freely with added weight possible
- Backing voltage down prevents burnout while still producing visible rotation around 100 RPM
Raw bench footage of the first successful reed switch motor spin. I show the exact magnet array, solenoid placement, voltage readings, and why wood beats steel for the sensor mount. Lots of “don’t burn it up” worry but it runs long enough to prove the concept for the upcoming magnetic double helix sculpture.
Related on this site
- Pulse Motor Rotor Design: Magnets, Materials and Balance — Discusses the 1-3-1 magnet array and rotor balance shown in the build
- 24-Node Magnet Array Pulse Motor — Single Solenoid Design — Companion video showing a higher node count version of the single solenoid approach
- Using a Hall Effect Sensor in Your Pulse Motor Build — Contrast with the reed switch mounting and interference issues we solved with wood
- Minor Adjustments, Major Results — Pulse Motor Optimization — Follow-up optimization video after this first successful reed switch run
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*Generated from video transcript (hash `ab032dc9eed3…`).*
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Full transcript (2,345 chars · en)
I believe and believe I got it pulse motor or Reed motor pulse read motor hope it doesn't burn up on me like the last time just to like see if we got it we're gonna we're gonna do this here for like five minutes wow that looks fresh man that is it's not moving very fast but you know it is definitely moving not on my wrist power anymore this is by no means your standard magnet array for a pulse motor I've seen a lot of fours I've seen one with 11. this one has got three one three one so it's got eight all together totally cool man it's working it's working um we're gonna go over here it is running at 15.3 volts with zero amps 17.5 volts all this stuff is built to miss stand 12. so I wonder how long it's going to be able to go before it gets too hot 20 volts this is a combination of levitation and having a bearing in the middle yay it's working oh my God I got it to work so cool all right let's Jack it all the way up 24. foreign microamps oh look at it go man that is that is cool we're gonna burn it out though and I'm never going to be able to set it up again that is moving so we can definitely use this for the base of our magnetic double helix sculpture that'll be sweet and I mean look I just I got my read switch right here on a wood stick which it runs better there's no magnetic interference so if you put it on a steel pole you're probably going to get some interference one solenoid magnet 25 n I can't clock the RPMs but it looks like it's going maybe a hundred and maybe a hundred we are not going to be able to go faster so we're going to back it down we're gonna let it spin we're gonna see how how long this thing can spin on its own power but now the magnet is going to attract and it's going to get in the way and slow it down hardcore Rectify man but for every disc that we put on here that's going to add some weight so we don't I don't know the pulse motor can run with some weight on it I mean I've seen some flywheels that look like they're pretty heavy but that's not what I'm talking about I'm talking about flywheel on flywheel and flywheel on flywheel and I'm just talking about one flywheel so but that's pretty pretty epic I like that if you got it to work and I got a video of it cool cool cool all right thank you very much have a good night see you later Please Subscribe if you want to see more stuff
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- 1▶ Watch full on YouTube
Start: Shocking Truth About Pulse Motors
Notes & transcript on site - 2▶ Watch full on YouTube
250N Solenoid Upgrade & Voltage Tests
Notes & transcript on site - 3▶ Watch full on YouTube
Minor Adjustments, Major Results
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24-Node Magnet Array Build
Notes & transcript on site
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