Off Topic: Home Power Generation

[jdlev]

http://www.magniwork.com/

Sounds like someone selling snake oil. Do any of you guys put any weight into these types of things or do you think they're just fairy tales? These types of things are breeding grounds for conspiracy theories.

 

[oconnor1981]

I have heard of generators like this before and, I am aware the magnets can be used to generate electricity. I think this program however is a scam. I have to imagine that for the $100 price tag to build one of these things with "common items" from a "hardware store" is quite unlikely. I would imagine getting your hands on the items to build one large enough to generate electricity to supplement or run a household is also probably going to be tough.

For that price tag I imagine you might be able to build a small generator that might work under the right conditions from time to time but would likely not even be big enough to charge solar lights. I know a lot of people go with electricity as a energy source but a little known fact that I learned in an environmental science class I took last your in pursuing my bachelor degree is that electricity is only like 36% efficient. It is due to entropy which is the all of energy "transfers" that occur before the electricity gets to your house.

 

[Walker]

It cannot possible be true, at least not as described in the summary that they give off the initial part of the page. They claim it generates electricity and requires no sort of power source for itself.

That would violate one of the most fundamental laws of physics.

"Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can just be changed from one form to another."

 

[Walker]

by the way, if you google "magniwork", the top two links are articles about the scam. the magniworks website itself comes in third.

 

[P-J]

Walker,

Thanks for that. I'm still laughing.
BTW: for anyone wanting to see the manual they are selling -
http://www.ivantic.net/Energija/Magnivvork.pdf The link will get you a PDF file of it.

What a piece of work.

 

[Walker]

Walker,

Thanks for that. I'm still laughing.
BTW: for anyone wanting to see the manual they are selling -
http://www.ivantic.net/Energija/Magnivvork.pdf The link will get you a PDF file of it.

What a piece of work.

I love this part from the FAQ in that document (I added the bold red highlight):

Q: What kind of material should be used for the brass rotor?

I laughed at that pretty good, but it became a full-on laugh from the gut when I read the answer.

A: You can use copper, zinc, tin, or lead, we recommend using copper.

 

[jdlev]

HA! That's hilarious. I always thought doing something with perpetual motion machines would be a ton of fun....even if they are just a myth. I experimented with HHO gas for mileage for a while (before I blew up my air box!)

 

[IrregularPulse]

Ever hear of google search? 5 seconds
http://blog.mapawatt.com/2009/07/21/magniwork_perpetual_motion_scam/

 

[jdlev]

Ever hear of a ****** bag, because that's what your comment indicates you are. Of course you can google whatever the f you want, but it doesn't produce dialogue. That's what forums are for...ever hear of them?

 

[Maxkling]

I believe myth busters did an episode on just free energy. I cant remember if they used this device, but none of them worked.

 

[Walker]

Ever hear of a ****** bag, because that's what your comment indicates you are. Of course you can google whatever the f you want, but it doesn't produce dialogue. That's what forums are for...ever hear of them?

That was a little uncalled for IMO.

 

[jdlev]

I apologize. The whole google this, google that seems to be a popular cliche' on this board sometimes...get's on my nerves. Google isn't the end all for some people. Some people actually like discussion and interacting with other people. Well, most people.

 

[passedpawn]

Ever hear of a ****** bag,

No, I haven't. How can i learn more of this device?

 

[passedpawn]

Anyone who's read Atlas Shrugged knows that John Galt created a motor that ran off residual static in the air. It could drive a train. ( He chose not to give it to the looters; good choice John). That bit of fiction at least does not defy physics.

In my early days as an engineer, I worked in a facility that was part of the nuclear weapons complex. The Dept of Energy asked us to start incubators for local companies, providing engineering expertise and equipment. Day after day we got crazy dudes walking in off the street with perpetual motion machine ideas. My job was to screen them. Arggh. Similar to this thing. Seems they often involve magnets.

 

[passedpawn]

Ever hear of google search? 5 seconds
http://blog.mapawatt.com/2009/07/21/magniwork_perpetual_motion_scam/

Hmmm, perhaps I spoke too soon. There might be something to this. From that link,

This power source is not predicated on a continuous flow of energy but predicated on the consistency of the transmutation process of the magnetic molecular structures within the Earth’s pressure flow.​

It's known that the earth's magnetic field moves around. In fact, the earth's fields have completely reversed polarity many times, the latest being only 780,000 years ago. So, maybe, just maybe, this dynamo is is for real, harnessing the slow but predictable changes in the earths fields. I'm investing!

 

[evanmars]

Can someone tell me where I can get a 2" long, 2" dia. chunk of brass made of copper?

I think my arm is going to get tired when I am cranking this thing up at 2100rpm for exactly 42 seconds...

What would be a good way to tell if I am at 2100rpm? Do you think it is critical to maintain that speed? How much leeway do I have? +-10%?

 

[Walker]

Can someone tell me where I can get a 2" long, 2" dia. chunk of brass made of copper?

PM me. I will sell you one for $50. I normally charge $100, but I'll give you the "friend" rate this time.

 

[Atl_Brew]

I think my arm is going to get tired when I am cranking this thing up at 2100rpm for exactly 42 seconds...

What would be a good way to tell if I am at 2100rpm? Do you think it is critical to maintain that speed? How much leeway do I have? +-10%?

You just count to 1470 & 42 Mississippi at the same time. Anyone smart enough to build a perpetual motion machine should know how to count.

 

[trigger]

It cannot possible be true, at least not as described in the summary that they give off the initial part of the page. They claim it generates electricity and requires no sort of power source for itself.

That would violate one of the most fundamental laws of physics.

"Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can just be changed from one form to another."

Pardon me while I geek out a second. Energy can be created and destroyed in cases of decay, such as is observed in a nuclear reactor, the big bang, or an atomic bomb. What I've learned so far in my physics major is:
conservation of mass and conservation of energy are pretty good approximations
conservation of mass and energy is a better approximation
the math predicts some weird stuff, and we haven't seen experimental evidence of some of it yet

But, what matters here is that it's snake oil. "Zero point" energy for $100 using magnets? And a 4 min clip of a documentary touting Tesla's energy towers?

I really appreciate that this generator gets to ignore the laws of thermodynamics. I was trying to do that for 2 of the 3 terms of PChem I had last year.

Here's the real kicker, though. If this thing were in fact creating energy and you didn't plug it in it must be accelerating, radiating, of increasing in mass (or a combination of the 3). Either way, you're talking about a bomb. So, in order to NOT DIE you're going to have to balance the energy created with the energy you take out of the system at all times. Good luck, as far as I can tell it doesn't have a throttle.