How do you magnetize a circular magnet?

In summary: Can you tell me where I might be able to purchase something like that?In summary, a donut-shaped magnet with a hole in the center that the flux fields continuously circulate around is what the person is looking for. It is possible to convert a standard magnet into the desired shape by changing the direction of the magnetic domains. If the desired magnet is not available in this form, it may be possible to purchase one on eBay or at a hardware store.
  • #71
The "link" that my2cts provides is interesting. It also details the difficulty of creating the magnetic fields ## B ## in excess of ## B= 1 weber/m^2 ## that would be necessary to change the direction of magnetism of a permanent magnet.
 
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  • #72
Recently, I was experimenting with a nail, a solenoid made from some sort of TV wire (I think), and a transformer for the 12V input. After a few tries, I made an electromagnet :smile:

With this new knowledge about electromagnets, I have decided to purchase 2x 50-foot long extension cords (I looked, and some are $10 each :wideeyed:), FYI: I have not yet purchased the extension cords. After that, I will disassemble the cords, and pull out the insulated wires that lie within. Then I shall construct a rig to support the "Chuck magnet" mentioned earlier, then I'll wrap the magnet until I run out of wire. I will carefully place the magnet & solenoid into my rig, then I'll attach the wires into a light socket (carefully and precisely) to get 120V rather than a little 12V

Hopefully, after a second or 2 in the rig, it'll be re-magnetized into the form that I require for my secret project :smile:
 
  • #73
Part Toon said:
Recently, I was experimenting with a nail, a solenoid made from some sort of TV wire (I think), and a transformer for the 12V input. After a few tries, I made an electromagnet :smile:

With this new knowledge about electromagnets, I have decided to purchase 2x 50-foot long extension cords (I looked, and some are $10 each :wideeyed:), FYI: I have not yet purchased the extension cords. After that, I will disassemble the cords, and pull out the insulated wires that lie within. Then I shall construct a rig to support the "Chuck magnet" mentioned earlier, then I'll wrap the magnet until I run out of wire. I will carefully place the magnet & solenoid into my rig, then I'll attach the wires into a light socket (carefully and precisely) to get 120V rather than a little 12V

Hopefully, after a second or 2 in the rig, it'll be re-magnetized into the form that I require for my secret project :smile:
Don't use a light socket for voltage-it is AC(alternating current). That means the voltage is ## V=V_o \cos(\omega t) ## where ## \omega=2 \pi f ## and ## f=60 Hz ## . If you didn't follow the mathematics, it means the polarity of the light socket voltage switches rapidly back and forth (60 cycles each second). Your 12 volts DC (direct current) should work well. You are more limited by available current than voltage. I would even recommend placing a resistor R=10 ohms that is rated at 1 watt in series in your solenoid circuit so that you don't drain the battery too quickly. You should at least be able to make an electromagnet from your previous magnet that has lost its magnetism. You may or may not be able to make it back into a high quality permanent magnet.
 
  • #74
Charles Link said:
Don't use a light socket for voltage-it is AC(alternating current). That means the voltage is ## V=V_o \cos(\omega t) ## where ## \omega=2 \pi f ## and ## f=60 Hz ## . If you didn't follow the mathematics, it means the polarity of the light socket voltage switches rapidly back and forth (60 cycles each second). Your 12 volts DC (direct current) should work well. You are more limited by available current than voltage. I would even recommend placing a resistor R=10 ohms that is rated at 1 watt in series in your solenoid circuit so that you don't drain the battery too quickly. You should at least be able to make an electromagnet from your previous magnet that has lost its magnetism. You may or may not be able to make it back into a high quality permanent magnet.

Thanks for that :smile:

Are you sure just 12 volts would work? I do agree with the AC-DC thing, but I may need more voltage, but I don't know for sure :P

So maybe instead of the light socket, I should use the DC transformer I mentioned earlier?
 
  • #75
Part Toon said:
Thanks for that :smile:

Are you sure just 12 volts would work? I do agree with the AC-DC thing, but I may need more voltage, but I don't know for sure :P

So maybe instead of the light socket, I should use the DC transformer I mentioned earlier?
Your solenoid has very low electrical resistance=most likely less than 1 ohm. You could easily drain a 12 volt battery in a minute or two without any additional resistor in the circuit. It is electrical current that makes your solenoid work, but if you have enough loops, you can reduce the current. A 10 ohm resistor would make the current be about 1 amp. That is more than enough to get a good magnetic field if you have enough loops(turns) in your solenoid. Yes, a DC transformer would also work=and you save on money by not needing to purchase batteries. A DC transformer that can deliver high currents (.5 -1.0 amps at 12 volts DC would be helpful and again use a R=10 ohm resistor (rated at 1 watt or more). Without the resistor, you might burn out the DC transformer. Be sure your resistor can handle the power also=(1 watt or more). You can even touch your finger to the body of the resistor and make sure it isn't getting too warm...=be a little careful when connecting circuits like this=components can get hot on occasion and smoke, etc.
 
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  • #76
Charles Link said:
Your solenoid has very low electrical resistance=most likely less than 1 ohm. You could easily drain a 12 volt battery in a minute or two without any additional resistor in the circuit. It is electrical current that makes your solenoid work, but if you have enough loops, you can reduce the current. A 10 ohm resistor would make the current be about 1 amp. That is more than enough to get a good magnetic field if you have enough loops(turns) in your solenoid. Yes, a DC transformer would also work=and you save on money by not needing to purchase batteries. A DC transformer that can deliver high currents (.5 -1.0 amps at 12 volts DC would be helpful and again use a R=10 ohm resistor (rated at 1 watt or more). Without the resistor, you might burn out the DC transformer. Be sure your resistor can handle the power also=(1 watt or more). You can even touch your finger to the body of the resistor and make sure it isn't getting too warm...

Yeah, I can do that.

(I already have a DC transformer that plugs into the wall, so that'll save a lot of time)

This means the last piece of the puzzle is to buy the 2x 50-foot extension cords for about $20 :D

And of course, a bunch of assembly that'll probably take a few hours :P
 
  • #77
Part Toon said:
Yeah, I can do that.

(I already have a DC transformer that plugs into the wall, so that'll save a lot of time)

This means the last piece of the puzzle is to buy the 2x 50-foot extension cords for about $20 :D

And of course, a bunch of assembly that'll probably take a few hours :P
I edited my post #75. Please read the last couple of sentences to be somewhat careful. Sounds like a fun experiment !
 
  • #78
Charles Link said:
I edited my post #75. Please read the last couple of sentences to be somewhat careful. Sounds like a fun experiment !

So yes, I shall continue to reply after I purchase the extension cords, assemble the magnetizing device, and test the magnet, and then assemble my secret machine.

When I'm done magnetizing stuff, I'll reply telling you how it went :D
 
  • #79
What you are needing cannot be accomplished except by an electromagnet - - - or a permanent magnet array - - - - - composed of many magnet segments, such as a Halbach array, although in your case all the segments would follow in the same direction, head to tail.
 
  • #80
RMN said:
What you are needing cannot be accomplished except by an electromagnet - - - or a permanent magnet array - - - - - composed of many magnet segments, such as a Halbach array, although in your case all the segments would follow in the same direction, head to tail.

Why do you think a permanent magnet cannot be like this? With the round field and all?
 
  • #81
Part Toon said:
Why do you think a permanent magnet cannot be like this? With the round field and all?
Just one additional comment on your closed magnetic rings=it doesn't seem to leave any method to probe the magnetism inside the ring. It is also possible to make a magnetic ring/permanent magnet that has a small air gap in the ring. The magnetic field ## B ## will pass continuously across the air gap. This would allow you to probe the ## B ## in the air gap with a loop of current-carrying wire, etc.
 
  • #82
Charles Link said:
Just one additional comment on your closed magnetic rings=it doesn't seem to leave any method to probe the magnetism inside the ring. It is also possible to make a magnetic ring/permanent magnet that has a small air gap in the ring. The magnetic field ## B ## will pass continuously across the air gap. This would allow you to probe the ## B ## in the air gap with a loop of current-carrying wire, etc.

So... possible? :D

FYI: I don't need that much of the flux to escape the magnet, just a little tiny bit.
 
  • #83
Magnetism has a directional orientation. The field will be generated strongest parallel to the orientation of the NS poles.
You might want to try this. Take a flat magnet and cut out a circular section. Drill a hole in the circular section. Cut another piece in the magnet to fit the hole. Determine the orientation of the two circular pieces then place the smaller piece in the hole with the 2 north and east directions pointed in opposite directions. This should produce a toroidal effect. If that's isn't what you were looking for try placing the small piece inside the hole with the north and east poles oriented in their correct orientations ( you may have to use a device to keep it from spinning). This may nullify the field lines passing through the center.
 
  • #84
D2Bwrong said:
Magnetism has a directional orientation. The field will be generated strongest parallel to the orientation of the NS poles.
You might want to try this. Take a flat magnet and cut out a circular section. Drill a hole in the circular section. Cut another piece in the magnet to fit the hole. Determine the orientation of the two circular pieces then place the smaller piece in the hole with the 2 north and east directions pointed in opposite directions. This should produce a toroidal effect. If that's isn't what you were looking for try placing the small piece inside the hole with the north and east poles oriented in their correct orientations ( you may have to use a device to keep it from spinning). This may nullify the field lines passing through the center.

I don't think you quite understand what I am going to do, I'm going to use a solenoid made from wires from an extension cord. I'm not going to use the Earth's North and South poles to magnetize my circular magnet, but instead, a very powerful solenoid wrapped around it.
 
  • #85
Part Toon said:
I don't think you quite understand what I am going to do, I'm going to use a solenoid made from wires from an extension cord. I'm not going to use the Earth's North and South poles to magnetize my circular magnet, but instead, a very powerful solenoid wrapped around it.
Recommend getting insulated wire of a moderate gauge-don't use an extension cord=the insulation is too thick and will limit how many turns you can make. You can get 100 ft. of insulated wire on a spool for perhaps $5=from Radio Shack. You don't need tremendously thick insulation.
 
  • #86
Charles Link said:
Recommend getting insulated wire of a moderate gauge-don't use an extension cord=the insulation is too thick and will limit how many turns you can make. You can get 100 ft. of insulated wire on a spool for perhaps $5=from Radio Shack. You don't need tremendously thick insulation.

Thanks for the tip :smile:

Instead of buying a 100 ft. extension cord, I shall instead purchase 2 or 3 of those insulated wire spools that you spoke of, how would one word that while looking for it on their website?
 
  • #87
Hook-up wire.
 
  • #88
Tom.G said:
Hook-up wire.

Danke schön :smile:

(Thank you in German)
 
  • #89
ఆసక్తి దాయకంగా ఉంటాయి
(phonetically: Āsakti dāyakaṅgā uṇṭāyi)

(You are welcome in Telugu)
(Google Translate is great. I don't even know where Telugu is spoken!)
 
  • #90
Tom.G said:
ఆసక్తి దాయకంగా ఉంటాయి
(phonetically: Āsakti dāyakaṅgā uṇṭāyi)

(You are welcome in Telugu)
(Google Translate is great. I don't even know where Telugu is spoken!)

There's been a change in plans...

A while ago, I helped my Grandma by shoveling some mud out of her basement after it got flooded :P She gave me 2x 25 foot old extension cords. I took apart one for the wire inside for my experiments, turns out, the wire works great, the insulation isn't too thick :D

I have discovered that a circular solenoid doesn't work the way I was hoping, so instead, I have decided to do it the same way that the core-memory things do, have a bunch of wires go through the center of a ring magnet, making sure that the electricity is flowing all the same directions :P And then maybe hitting the magnet with a hammer a few times to re-position all of the domains :P

I have done a test with a piece of ring-shaped metal, and guess what? It works! :smile:

So after I get a new ring magnet to use (the hole on the "Chuck" magnet is too small), then I can continue with my experiments, and I can finally complete my secret device :smile:
 
  • #91
Glad you found something that works. Perhaps there is a textbook/handbook out there that discusses magnetic engineering in simple terms and shows a lot of practical applications. Besides the high quality permanent magnets that would require fields much stronger than what can easily be created in a solenoid to reverse the permanent magnetization, there are no doubt materials available that make low quality permanent magnets where the field strength is somewhat weak but also makes for a permanent magnetism whose direction can be reversed without requiring enormously strong reverse magnetic fields.
 
<h2>1. How do you magnetize a circular magnet?</h2><p>To magnetize a circular magnet, you can use either the method of stroking or the method of induction. In the stroking method, you rub a strong magnet along the length of the circular magnet in one direction. In the induction method, you place the circular magnet in a strong magnetic field and leave it there for a few minutes.</p><h2>2. What materials do you need to magnetize a circular magnet?</h2><p>You will need a strong magnet, such as a neodymium magnet, and the circular magnet that you want to magnetize. You may also need a magnetic field generator, such as an electromagnet, for the induction method.</p><h2>3. How long does it take to magnetize a circular magnet?</h2><p>The time it takes to magnetize a circular magnet depends on the method you use and the strength of the magnet. The stroking method may take a few minutes, while the induction method may take a few seconds.</p><h2>4. Can you magnetize a circular magnet without a strong magnet?</h2><p>No, you cannot magnetize a circular magnet without a strong magnet. The stroking method requires a strong magnet to transfer its magnetic field to the circular magnet, and the induction method requires a strong magnetic field to magnetize the circular magnet.</p><h2>5. How can you tell if a circular magnet is magnetized?</h2><p>You can tell if a circular magnet is magnetized by using another magnet. If the two magnets attract each other, it means the circular magnet is magnetized. You can also use iron filings to see the magnetic field lines around the circular magnet.</p>

1. How do you magnetize a circular magnet?

To magnetize a circular magnet, you can use either the method of stroking or the method of induction. In the stroking method, you rub a strong magnet along the length of the circular magnet in one direction. In the induction method, you place the circular magnet in a strong magnetic field and leave it there for a few minutes.

2. What materials do you need to magnetize a circular magnet?

You will need a strong magnet, such as a neodymium magnet, and the circular magnet that you want to magnetize. You may also need a magnetic field generator, such as an electromagnet, for the induction method.

3. How long does it take to magnetize a circular magnet?

The time it takes to magnetize a circular magnet depends on the method you use and the strength of the magnet. The stroking method may take a few minutes, while the induction method may take a few seconds.

4. Can you magnetize a circular magnet without a strong magnet?

No, you cannot magnetize a circular magnet without a strong magnet. The stroking method requires a strong magnet to transfer its magnetic field to the circular magnet, and the induction method requires a strong magnetic field to magnetize the circular magnet.

5. How can you tell if a circular magnet is magnetized?

You can tell if a circular magnet is magnetized by using another magnet. If the two magnets attract each other, it means the circular magnet is magnetized. You can also use iron filings to see the magnetic field lines around the circular magnet.

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