What is the maximum height a magnet can hover in a magnetic levitating globe?

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SUMMARY

The maximum height a magnet can hover in a magnetic levitating globe is influenced by several factors, including the current supplied to the electromagnet and the design of the system. Increasing the current enhances the magnetic field strength, potentially allowing for greater levitation height, but risks overheating the coil and destabilizing the system. The globe typically hovers just above one centimeter due to its low power design, and achieving significant height increases would require advanced stabilization techniques and possibly alternative materials to copper. The discussion highlights the complexity of magnetic levitation systems and the limitations imposed by current technology.

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magiktcup
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Layman speaking here..

I have for a while been interested in a small desk toy. It is a magnetic levitating globe.

There is a doughnut shaped electromagnet at the base which according to the internet is a toroid. Within the globe sits a disc shaped neodymium magnet.

The globe hovers barely a cm above the base.

What i am interested in is how high could you actually get the magnet to hover?
If you increase the voltage would it increase the magnetic field and raise the height of the magnet?

Any assistance in explaining this would be appreciated,
i promise i will use this knowledge only for good.

Thanks
 
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No, you need to increase the current not the voltage.
 
magiktcup said:
If you increase the voltage would it increase the magnetic field and raise the height of the magnet?
Maybe, but it could also make the system unstable. Also, the system needs active stabilization which could fail. In addition, a higher current could overheat the coil.

If it would be easy to make the globe levitate higher, the manufacturer would have done that.
 
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I don't own one of these magnetic globes btw. Its just a toy so i don't really think the manufacturer really wants to run a lot of electricity through it. It only needs to hover a centimeter or so. Its just a low powerd toy.

But i was imagining a home built version something like 10 inches in diameter. I was just curious if anyone knew how high you could possibly levitate the magnet if you if you increased the current?

The globe toy, from what i have read on the internet senses the height of the magnet somehow and adjusts the current accordingly.

Im assuming here that we won't overheat the coil.
But say i did build one and made a nice magnetic field and balanced my magnet on there but wanted to go further? higher?
But i couldn't increase the current because i would overheat the copper coil.

What could i do? instead of building a bigger coil would there be any other materials that i could use instead of copper that i could use?

Im assuming that increasing the current will give me as larger magnetic field here. I honestly am learning as i go.

Thanks
 
I'm curious how this thing works:

How will a magnetic field escape a toroid?
Is ac-current used as for the toroid?
Is the "magnet" in the globe a magnet or just a piece of metal wherein eddy-currents are induced?
If the "magnet" in the globe is repelled by the toroid, why will the hovering globe not turn upside down? ( magnet too heavy? )
 
Last edited:
Copper is the best reasonable conductor - I guess you don't want to make a coil out of silver or cool it with liquid nitrogen. The stabilization system is tricky and significantly harder than just getting something to not fall down.
In general, height will scale with the size of the base - getting a height larger than the width of the base would be really tricky.
 
Perhaps the electromagnet is not toroidal?
 
NascentOxygen said:
Perhaps the solenoid former is not toroidal?
Are you saying that it is not a toroid, but a solenoid?

And then:
Hesch said:
Is ac-current used as for the toroid solenoid?
Is the "magnet" in the globe a magnet or just a piece of metal wherein eddy-currents are induced?
If the "magnet" in the globe is repelled by the toroid solenoid, why will the hovering globe not turn upside down? ( magnet too heavy? )
 
Until a photo is posted, we can't say whether the solenoid core is toroidal or not.
 
  • #10
Here is a link anyhow of the type of levitating toy i described:



I will, after this post search the web for a teardown but please have a look at this for now.

In response to Herch i honestly don't know the answers to your questions I am afraid. It is described as a magnet in some videos but it may not be i will try and find out.

At first i just called the magnet at the base a "doughnut electromagnet" and after some goggling i came across a "toroid" which appeared, at least to me to be what i was looking for.

In response to mfb i would consider silver if it was significantly better. I in all likelihood won't but here I am just seeing how high i could really go.
 
  • #11
http://hackedgadgets.com/2010/08/30/levitating-rotating-globe/

And one more
 
  • #12
magiktcup said:
In response to mfb i would consider silver if it was significantly better.
No. Its resistance is about 5% lower, but its price is higher by a factor of 100. Copper is the best conductor for all practical purposes, unless superconductors become interesting (for things like large particle accelerators, or multi-megawatt applications elsewhere).

The globe probably uses multiple magnets in some unknown arrangement.
 

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