DrJB

Transferring Air/Electrical Power to a Rotating Platform

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The implementation in the videos shown above will not work.  The problem is that it must be a single wire or tube, it must be fixed where it enters the center of the rotating platform, must make a 180 degree bend, and attach to a fixed point on the outer edge of the rotating platform.  Using multiple wires or tubes (like ribbon cable) will become twisted up!

Sorry, I currently don't have the pieces needed to confirm this, but I'm pretty certain it will work.

Imagine holding a piece of tubing in your hand, then swinging it around in a circle (there were some toys made from convoluted tubing that, when swung around in a circle, would make interesting sounds).

Draw a black line down the length of the tubing, and notice the black mark aligns at the same place as it swings through the circle.

As you swing the tube, the tube sheath rotates as it travels through a circular path - otherwise you'd need to spin your wrist! The wire or tube must be flexible enough to withstand full rotation and strong enough to do so repeatedly.  If wire is used, it should be like test lead wire with a high count of very thin strands of wire.

It may be possible to use a coaxial cable with a braided shield and a center conductor to pass DC power, then use an AC signal and capacitive coupling for controls.

Rotary tube.jpg

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It will not work, and that is why we have slip ring to transmit power.

It will only work with an exemption, hose connected to a freely rotating barb or connector, and this is limited to one hose.

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Guys, really... Enable the math and physics, and you will see that the wire with two ends are fixed at two objects, rotating to each other, will also rotate to each other. No matter how the wire is placed, bent, or shaped - while one end stays fixed and other is turing, the middle have no other possibility except to be twisted.

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On 12/29/2021 at 10:43 AM, Bricktrain said:

Is it really worth dragging a thread up from 4 years ago ?

 

Original post 7 years ago  Feb 2014

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