I have the rotor from something similar. The shaft has three contacts on
the end that obviously carry current to the windings. The gyro, roughly
2.5" in diameter, spins around this shaft on precision bearings. I suspect
that mine is an "inside out" three phase induction motor, but I've never
been able to get it going because I don't know what voltage to apply to the
windings.
I read one time about a physics professor who had a large military surplus
ship's gyro mounted in a suitcase. He travelled a lot and could spin it up
(I think is was compressed air powered) inside the suitcase in the cab on
his way from the airport to his hotel. When he got there, he would carry
his bags into the hotel, being careful to keep the orientation of the gyro
suitcase constant. After he checked in he would let the bellhop get his
bags. As soon as the bellhop picked up the gyro suitcase and turned around
to go toward the elevators, the suitcase would levitate upward around the
handle and the bellhop would get into a terrible fix trying to wrestle with
the suitcase which had seemingly come alive as far as he was concerned. I
always wanted to build something like that.
--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)
I don't have to like Bush and Cheney (Or Kerry, for that matter) to love
America
"Jon Elson" wrote in message
rvers.com...
B.B. wrote:
http://web2.airmail.net/thegoat4/stuff/gyro/
Anyone know anything about this contraption? I'd like to actually
spin it up just for the hell of it, but I'm afraid I may destroy it.
The tag in the fuzzy photo says:
TRANSMITTER
GYRO FLUX COMPASS
Reg. U.S. Pat. Off.
Mfr's Part No 12002-1-B Contract No W33-038 AC-3827
AN 5751-1 Ser. No. AF-44 57054
BENDIX AVIATION CORPORATION
ECLIPSE-POINEER DIVISION
I had one of these about 35 years ago. I probably still have some
of the parts off it. As I remember, it was a single-phase 115 V
400 Hz. One or more of those big metal-cased capacitors on the gyro
inner gimbal shifts the phase for the phase shifted winding to get it
started. You can probably get it to start spinning with a large stereo
amp and a signal generator. It doesn't actually take a lot of power,
but the larger stereo amps can develop 70+ volts output. To get more
voltage, you can bridge it across the two output channels' hot
terminals. Then, you'd need to supply signals 180 degrees out of phase
to the two amplifier inputs.
You could also apply 18 V at 60 Hz to it, but I don't know if that will
spin it up to 3600 RPM. You'd also need to increas the phase shift cap
by a factor of 6.3 Normal speed would be about 22000 RPM at 400 Hz.
Jon