Hover Craft Inspired Spin Top
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Published on December 15, 2012
Description
I had this idea of making a hover craft that could be propelled by balloons, but that idea didn't work because balloons weren't powerful enough to keep the propellers going. The whole thing ended up spinning on the table rather than hovering in the air, which led me to turn it into a spin top that would keep on going and going if you pump air towards either the propellers themselves, or into the opening duct in the centre of the thing. It'll speed up and keep spinning until you want it to stop!
Here's a video of the spin top in action.
facebook.com/v/10151411385621004
Here's a video of the spin top in action.
facebook.com/v/10151411385621004
Instructions
I've uploaded 3 different files here.
Spin top.stl - printing everything in one go. The propellers will have supports underneath, which will need to be removed and then re-attached to make them spin. The 5 caps are to be glued to the spigots to hold the propellers in place. The ball is to be glued to block the hole at the bottom of the object.
Spin top (body).stl - the main body only.
Spin top (propellers and bits only).stl - the propellers and small parts are separated from the main body so there's not as much supports required as in the whole set.
Spin top.stl - printing everything in one go. The propellers will have supports underneath, which will need to be removed and then re-attached to make them spin. The 5 caps are to be glued to the spigots to hold the propellers in place. The ball is to be glued to block the hole at the bottom of the object.
Spin top (body).stl - the main body only.
Spin top (propellers and bits only).stl - the propellers and small parts are separated from the main body so there's not as much supports required as in the whole set.
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idea_beans
on
December 16, 2012
said:
It did cross my mind to use some sort of continuous air supply to power this thing, but I think the design is slightly flawed in the way those 5 air ducts were placed, which made it spin clockwise when the air flow comes out.
My next attempt would be to have the air ducts come from above the propellers, instead of from the sides, so maybe that will stop the whole thing from spinning. Once that's done, I think using a CO2 tank or helium gas tank to power it will work?!
Thanks :)
MSMII
on
December 16, 2012
said:
what if you used a CO2 or air tank to power the device thru the middle port?
License
Hover Craft Inspired Spin Top by idea_beans is licensed under the Attribution - Non-Commercial - No Derivatives license.
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You're problem is the torque imparted from all the propellers spinning in the same direction. The torque from each of them sum up to make one large torquing moment. Multicopters overcome torque by making every other propeller turn in the opposite direction, which would mean youd need an even number of props (4 or 6). I wonder if that would solve your problem.
Thanks for that! I shall give it another try when I have time to draft up the CAD model. I'm thinking having 6 props and alternating the air duct directions. See how it goes! :D