Construction Timeline: Levitation Stand

As the semester comes to a close, I’m also coming to the end of my final project. For those of you not familiar with what I’m making, it’s a levitation stand that uses a series of magnets to repel another magnet a certain distance (about 2 cm) from the base.

To date, I have completed the most difficult and time consuming part, that is, actually making the device functional. There is a bit of fine tuning left to do as the magnet that appears to be floating is very touchy and likes to escape its “pocket of stability”, which is just the area where it is supported by electromagnets and kept inside the magnetic field large ring magnet as to keep it from moving side to side and out of the area that the electromagnets can effective support.

The only part of this project I really have left is the final design. I have attempted two separate designs and had them printed. They both didn’t come out as I’d hoped. I’m struggling to find an aesthetic that really matches the look I want this device to convey to an audience.

A rough timeline for what is left to be done is shown below:

1. The goal is to have my fine tuning done by tonight (4/5), but as long as I get it done this week, I should stay on schedule.
2. I’ve tried out 2 different aesthetics, and neither has come out particularly well, so I hope to have chosen a new aesthetic by 4/9.
3. Once my aesthetic is chosen, I will get cranking on a CAD model so that I can start making printing arrangements so that the final product will be ready to print by 4/12.
4. I hope to have my final print done by 4/17.
5. I’ll have my final testing completed by 4/19 to ensure that the device not only works, but looks how I want it to.