Peter Brunsgaard
16 posts

Mendocino Motor | Peter

Peter Brunsgaard
2016, Post 13 - 2016
Description: For my project, I made a Mendocino motor. A Mendocino motor is a solar powered “motor” that levitates using magnetic fields. When a solar cell runs current through the wrapped wire, along with a magnetic field from a nearby magnet, a torque is created causing the motor to spin on it’s own. Videos  …

Project Reflections

Peter Brunsgaard
2016, Student Work
No Comments
Design Goals After constructing the Mendocino motor, I feel like I successfully achieved the design goals that I set out for myself at the beginning of the class. The project very much achieves a futuristic and levitation aesthetic while still looking very clean. The motor didn’t need a cord and was a standalone piece of…

Project Update 4/13 | Peter

Peter Brunsgaard
2016, Student Work
3 Comments
I have spent the last week designing the rest of the parts for my mendocino motor. A big hurdle was that my 3D printer has been acting up and a large part of my design is dependent on printed parts. This has greatly hindered my progress this week. I have all the parts that I…

Project Update 4/6 | Peter

Peter Brunsgaard
2016, Student Work
2 Comments
For those of you that have not been following my project from the start, I am building a solar powered Mendocino motor. This is essentially a magnetically levitated rod that spins using a solar powered motor. Example of a Mendocino Motor The main progress that I have made this week is that I managed to…

Project Update 3/30 |Peter

Peter Brunsgaard
2016, Student Work
2 Comments
Unfortunately, over break I did not have all the parts needed for my project and as a result, did not achieve tons more on my project. I have designed an initial prototype part to be 3D printed that serves as a frame for both the solar panels and the magnet wire based off of a thingiverse project posted by user…

Project Update 3/16 | Peter

Peter Brunsgaard
2016, Student Work
4 Comments
I haven’t had much time in the past week to work on physically progressing my project much farther. I have put a decent amount of time into trying to source magnets from a cheap and reliable source. In sourcing the magnets, I believe that I can get all of my magnets for under $25 which…

Mendocino Motor Top 5 Constraints | Peter

Peter Brunsgaard
2016, Student Work
2 Comments
Cost – Although 3D printing and raw materials are fairly cheap, the strong Neodymium magnets required to levitate the motor rod are quite pricey in the quantities that this project calls for. Along with the cost of the magnets, the solar cells and magnet wire are also fairly pricey. Wood Working – I have never done wood working outside…

Project Design Review | Peter

Peter Brunsgaard
2016, Student Work
7 Comments
First Impression  I decided upon a Space Age and Futuristic aesthetic while focusing on trying to highlight the levitation aspect of the motor. I want to try and replicate the large curvature of the SR-71 Blackbird and F-16 fighter planes, as they are two of the most iconic futuristic designs. SR-71 Blackbird F-16 Fighter Jet…

Main Project Inspiration | Peter

Peter Brunsgaard
2016, Student Work
5 Comments
My initial inspiration for the main project came from a burning desire for the project to somehow be useful. After spending a week or two thinking about what useful thing I could make, I realized that I was too caught up in the functionality of the piece rather than the aesthetic of the piece. So I went back…

Pete’s Aspirations

Peter Brunsgaard
2016, Student Work
No Comments
This semester, I am hoping to learn a lot more about how to design things in order to be both functional and visually appealing. I would love to work in product design and development after I graduate and aesthetics play a huge role in that field. Most of the design work that I have done is…

Mad Skillz

Peter Brunsgaard
Student Work
4 Comments
I am a junior in Mechanical Engineering and have spent countless hours doing hands on tasks and creating. I have a 3D printer in my room, and am incredibly familiar with 3D printing on hobby FDM machines. I also spent a few summers doing construction in high school so I have a fairly good handle…

Television Liquor Cabinet

Peter Brunsgaard
2016, Student Work
34 Comments
Vision: For my up cycle project, I wanted to create something not only visually appealing, but also useful. I have had my eye on an old television set, faux wood and all, collecting dust in my girlfriend’s parent’s basement for a little while. With a little searching through the internet, I was inspired to make…

Retro Television Cabinet

Peter Brunsgaard
2016, Student Work
3 Comments
For my up cycle project, I had my eye on an old television laying around in my girlfriend’s parent’s basement. With a little help from the internet, I was inspired to make the TV into a liquor cabinet. It’s been collecting dust for at least 15 years, so I figured that I could bring new…

Danish Design in the mid-1900s

Peter Brunsgaard
2016, Student Work
2 Comments
Denmark has played a large role in the development of Scandinavian design focusing mostly on the simplicity and functionality of their designs. With widespread globalization, Danish influence can be seen in Ikea products, kitchen wares, audio, lighting, furniture, and even in the Sydney Opera House. The largest surge in modern Danish design came post World…

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