3 ms·

Why not? The videos show the devices being operated with one handle fixed against a wall/door. In that situation, nothing flying off the disc will go towards th

Why not? The videos show the devices being operated with one handle fixed against a wall/door. In that situation, nothing flying off the disc will go towards the operator. You could also enclosing it in a box or operate it inside a hole in the ground.

dekhn 10y ago
"nothing flying off the disk will go towards the operator". What about other people? As you say, you can enclose it in a box, but that means making a glovebox, which increases cost significantly.
- chriswarbo 10y ago
  > What about other people? The device only requires a single person to be present. > that means making a glovebox, which increases cost significantly. You don't need a glovebox, you just need a way to pull on one of the strings from outside the box.
  - dekhn 10y ago
    "Single person to be present"- so you can afford a dedicated room to spin samples? That increases cost. You need a glovebox so you can load your samples... although technically I guess that outboarding the strings works too.
- shuntress 10y ago
  Or just a big cardboard box and a glove+sleeve.
hinkley 10y ago
The cost of the system goes up with the centripital force, which goes up with the RPMs. At the low end and low RPMs all you need is some string and some paper. At moderate RPMs you could use (scavenge, even) off the shelf components to achieve your aims. For instance, how fast could you spin a bicycle wheel under human power before the system becomes dangerous? From memory, an unbalanced bicycle wheel doesn't become noticeable to the rider (whose weight is holding the wheel down) until somewhere around 20 mph. A fair quality wheel doesn't get scary until about 25, but if you want to run down a valley or mountain road with your hands off the brakes (35+), you need the sort of quality that gives the lay person sticker shock. Now, a wheel mounted to a block of wood doesn't have 150 lbs of anchoring it in place, but that's not the only device with bearings that can be located. Hell, a washer with a broken water pump could work, if you knew how to rig it.

dekhn 10y ago

"nothing flying off the disk will go towards the operator". What about other people? As you say, you can enclose it in a box, but that means making a glovebox, which increases cost significantly.

chriswarbo 10y ago
> What about other people? The device only requires a single person to be present. > that means making a glovebox, which increases cost significantly. You don't need a glovebox, you just need a way to pull on one of the strings from outside the box.
- dekhn 10y ago
  "Single person to be present"- so you can afford a dedicated room to spin samples? That increases cost. You need a glovebox so you can load your samples... although technically I guess that outboarding the strings works too.
shuntress 10y ago
Or just a big cardboard box and a glove+sleeve.

hinkley 10y ago

The cost of the system goes up with the centripital force, which goes up with the RPMs. At the low end and low RPMs all you need is some string and some paper. At moderate RPMs you could use (scavenge, even) off the shelf components to achieve your aims. For instance, how fast could you spin a bicycle wheel under human power before the system becomes dangerous? From memory, an unbalanced bicycle wheel doesn't become noticeable to the rider (whose weight is holding the wheel down) until somewhere around 20 mph. A fair quality wheel doesn't get scary until about 25, but if you want to run down a valley or mountain road with your hands off the brakes (35+), you need the sort of quality that gives the lay person sticker shock. Now, a wheel mounted to a block of wood doesn't have 150 lbs of anchoring it in place, but that's not the only device with bearings that can be located. Hell, a washer with a broken water pump could work, if you knew how to rig it.