6 ms·
Attach anything to anything with sugru and magnets
- deletes 13y agoHow do you prevent rotation of the magnets when they are stuck together. The light on a bike will experience a force in that direction sooner or later and move. When I saw the dimple I though that was the solution, but it is only a marker for the north side. Maybe the solution would be to apply a thin layer of substance with high friction between the magnets.
- ColinWright 13y agoThe hack in picture 1 has semi-circular magnets. If you use two magnets with opposite polarities then you can get it to be able to lock in only one position. Also, easy enough to make "wavy" mating surfaces to avoid rotation.
- miahi 13y agoYou can force that with diametrically magnetized discs[1]. It's not the usual way these discs are magnetized, but this will not allow rotation under light forces. On the other hand, if you manage to rotate them 90 degrees, they will pop out, as the magnets will start to repel. With big discs, the force needed to rotate even axial magnetized discs (like the ones they seem to use) is not trivial if the magnet surfaces are clean. By the size of the discs they use, their adhesive force can be ~3-5 kg, and it's not easy to rotate such magnets. You can add a layer of thin cloth over the magnets to increase the friction, and it will also protect the magnets from scratching and damp the hits when sticking. No idea what kind of magnets they use, but treating them like they do in the presentation (throwing them one against another, or against objects) is a sure way to crack the nickel plating in the long run. [1] like this one: http://www.supermagnete.de/eng/data_sheet_S-12-06-DN.pdf http://www.supermagnete.de/eng/data_sheet_S-12-06-DN.pdf
- ColinWright 13y agoYes, you can force that with magnets designed for that, but these appear not to be magnetised like that, so if you want to avoid the rotation, you need to do something about it. As I say in my other comment, easy enough to do with non-symmetrical mating surfaces.
- genki 13y agoYou could do it with the sugru itself, no? Have one side with indentations, make the other side align with those indentations. You don't need it to resist forceful rotation so much as casual bumps. Or just include a small pin or dowel with one side that sticks into the other side. You can attach more than just magnets.
- regularfry 13y agoUse two pairs.
- deletes 13y agoOn a thin bicycle handle? You could if the flashlight is wide enough. ( two pairs seems like a waste ) They should include a pair of slightly equally dented magnets or magnets with a little dent like the one that marks the north, but this on is positioned with an offset from center.
- mhb 13y agoAs you might imagine, others have encountered and solved this problem already with stick on high friction disks. They've also used cheap, steel cups to direct and strengthen the magnetic field: http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=32066&cat=1,42363,42348 http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=32066&cat=1,423... Also, I've used those nice shiny magnets in outdoor applications and can attest that they rust in fairly short order. But one might be able to address this by enveloping the magnet in sugru. Of course, this too is an already solved problem - plastic and rubber coated magnets: http://www.kjmagnetics.com/products.asp?cat=164 http://www.kjmagnetics.com/products.asp?cat=164 Given all this, I'm not sure what this use of sugru is "hacking". It's performing the function of glue? Expensive glue in a nice package.
- DanBC 13y agoGlue? Gluing the magnet to the light is tricky unless you get the right shape case and the right glue. Gluing the other magnet to the bike is tricky for the same reasons. Sugru solves both of them.
- mhb 13y agoEpoxy putty, caulk and silicone adhesive also solve the glue shape issue. All available at your local hardware store for less than 20% the cost of sugru and with a shelf life greater than 6 months.
- jrockway 13y ago> Once you make your lights magnetic, you might wonder why all lights aren’t like this. You lose the ability to adjust the beam up or down. That's probably why all lights aren't like this.
- polymatter 13y agoWhy do you need to adjust the beam? Once it is right, its right.
- haldujai 13y agoWhat happens when you use a different bit length with that drill? Or multiple people share a bike? Or you want to move that light to a different frame and you need the magnet at a different angle?
- deletes 13y agoWhen I used a bicycle I would often change the position depending on the road type. If in a city the beam would be directed down with a larger angle to prevent from blinding the other drivers and pedestrians, as the road itself is lit and the light is used merely to bring attention to yourself. Also the angle varies regarding to driving speed and type of ground surface(gravel, asphalt ) when on unlit roads.
- wlesieutre 13y agoTo elaborate on that last part, aiming down in the city is helpful because you can see far away objects with the street lights already and the bike light is helpful for spotting potholes
- jkscm 13y agoYou could make two mount points.
- awor 13y agoI'm curious if this will fall victim to the same regulatory nightmares Buckyballs is currently facing. [1] Though Sugru is clearly more than just a 'toy'. [1]http://www.forbes.com/sites/richardlevick/2013/11/25/buckyballs-stones-enough-to-fight-back/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/richardlevick/2013/11/25/buckyba...
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- adventured 13y agoThe US Government (Consumer Product Safety Commission) destroyed Buckyballs strictly out of spite / vindictiveness. I suspect all Sugru has to do is bow down to the regulators if they come knocking (and as you noted, the tool aspect of it makes the case even easier).
- polemic 13y agoDon't be so dramatic. Governments around the world shut it down because kids kept getting horrific internal injuries from them. Note that it's not their fault that irresponsible people let children play with them, but there was a greater good served.
- robbiemitchell 13y agoIt's not just that they took down buckyballs. It's that they're going after the founder personally for $50 million after he taunted them. http://beforeitsnews.com/libertarian/2013/10/from-the-angry-makers-of-forbidden-buckyballs-liberty-balls-2530342.html http://beforeitsnews.com/libertarian/2013/10/from-the-angry-...
- jrockway 13y agoWait until you hear how many kids get killed every year by handguns. Those put little magnets to shame in terms of killing power.
- drivingmissm 13y ago
- lafar6502 13y ago+1 for a solution to the falling crutch problem.
- mhb 13y agoWhy even use two magnets instead of one magnet (optionally in a magnet cup to increase the attractive strength) and a steel plate?
- nnethercote 13y agoI suspect it forces the magnets to have a certain alignment. E.g. the bike light ends up pointing exactly in the right direction even when he just tosses it on. With one magnet and a steel plate you wouldn't have that behaviour. In some cases that might be a good thing, though.
- fjcaetano 13y agoSo, neodymium magnets and epoxy?
- function_seven 13y agoClose. Neodymium and some silicone rubber putty stuff (that may or may not contain an epoxy component, I don't know the chemistry behind Sugru.) But it's not a two-part product--you don't have to mix the “A” and the “B” compound to start it curing. It reacts with moisture in the air to begin curing, and remains rubbery once done. EDIT: Epoxy putty is pretty cheap though, and what I'd probably use unless I needed it to be flexible.
- coin 13y agoIt's flippin (using their terminology) annoying that they disable pinchzoom for mobile devices. I wanted to zoom in on the tiny video. They feel they want to limit my browsing experience. Why would I buy or invest in their product?
- nnethercote 13y agoThey probably eat babies, too.
- almosnow 13y agob... but how do they work?