Introduction: Fridge Magnet Band Halbach Array Monorail, Video at the End

By Gizmos and Stuff

Yes, you can embed an Halbach Array, even into your own Papercraft projects!

And what the heck's an Halbach Array?
Just put a lot of Magnets on a row, each one 90 degrees rotated in relation to the previous one, like this..

Tada! An Halbach Array.
In that picture, almost all of BOTH the magnet's poles strenght is on the bottom side!

Step 1:

So where to get a lot of Magnets, say, for a Papercraft Toy Monorail?

On the Magnetic bands you find on the doors of discarded Refrigerators, that's where!

Step 2:

Get a Compass, and find the North pole, that's the side of the band that attracts the South side of the Compass, the bar is on the left:

Step 3:

Cut the band in sections as long as the band's thickness, in this case, 2 mm, notice you better paint the North side, it there's not a groove on it, so as to tell the poles apart... I went ahead, and did both! LOL

Step 4:

You'll get a lotta magnet bars, Mwahahahahah!

Step 5:

Then, it's child's play, glue one, rotate, glue another, rotate, etc, see the graphic above, on the intro.
It cycles at every 4 magnets...
You see a completed section, here, notice the repeating pattern, you spot a groove on every 4th bar.
After you're done, cut the Plastic and turn the thing upside down, remember the strenght is now almost all on the side where there's only a clan plastic strip.
Lots less mess and friction, that way.

Step 6:

The following is a Prrof-of-Concept makeshift thing, so you can and will make something a lot better-looking, notice, the underside has all the strenght, so it's turned up, so the magnets on the strip and that top magnet repel each other.

Step 7:

You can see here a minimal "train",  a plastic piece, an U with flaps that hold on to the the track, so it stays above it: A more balanced vehicle can be made with 2 equal strenght and polarity  Magnets, one at the left, and the other at the right, like you'd cut that one along it's lenght.
If you're a Tech wizz, you can even make a minute electro-magnet, that will move the Monorai train, with a Clock Battery, for power. Make a closed loop track, endless fun!

Step 8:

So here's the Video, of course, remember, a well-balanced PAIR of magnets, instead of one, will do better, and the whole thing can and must be made with more time and attention, but the steps are these, the fine hadicraft work, must be yours...
HAVE FUN!