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OS:Achilles Ligeras' Magnetic Engine (ALME)
From PESWiki
An Open Source Magnet Motor Project
The diagram is a simplification. The red signifies one polarity as seen by the magnet in proximity. The opposite polarity, of course, would be present on the opposite side.
Download alme12.exe (472 kb) - executable file that allows stop/start, speed up, slow down of the device animation.
American-Grecian inventor, Achilles ("Archie") Ligeras, who resides in New York, claims to have built a working prototype that demonstrate his original concept of a motor driven by magnets only, with no other input. An animation of his design is shown to the right.
This is another in a long stream of claims to working magnet motors, none of which have yet emerged with a clear public demonstration.
If this one can be proven and refined for commercial application, this technology could revolutionize the energy industry, providing a clean energy source that is everywhere present and constant, replacing the need for any kind of fuel, and allowing a pure "distributed energy" paradigm -- to the point of each appliance having its own power source. Smaller versions may be limited, such as for a cell phone, but the repowering station for the batteries could be portable.
Achilles claims that his working prototype achieved a rotation speed of 1500 rpm for fifteen minutes, and ran continuously at a slower speed for about 48 hours. At the end of that run, the motor box housing was hot to the touch, but not too hot to touch. The heat was most likely a function of friction from the various rollers and bearings. He applied a Schwinn bike generator to generate a few watts of electricity. He also tried stopping the shaft wearing leather garden gloves, and that it was quite hard to stop the rotation.
In the process of removing the housing from the motor in preparation for its photographing and videotaping, the device broke. A second, more professionally-machined prototype is in process of being built.
As Achilles' time in Greece expired (mid-Sept. 2008), he then returned to the U.S. and now wishes to give this idea away to the world for open source development. He has chosen this site, PESWiki.com, to be the official location for this project development by the world community. This site is a publicly editable site, like Wikipedia. You are welcome to log in and join in the development of this material as new information becomes available.
- CAVEAT
- In open sourcing this idea, Achilles only asks that he receive a 6% royalty on any commercial development of the technology, which royalty he will share with PES Network, Inc., which is coordinating this project. Also, as complete plans are developed, those will be available in finished format for a small fee, though the more rough information will be available for free on this site.
- Project Status
- This concept is being presented for replication by others. A clear set of plans has not yet been worked up. Only one working prototype is claimed, which has broken.
Contents |
About
Official Website
This PESWiki page is the preferred destination by the inventor, Achilles Ligeras, for information regarding his device.
Animation
- Download alme12.exe (472 kb) - File is a Windows-only executable file that allows stop/start, speed up, slow down of the device animation.
Latest Developments
Sept. 29, 2008
This open source project page is commenced at PESWiki.com with permission from Achilles Ligeras.
Sept. 28, 2008
Achilles entered the A.L.M.E. idea into Google's, Google's 10 to the 100th competition.
~June, 2008
The first prototype is built and works on the first try, according to Achilles.
How it Works
Diagram Description
The following description was obtained from a phone interview Sterling D. Allan had with Achilles on the evening of Sept. 29, 2008.
The diagram is a simplification to make visualization of the concept easier. We'll call red "south (S)", and blue "north (N)".
In Archie's prototype, all of what is depicted in this diagram was housed inside a vented plywood box of dimensions 14" x 14" x 8" high, with the shaft protruding from the [black] box. After he gave the shaft a spin by hand, it would begin accellerating on its own until it reached a stable speed of approximately 1500 rpm (not accurately measured). [Editor's note: it could be that the eddy effect between magnets and the aluminum components prevents the motor from spinning faster, creating a self-braking effect. If brass, plastic or other non-magnetic material were used this effect would go away, allowing for greater torque and speed.] The points of friction were lubricated with synthetic oil.
All magnets were neodymium, custom shaped by a U.S. company per the specs given. Most of the remaining assembly was made of aluminum. The shaft in the middle came from another motor. It was probably steel, and it had a groove which could be used for fastening things to the shaft to prevent them from twisting on the shaft.
The two aluminum tracks, 9, were fitted with a groove for the four rollers on the two sides of the slider to ride in. Archie says that in a well-machined prototype, such tracks would not be necessary. The tracks are held stationary by the housing (not shown in diagram), while the rest of the aparatus moves within the housing. The slider (5, 3 and between) moves like a piston, two cycles per full rotation of the flywheel, 6.
The Cam, 7, and also the x (?), 4, were shaped from hard wood.
6 is the rotating flywheel to which 1 and 2 are attached. 1 and 2 are "magnet housing"s, holding five elliptical magnets each. These magnets are spaced with about a 1/4" gap between them.
The magnet housings, 1 and 2, have two points at which they are fastened to the flywheel. In the top of the diagram, there is one bolt that is stationary -- the pivot point. On the bottom of the diagram, the bolt is in a hole that is adjustable so that the magnet housing can be moved closer to or further from to the perimeter. The closer this end of the magnet housing is to the magnets 3 and 5, the more torque the motor has. The further away the housing is, the less torque the motor has. "In the new prototype I am incorporating a servo motor mechanism controlling both spinning housings' angles containing the magnets."
These two items, 1 and 2, are positioned symmetrically on the flywheel for balance. The hole depicted in the diagram (not numbered, but above and to the right of 5) were not in the first prototype. The purpose is to provide balance in the weight distribution. [Editor's note: Other, adjustable counterweight measures will need to be employed to offset the adjustment of 1 and 2.]
In 1, the five magnets are oriented so that "N" faces inward, and "S" faced outward.
In 2, the five magnets are oriented so that "S" faces inward, and "N" faced outward.
3 and 5 are single magnets each, with "S" facing outward and "N" inward. In the first prototype, they were held in place by an upper and lower plate that extended from the sliding apparatus (not labeled in the diagram), with screws protruding to tighten into the magnet, making a pressure fit.
There are four rollers 8: two on the top, and two on the bottom. These are made of plastic, with metal bearings between the plastic and the protruding post. The four rollers in the slider, though smaller, are of similar composition. The bearings holding the main shaft in the middle in place on the top and bottom of the housing (not shown), were regular steel ball bearings.
Correspondence
The following are some slightly-edited excerpts from correspondence with Achilles.
"At the present time were are in the very beginning stage with a mechanical engineer-designer to create a PTP (Personal Transportation Pod) concept driven by pedals attached to my ALME's modified Flywheel-Chain Gear and with an on board battery-motor (plug in) power assist unit. The PTP will have either a ball or an egg shape and it will be convertible with all the bells and whistles. Basically, we will use magnetic-pedal power coupled with an electric motor connected to a re-chargeable battery to power the PTP, which will also have a solar panel on its foldable sliding-in-place roof. By the way, the mechanical engineer-designer thinks that my ALME will work efficiently with the attached pedals." (Achilles Ligeras)
Photos
Pending
Plans
Autocad file drawings will be available in about two weeks (as of Sept. 29, 2008).
Materials
List here
Costs
Too early to tell.
Advantages
- Runs 24/7 as a primary energy source.
- small
- portable
Applications
- Power generation, probably of outputs of 100 W on low end, to 100 MW on the large end possible.
Independent Testing
"Several friends plus the techies witnessed my ALME working. Affidavits? Yes. Running times? From 5 minutes to 48 hours plus continuous. Demagnetized magnets? No." (Achilles Ligeras)
Patents
This is an open source project. No patent may be be filed in the U.S. Achilles has one year from Sept. 29, 2008 to file in Europe. This PESWiki page established the prior art for public disclosure. An archive version of this page as it appeard on Sept. 30, 2008, 12:15 am Mountain time, can be seen via this link (from the History tab of this page).
Replications
None yet. List yours here when you do one.
Profiles
Inventor:Achilles Ligeras
Born in Greece in around 1962, Archie has lived in New York state for the past 30 years. As a businessman, he has worked in real estate development.
In a phone interview with Sterling D. Allan on Sept. 29, 2008, he said: "I have been very creative sine I was born. Ideas come easily to me. I like inventing."
In email correspondence, he said: "ALME works, but still I can't understand why it works. It defies all relative laws of physics. As a businessman who takes pride to make fast the right decisions, I am undecided at the moment for the ALME's further development and certification."
Other Involvements of Achilles
- http://www.mountivydiner.com - 24/7 All-American Diner
- http://www.ezcork.com EZCork invention
Coverage
In the News
First revealed/covered here at PESWiki.com.
Other Coverage
List here as other coverage arises.
Discussion
Archie requests that critique comments refrain from ridicule, but that the skeptical comments be kept to scientific arguments, not personal attacks.
See Discussion page
- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ALME-OS - YahooGroups forum for this project
- ALME-OS-subscribe@yahoogroups.com - to subscribe by email.
- OverUnity.com thread pending site upgrade
Contact
Achilles ("Archie") Ligeras
New York
E-Mail: kamapi@optonline.net
Project Director volunteer pending (let us know if you would be willing to serve as such]
See also
- Other Directory listings
• Latest
• A-I
• J-R
• S-Z
• Tree
• News
- PESWiki home page
