Live Long and Prosper

For this Lunar New Year, we wish everyone, a Happy New Year. 新年快乐。。

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The Vortex Lamp

Yet another electro-mechanical lamp/light project. A vortex lamp for your desktop, living room or as a night light.

The lamp produces a spinning water vortex inside a glass, that is then illuminated with LEDs.

Another look (sorry for the poor photo quality)

Similar to how a magnetic stirrer works, a motor will spin a permanent magnet creating a spinning magnetic field. Placing a ferromagnetic metal within that field will cause it to spin as well. The metal spins without making any physical contact with the magnet or motor. The spinning motion of the metal stirs the water in the glass, creating a twister/vortex effect.

The stirrer used is a paperclip, coated with epoxy (to prevent rusting)

Parts are pretty basic. The (somewhat) difficult thing is sourcing for the Neodymium magnet . Any kind of magnet won’t do, especially those ferrite fridge magnets. It has be a neodymium magnet for it to work. Or at least the old school samarium cobalt magnet (if you can find one). I got mine from a dead hard drive. Other source of these magnets would be those magnet therapy bracelets (though the price is an utter rip-off). If not, you’re going to have to shop online as neodymium can’t really be purchased off the shelf (at least in this part of the world).

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Board Game Event Cancelled

Due to our host, Chee Leong, have last minute issue crops out. The board game saturday event is cancelled. REPEAT CANCELLED.

The meeting is still on, this have nothing to do with the meeting, happening the same day.

I APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.

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