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Mendocino motor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mendocino motor is a solar-powered magnetically-levitated motor.
The motor consists of a four-sided rotor block in the middle of a shaft. The rotor block has two sets of windings and a solar cell attached to each side. The shaft is positioned horizontally and has a magnet at each end. The magnets on the shaft provide levitation by repelling magnets in a base under the motor. There is an additional magnet that sits under the rotor block and provides a magnet field for the rotor.
When light strikes one of the solar cells, it generates an electric current thus energizing one of the rotor windings. This produces an electromagnetic field which interacts with the magnet under the rotor. This interaction causes the rotor to turn. As the rotor rotates, the next solar cell moves into the light and energizes the second winding. This process repeats as the motor spins.