This effect is not due to paramagnetism. It is due to eddy currents induced in conductors in a moving magnetic field. Copper is more conductive than zinc, so the eddy currents are stronger.
Hello, I've tried several attempts at recreating your effect...the first time I tried a cardboard track, then a modified curtain rod. My Son and I have tried these things at various heights/angles with little placement differential of the pennies. The magnet setup seems to be almost identical. We even tried adding additional magnets. I don't know if you're still monitoring this, but if you are, any suggestions towards better results would be much appreciated, thanks,
i sell penny sorters and comparators, and i invented autohoppers to work with the CoinAlyzer units.visit my site at TheGoodRobot. com or email me, or search autohopper on youtube and ebay. my id is smartstuff2buy
i sell copper pennies, and also i sell copper/zinc un-sorted pennies that you can sort yourself!
I just bought 4 really powerful magnets probably more powerful than a hard drive magnet they have over 50lb of pulling force each and I got 250 small ones that have 3lbs of pulling force each. We'll see what I come up with. I have to worry about sorting steel pennies out too cause mine are canadian. I don't think america has steel pennies yet.
@omgwowface It is just a weight to keep the container from moving around. This method works really well, when it's set up right the accuracy is 100% I've noticed the faster the penny goes, the greater the distance that the copper and zinc land. Also, if using a hard drive magnet, remove one of them inside the case, if both are there it slows them too much and doesn't work well.
@omgwowface They are what's called "diamagnetic" so they repel magnets when they are moving by a magnet, it's called an "eddy current" and copper reacts with the magnet stronger than zinc so it slows down more.
@DanJeffery07 Yeah I thought it had something to do with when you drop a magnet down a copper tube. Anyways, you think this will work for say 1,000 pennies a minute? if I scaled it up and had a big magnet.
@omgwowface well, a 1000/min would be around 17/sec, which is an awful lot. The pennies must have time to fully clear the magnet before the next one enters, otherwise it screws it up. If you can accelerate the penny very fast, then yea. The fastest I've gotten on 1 rail is about 3 per second. I will be making one that does at least 450/min, but it will be one large hopper that feeds at least 3 rails with their own magnets. I will make a video of it when I get around to it.
@DanJeffery07 Hmmm why does it have to be 1 penny at a time per rail, if you had a large flat thing for them to slide down and a big enough magnet I think you could just pour like 5,000 pennies down it and sort them all within a few seconds. You would have to slow the copper ones to a dead stop and drop though and make sure the zinc ones are shooting way out compared to where the copper ones fall. If I ever make one I'll send you a video.
@omgwowface well i suppose if you have a large magnet that goes at the end of the flat thing they slide down, but if a faster zinc penny hits a slower copper penny then the zinc one will slow down and could end up in the copper pile. But with a bar magnet at the end you could send a heck of a lot down, as long as they don't touch each other and it would work fine.
i can sort quicker by hand
tdubb505 3 weeks ago
This effect is not due to paramagnetism. It is due to eddy currents induced in conductors in a moving magnetic field. Copper is more conductive than zinc, so the eddy currents are stronger.
noahspurrier 1 month ago
Hello, I've tried several attempts at recreating your effect...the first time I tried a cardboard track, then a modified curtain rod. My Son and I have tried these things at various heights/angles with little placement differential of the pennies. The magnet setup seems to be almost identical. We even tried adding additional magnets. I don't know if you're still monitoring this, but if you are, any suggestions towards better results would be much appreciated, thanks,
Michael & Son
Michael2kyt08 1 month ago
ahh i see now, i was thinking of using a magnet but read they weren't magnetic, but i guess they still are effected by them just not attracted.
DazarGaidin 2 months ago
Comment removed
DazarGaidin 2 months ago
I like your style.
epohnopulse 3 months ago
so the magnet slows it down so it falls earlier
onenickelmiracle 6 months ago
You need to pat. this invention.Just shorten the tub.
TheHotRod1961 7 months ago
i sell penny sorters and comparators, and i invented autohoppers to work with the CoinAlyzer units.visit my site at TheGoodRobot. com or email me, or search autohopper on youtube and ebay. my id is smartstuff2buy
i sell copper pennies, and also i sell copper/zinc un-sorted pennies that you can sort yourself!
smartstuff2buy 10 months ago
can i use like a paper towel's brown paper tube and put a magnet in the end, would that work?
eliden 1 year ago
I just bought 4 really powerful magnets probably more powerful than a hard drive magnet they have over 50lb of pulling force each and I got 250 small ones that have 3lbs of pulling force each. We'll see what I come up with. I have to worry about sorting steel pennies out too cause mine are canadian. I don't think america has steel pennies yet.
omgwowface 1 year ago
Hmm I want to try, what is that thing in the plastic container?
omgwowface 1 year ago
@omgwowface It is just a weight to keep the container from moving around. This method works really well, when it's set up right the accuracy is 100% I've noticed the faster the penny goes, the greater the distance that the copper and zinc land. Also, if using a hard drive magnet, remove one of them inside the case, if both are there it slows them too much and doesn't work well.
DanJeffery07 1 year ago
@DanJeffery07 Why are they slowing down in the first place none of the metal is magnetic?
omgwowface 1 year ago
@omgwowface They are what's called "diamagnetic" so they repel magnets when they are moving by a magnet, it's called an "eddy current" and copper reacts with the magnet stronger than zinc so it slows down more.
DanJeffery07 1 year ago
@DanJeffery07 Yeah I thought it had something to do with when you drop a magnet down a copper tube. Anyways, you think this will work for say 1,000 pennies a minute? if I scaled it up and had a big magnet.
omgwowface 1 year ago
@omgwowface well, a 1000/min would be around 17/sec, which is an awful lot. The pennies must have time to fully clear the magnet before the next one enters, otherwise it screws it up. If you can accelerate the penny very fast, then yea. The fastest I've gotten on 1 rail is about 3 per second. I will be making one that does at least 450/min, but it will be one large hopper that feeds at least 3 rails with their own magnets. I will make a video of it when I get around to it.
DanJeffery07 1 year ago
@DanJeffery07 Hmmm why does it have to be 1 penny at a time per rail, if you had a large flat thing for them to slide down and a big enough magnet I think you could just pour like 5,000 pennies down it and sort them all within a few seconds. You would have to slow the copper ones to a dead stop and drop though and make sure the zinc ones are shooting way out compared to where the copper ones fall. If I ever make one I'll send you a video.
omgwowface 1 year ago
@omgwowface well i suppose if you have a large magnet that goes at the end of the flat thing they slide down, but if a faster zinc penny hits a slower copper penny then the zinc one will slow down and could end up in the copper pile. But with a bar magnet at the end you could send a heck of a lot down, as long as they don't touch each other and it would work fine.
DanJeffery07 1 year ago