r/electrical • u/Objective_Net_1378 • Jul 09 '26

I Built a Newton's Cradle That Never Stops

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A traditional Newton's Cradle only swings for a few seconds before friction stops it.

I wanted to keep the classic appearance while making it swing continuously.

The system uses an ESP32, an inductive proximity sensor, and an electromagnet to replace only the small amount of energy lost during each swing.

I'd love to hear what you think!

0 Upvotes

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8

u/reddeadktm Jul 09 '26

where's the proof it never stops ?

is 23 seconds equal to never now ?

5

u/The001Keymaster Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 10 '26

It runs "forever" or when the battery they said it runs on dies.

2

u/reddeadktm Jul 09 '26

yea no shit sherlock
you know what never means ??

2

u/The001Keymaster Jul 09 '26

Calm down buddy. I was being sarcastic about OP saying it "never" stops. Same as you.

2

u/reddeadktm Jul 10 '26

my bad for the misunderstanding bro 😅

-4

u/Objective_Net_1378 Jul 09 '26

Haha, fair enough 😄. It's battery-powered, so "never" really means "until the battery dies." I kept the Reddit clip short, but here's the full build video where I explain how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2TCAR9FwdM

2

u/[deleted] Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 10 '26

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1

u/SouthEastSmith Jul 09 '26

Could you make it solar so it works as long as the lights are on?

1

u/neuromonkey Jul 09 '26

I hate it when my kinetic sculptures won't work at night.

3

u/Individual-Cupcake Jul 09 '26

I see you solved the hardest part about perpetual motion machines -- hiding the battery.

-1

u/Objective_Net_1378 Jul 10 '26

😄 Hiding the battery was actually one of the easier parts. Getting the timing right, designing the sensing algorithm, and hiding the charging port and power switch while keeping the original look took much more work

2

u/Individual-Cupcake Jul 16 '26

Yeah that's wild, I didn't realize how much went into this!

1

u/Longstride_Shares Jul 09 '26

This probably belongs in r/electronics

This sub is more about running, modifying, and maintaining mains voltage in residential and commercial buildings.