Gyroscope plans or design

[Simon0362]

Hi everyone,

I am looking for some plans for a gyroscope to build for my nephew. I am looking for the straightforward spinning disk style with a protective pair of loops surrounding it. I have some beautiful instrument ball races around 4mm OD that would be good to use - I have a strip of 20 or so that I bought at an Amateur Radio rally years ago, still packaged with a production date back in the early 70s an it would be nice to use them.

I guess I could just sit down and design one myself but I was looking for some base design to build on.

Any help, designs or links gratefully received!

Simon

 

[nfk]

Hi Simon,
I don`t have plans for it but i could take some close up pictures of a very old Futaba giro (it was once mounted on my Hirobo, it was upgraded to a piezoelectric giro which is way more accurate).
It had a spinning brass wheel with some sensors surrounding it.
I`m not sure if it will fit your project but could be a start to design your own

Cheers,
Norberto

 

[kustomkb]

Here is one I made for my father in law for Christmas when I first met him. (before he became my father in law)

The pivots are set screws with jam-nuts to lock them in place with a couple thou clearance between the sharpened end and an opposing dimpled set screw. It runs for quite a while and the centre has quite a bit of mass.

Merry Christmas!

 

[Brian Rupnow]

I had one about a thousand years ago when I was a kid. It had a 3" dia. x 1/4" thick brass disc mounted in the center of a 3/16" steel shaft about 3 1/2" long with both ends sharpened to points. The outer ring was 3/16" diameter brass formed into a circle just large enough to let the disc spin in it without touching it, with a cone shaped hole on two opposing sides that the ends of the steel shaft fit into. On one end of the steel shaft, half way between the brass disc and the pointed end there was 1/16" diameter hole though the shaft. You could put a peice of string through that hole and wind it and wind it, and wind it---Then holding onto the outer ring, pull that string for all you were worth. The disc would spin at approximately one zillion RPM and you could then balance the thing almost anywhere and it would stay there till it slowed down. It was painted red. What else do you need to know.---Now---Go and build one!!!

 

[Engine maker]

Here are a few pictures of a couple I made a few years ago out of my scrap bin. Any questions feel free to contact me.
Jim

 

[CallMeAL]

Here is a short video of a gyroscope I made this past spring just to see if I could. It kind of shows how it went together and it was fun to build.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQOp6n-EQ0A[/ame]

 

[Simon0362]

Thanks for all of your ideas, pictures and encouragement - I will keep you up to date with my progress (when I actually get to cut metal, that is!)

Simon