Magnets Discussion and Help thread

[Rcuber123]

So this a thread to discuss magnets in cubes.

I was thinking of making a magnetic cube by myself for fun. what magnets do u recommend I buy and where.
Thanks in advance.

 

[newtonbase]

I've been looking at this myself today. Not many cubes can be modded easily due to how the pieces are assembled. The exceptions I know of are the Weilong GTS (obviously) and the Valk. I'd like to know others that people have found.
I've bought some 2mm x 4mm N32 magnets to do the stickerless Valk but I believe stronger ones should be used in the GTS as the plastic is thicker. I've got some slow setting epoxy glue to fix them.

 

[SenorJuan]

I considered fitting magnets in 3x3x3 cubes back in the 80's, inspired by the ball-bearing click action of the pyraminx.
I never pursued it, it was just the idle thoughts of an engineer. I was obviously contemplating using ferrite magnets. The rare-earth ones were expensive and hard to obtain, the only ones I had seen at the time were in the earpieces of headphones. I was thinking of fitting them in just the edge pieces, and having steel plates in all 4 sides of the centre-pieces. I didn't want to fit them in the corners, as back then corner-pieces were sealed up, the final face was superglued on.
It's interesting to see what's been done with the current magnetic cubes. If you haven't already seen it, here's one 'homebrew' attempt:
http://kzcubereview.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/the-diy-magnetic-gts-and-tutorial.html

 

[newtonbase]

I considered fitting magnets in 3x3x3 cubes back in the 80's, inspired by the ball-bearing click action of the pyraminx.
I never pursued it, it was just the idle thoughts of an engineer. I was obviously contemplating using ferrite magnets. The rare-earth ones were expensive and hard to obtain, the only ones I had seen at the time were in the earpieces of headphones. I was thinking of fitting them in just the edge pieces, and having steel plates in all 4 sides of the centre-pieces. I didn't want to fit them in the corners, as back then corner-pieces were sealed up, the final face was superglued on.
It's interesting to see what's been done with the current magnetic cubes. If you haven't already seen it, here's one 'homebrew' attempt:
http://kzcubereview.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/the-diy-magnetic-gts-and-tutorial.html

Maybe the magnets I've bought are a little weak then. We'll see.

 

[newtonbase]

Maybe the magnets I've bought are a little weak then. We'll see.

I've now ordered some stronger ones. Less than £4 on ebay.

 

[xyzzy]

I put a bunch of magnets into my GuHong a few days back and the snapping felt pretty cool, but it didn't really fix the popping/explosion issues.

Other than that, the magnets I got were way too strong (6 mm × 3 mm) so I added roughly ~1 mm of padding between the magnet and the pieces, but that led to the magnets preferentially sticking to each other within the pieces rather than between the corner and edge pieces. I'm not sure where I can get magnets of the right size around here, unfortunately.

 

[mark49152]

I considered fitting magnets in 3x3x3 cubes back in the 80's

Magnets in an 80s Rubik's brand? Sounds about as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike.

 

[guysensei1]

Anyone tried adding magnets to a cube but making them repel instead? Probably a bad cube but it would feel cool.

 

[newtonbase]

Magnets in an 80s Rubik's brand? Sounds about as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike.

They need motors not magnets. My hands hurt after solving less than 70 for that mural.

 

[Aysha]

I tried N35 4x2mm magnets in a YueXiao as my first attempt at making my own magnetic cube. I got the magnets from AliExpress (200 magnets for around $5 including registered shipping).

They aren't strong enough for the plastic, so they barely make a difference during any solve.

I might try adding magnets to my X-Man Design Tornado next if the design of the pieces allows it.

 

[RennuR]

Not gunna lie, I really think if someone tried to Magnetize the Senhuan Mars that would be cool. That cube has some potential, and although it is mediocre, the main reason WHY it is mediocre is because of its massive stability issues, its speed and "feel" is great.

What do you guys think, Magnets in the Senhuan Mars possible? How would it work in the corner mechanism?

 

[pipkiksass]

I'm seriously considering making a magnetic stickerless Valk 3 using 4x2 N35 magnets. Has anyone had any success with the Valk, and any thoughts on magnet choice, or other tips??


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[newtonbase]

I'm seriously considering making a magnetic stickerless Valk 3 using 4x2 N35 magnets. Has anyone had any success with the Valk, and any thoughts on magnet choice, or other tips??


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That was exactly my plan but I now suspect that the N35 magnets might be too weak. I've ordered N52 magnets instead. They could be too strong but I'm going for it.

 

[SenorJuan]

Depending on your skills and tools (I'm thinking 'Dremel' type tools here), you could probably fit the magnets closer together, by making a recess for the magnets to sit in. They may not pull so well when the faces are misaligned, that's the problem. There's likely to be some optimum spacing/magnet-strength, where the magnets help align, without being overly-strong when they are aligned.

 

[newtonbase]

Depending on your skills and tools (I'm thinking 'Dremel' type tools here), you could probably fit the magnets closer together, by making a recess for the magnets to sit in. They may not pull so well when the faces are misaligned, that's the problem. There's likely to be some optimum spacing/magnet-strength, where the magnets help align, without being overly-strong when they are aligned.

I think placement is more important than people think. If they go close to the outside of the cube then they will be more accurate but if they are closer to the core they will kick in sooner. Finding the right balance is, I assume, a big part of the Cubicle's research costs.

 

[pipkiksass]

I think placement is more important than people think. If they go close to the outside of the cube then they will be more accurate but if they are closer to the core they will kick in sooner. Finding the right balance is, I assume, a big part of the Cubicle's research costs.

Agreed. Also, drilling 48 identical holes with a dremel would be a nightmare. I think it's all about the placement and strength.

Have you (I assume the answer is yes) watched DMCubing's YouTube tutorial for making a magnetic Valk 3? He is of the same opinion to you re: N35s. Might go for something in between.

Have you given much thought to epoxy selection?


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[newtonbase]

Agreed. Also, drilling 48 identical holes with a dremel would be a nightmare. I think it's all about the placement and strength.

Have you (I assume the answer is yes) watched DMCubing's YouTube tutorial for making a magnetic Valk 3? He is of the same opinion to you re: N35s. Might go for something in between.

Have you given much thought to epoxy selection?


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Yes, I've seen them. I keep changing my mind about the strength and I'm now considering practicing on a Thunderclap first.

I've got a slow drying epoxy on order that should give me plenty of time to work with.

 

[RennuR]

Anyone tried adding magnets to a cube but making them repel instead? Probably a bad cube but it would feel cool.

By this do you mean repel into place? Kind of like maybe if it gets past a certain point, it will repel away into cube position? Equalizing with the other magnets? That could be cool, but may make turning it a bit harder aha

 

[mark49152]

Anyone tried adding magnets to a cube but making them repel instead? Probably a bad cube but it would feel cool.

Yes I asked Chris Tran, and he said he had tried it but the force needed to turn through the repulsion made it feel weird.

 

[RennuR]

Yes I asked Chris Tran, and he said he had tried it but the force needed to turn through the repulsion made it feel weird.

Just a quick question, what would you think about a Magnetized Senhuan Mars? The cube is mediocre as a whole, but mostly because of stabiliity, I feel like the mechanism would benefit from it. Opinions?