The N35/N42/N50/etc. refers to the grade of the magnets, which corresponds to the maximum possible magnetisation. Basically: larger number = stronger magnets. "4 × 2" refers to the size in millimetres (first number is the diameter, second number is the thickness).Okay.. so. I have recently been advised to consider buying 40 x Meilongs for Multi-BLD and to magnetize them. Now whilst I am still considering to buy them and do this, I would like to gain some more information first. I assume that the 'N' you talk about is Newton so I am assuming it is the strength of the magnets. The '4x2' and those things I have no idea about.
So that being said I can't really say exactly what magnets I like and which I would like for this project. Something a bit stronger than the Valk 3 Power M is what I want to aim at. Similar to the MoYu AoChuang GTSM's inner layers. Can anyone please assist me in this matter?
I don't have any input regarding what magnets to use since I haven't really tried either the Valk Power M or the Aochuang GTSM, but you can check out teh yoshi's spreadsheet for a general guide.
More expensive and harder to mass produce, like others have said, but the key thing is that the magnetic pull when the layers are aligned is not the only thing that affects how magnets feel in a puzzle. Being a bit stronger when aligned wouldn't mean much if the slightest misalignment also causes the force to fall off steeply—this wouldn't be very different from classical friction-based alignment mechanisms, for example. For small magnets, the force between them obey an approximate inverse fourth power law, not inverse square (because the magnets are dipoles, not monopoles). You can't make the magnets too small for that reason, even if they're very strong. (Disclaimer: I haven't done the calculations (which can get very complicated), but "very small" here probably means something like 1 mm diameter.)Why don't we flush mount magnets instead of putting them inside cubing pieces? Magnets are so much stronger when they are in contact than when they are separated by a couple of millimeters of plastic.
That said, a few puzzles feature magnet grooves where the plastic is thinner (e.g. Galaxy v2 and I believe the Aoshi GTS M as well), so it's not like puzzle designers haven't been thinking about reducing magnet distance.