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Magnets Discussion and Help thread

xyzzy

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Dec 24, 2015
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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?
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).

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.

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.
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.)

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.
 

Tabe

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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?
What you want is 4x2 N35 magnets.
 

chron0s

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Joined
Feb 20, 2017
Messages
164
I took a non-magnetic Moyu GTS WR 3x3 and magnetized it with a cubicle strong magnet set - much stronger than the stock magnets, and a bit stronger feeling compared to the GTS3 ridged magnets. Maybe a bit too strong for my tastes - I'm going to try some 4x1.5 N38s in another one and compare.
 

xyzzy

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Joined
Dec 24, 2015
Messages
2,877
Also, is this the correct way to magnetize the 8x8? Or did I miss something?
View attachment 10879
Seems right.

(I used 4×1.5 N38 in my Cubing Classroom MF8, ended up a bit too weak for my liking. But it also seems like that cube will pop and explode at every opportunity, regardless of whether it's magnetised, so…)
 

Kenshen

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Jan 7, 2020
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Im new to magnetizing my own cubes, and Im really confused on the lots of kinds of magnet strength. I would like to magnetize my yuxin 2x2 for my first 'project' but I cant just pick out random magnets because I could waste a good cube I got on my birthday. I'd really like to know on how much of a strength difference there is on a 4x2 N35 and with a 4x1.5 N35, so that I could pick a set of magnets and magnetize my 2x2 when I can. Thanks!
 

AbsoRuud

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These sites will be very helpful:
Calculate magnetic force between magnets that are placed in cubes. You want to be between 7 (very light) and 16 (very strong) on the magnet to magnet pull force. You'll have to measure the thickness of the plastic yourself.

Or, check this site:

It has recommended magnet strength and size for various cubes.
 

Lordpaxin

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Joined
Dec 19, 2019
Messages
42
Location
WV
If you like quite puzzles, you would LOVE the tengyun! It has a very weak magnet strength, I think. But overall the tension was good out of the box. I just put some lunar and solar in it until I was happy.
What magnets did you put in your Tengyun?
 

xyzzy

Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2015
Messages
2,877
What magnets did you put in your Tengyun?
It comes with magnets already installed and you can't change them. (I hear it's very difficult to remove the caps on the pieces and you risk damaging the puzzle permanently if you do that; it also seems that there's no room to add magnets anyway.)
 
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