I Overengineered a Spinning Top
Aaed Musa, an engineering creator at an unstated company, explains how he designed and tested a self-contained electric spinning top; no guest or location is stated.
In this talk
- 0:04
A top that keeps spinning
Musa sets out to build a spinning top that runs for hours, with all the parts that keep it moving contained inside its shell. He first considers a reaction wheel, which turns its motor’s acceleration into rotation of the top’s base, but the wheel eventually reaches its maximum speed and stops accelerating the base.
- 6:44
Using vibration to drive rotation
Musa switches to an eccentric rotating mass, an unbalanced weight that creates vibrations. He explains that the top’s tip and the surface can turn those vibrations into circular motion. A prototype spins under its own power and recovers after being bumped. He improves it by balancing the core with screws and replacing the 3D-printed tip with a steel ball bearing.
- 9:34
Testing top design
Musa designs and tests 42 spinning cups over several weeks; some spin for more than an hour, while others fall after seconds. His tests point to three design factors: a high moment of inertia, a low center of mass, and a suitable tip size. For the electric top, he finds a medium-sized tip more stable than a smaller one.
- 11:48
Control, materials, and results
Musa tries a PID controller and two speed-measuring methods, using the onboard IMU and a Hall effect sensor with a magnet. He finds that running the motor at a constant speed works well, so the extra control systems are unnecessary. With machined aluminum shells and polycarbonate spin plates, the finished tops run for a little over two hours, limited by battery life.
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