MagLev Troubleshooting Guide

Magnetic Levitation Troubleshooting GuideLabel Problem/Issue Questions toInvestigate1.a My car won’t move past thestart lineIs your motorturning on?1.b Is your propellerturning?1.c Is your car tilting inany way when youturn on yourmotor?1.d Is your car toowide? Is it hard toslide up and downthe track withoutthe motor on?Try ThisIf yes, is your battery charged? You can checkthis with a voltmeter or simply by trying a newbattery.If no, check the wires connecting your batteryto your motor to make sure nothing has shakenloose.If yes, do you feel air moving in the directionthat you intend? That is, is the air moving in thedirection opposite of your intended vehicle’strack? If not, reverse the polarity of your motorby switching the wires on your motor.If no, if your motor is working, work to bettersecure your propeller to the motor shaft toprevent slipping.If yes, turn off your motor and check thebalance of your vehicle by sliding it up anddown the track. Check to see if your vehicletilts in any way as it is moving on the trackwithout the motor on. If it is not tilting, themotor is out of alignment with your car and youhave two options:1. Add, remove, or simply relocate masson your car to adjust for this balanceissue and re-check your vehicle’sbalance with the motor on. Keepadding/removing/relocating mass onyour car until the car does not tilt whenthe motor is turned on.2. Twist your motor to better line up yourmotor shaft with the track. Your motorshaft should be parallel to the side railsof the track to prevent a sideways forcefrom tilting your vehicle. Keep twistingyour motor and checking the car’sbalance/tilt until the car does not tiltwhen the motor is turned on.If no, check other issues.If yes, you need to make your car narrower. Itis highly recommended that you build your carwith an adjustable width system using shims orthick tape. If there is too much friction betweenyour car’s sides and the side walls of the track,you car will not move as the force generated bythe moving air from your motor/propellersystem is not great enough to overcomesignificant friction. You need to adjust thewidth of your car until it glides easily up and

Magnetic Levitation Troubleshooting Guide1.e Is your car levitatedon the track?down the track without the motor on. Keepadjusting the width of your car until it glideseasily up and down the track.If no, is your car too narrow? Your car shouldbe nearly as wide as the track width, but nottoo wide to create excessive contact andfriction. If there is too little contact betweenyour car’s sides and the side walls, the car ismore likely to twist or tilt in the track when themotor is turned on, causing it to appear that itis getting stuck in the track when it is actuallyturning at an angle and getting wedged in thetrack. Adjust the width of your vehicle until itglides easily up and down the track.If yes, is the levitation generally consistentalong the entire base of your vehicle with nomass added? If not, you may have one or moreof your magnets on your vehicle in the wrongorientation. Check the polarity orientation ofevery magnet on your vehicle. All magnets onone side of your vehicle should be of the samepolarity, and opposite of the polarity of all ofthe magnets on the opposite side of yourvehicle.If no, Is the polarity of the magnets that youhave on your car correct? Check the polarity ofthe magnets on one side of your car first. Arethey all of the same polarity? If not, flip overthe magnets that are of a different polarity. Ifthey are, check the magnets on the other sideof your car. Are they all of the same polarityand opposite to the polarity of the magnets onthe first side? If not, flip the magnets upsidedown that are of the wrong polarity.If no, is your car too heavy? Remove somemass from your vehicle and see if it levitates ORadd more magnets to the base of your car toincrease levitation.If no, also check the following issues that mayarise between your car and the Maglev track:1. The magnets on the track should be ofthe same width as the magnets on yourcar. Different widths can createsignificant balance issues for your carand it will be much more difficult to getyour car levitated and to stay levitatedin motion.2. Rare Issue. The magnets on the trackshould have a similar magnetic force tothe magnets on your car. If the

Magnetic Levitation Troubleshooting Guide1.f Is themotor/propellercombinationproducing enoughthrust to move yourvehicle?2.a Is your car getting stuck inthe track?Is your car toowide? Is it hard toslide up and downthe track withoutthe motor on?2.b Is your car tilting ortwisting in any waywhen you turn onyour motor? Thismay be causingyour car to twist inthe track andwedge itselfbetween the siderails.3.a Is your car capsizing or tiltingto one side?magnets on the track are too strong,then the car will be much more difficultto balance and keep balanced inmotion. Avoid Rare EarthMagnets…they will only causesignificant issues for your car and trackand may end up permanentlydamaging your track and/or car!If yes, then you vehicle should move down thetrack when it is properly balanced without anyissues.If no, you will need to try different motors andpropellers to create additional thrust to moveyour vehicle OR decrease the mass of yourvehicle OR decrease the width of your vehicleto decrease friction between the sides of yourvehicle and the side rails.See 1.dSee 1.cSee 1.c