Making a FLOATING Lego Motor Powered By The Sun!
365K views · Aug 30, 2025 · Science & Technology
Comments · 323
@JamiesBrickJams · 1 year ago · pinned
To learn for free on Brilliant, go to <a href="https://brilliant.org/JamiesBrickJams/">https://brilliant.org/JamiesBrickJams/</a>. You’ll also get 20% off an annual premium subscription.
31
@thomasthecrunkengine3512 · 1 year ago
I would recommend using a solid state magnetic field detector instead of a reed switch. Those are notoriously slow and bad for making motors.
308
@jangruber991 · 1 year ago
fun fact LEDs make bad Solar Panels and Solar Panels make bad LEDs
126
@R1C3-t2d · 1 year ago
Lego should start a new series technic 2.0 where it has magnets and wire like this. it would be so cool!
96
@riverdog_deyna · 1 year ago
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMXdkLFfQLQ&t=821">13:41</a> Bro the orrery is spinning the wrong way, I CAN'T, dawg!!! Great video, tho!
125
@spaceman14-k3t · 1 month ago (edited)
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMXdkLFfQLQ&t=69">1:09</a> WE’LL NEED A ROTOR FOR OUR MOTOR 🔥🔥🔥🗣️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🗣️
4
@Simple_But_Expensive · 1 year ago
Provided the orrery gearing gives the Earth ball 365 rotations per revolution around the Sun ball, if you were to install a very bright led in the Sun ball, and a voltage regulator to precisely control your motor rotations, you could gear down your input to provide one Earth rotation per 24 hours. <br><br>This would provide a lot of torque, and make a pretty interesting desk clock/calendar. Not extremely accurate, but it also shows rough time around the <br>world. <br><br>You probably couldn’t provide enough power with just one solar panel, but nothing says you can’t daisy chain them.<br><br>A one of a kind desk clock.
62
@notNovac7w7 · 1 year ago
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMXdkLFfQLQ&t=966">16:06</a> yes we want :3
41
@DaVagrant · 1 year ago
I would absolutely love to see a purely magnetic levitation motor!
36
@trebstepgaming · 1 year ago
I didn't even know LEDs could be used as a solar panel themselves 😭😂
27
@HydroWorldOutlookHub5769 · 1 year ago
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMXdkLFfQLQ&t=970">16:10</a> YES!!! Please build a LEGO Technic brushless motor with a fully-levitating rotor, Jamie! That would be fantastic. <br><br><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMXdkLFfQLQ&t=1325">22:05</a> Instead of using magician's thread to levitate the rotor, you could also build a hybrid brushless motor that (passively) magnetically levitates the rotor itself, but SUPPORTS the rotor axle shaft with LEGO Technic Ball Bearings (as demonstrated by the Akiyuki Brick Channel: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omRAf5kvYDY">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=omRAf5kvYDY)—one</a> of these ball bearings would be used on either side of the rotor (in a horizontal setup configuration) or on either the top and bottom of the rotor (in a vertical setup configuration). While this may sound counterintuitive, it actually isn't because the rotor itself is levitated in the magnetic field of the copper coils, reducing friction. Meanwhile, the rotor's axle shaft however, is firmly and securely stabilized by the Technic ball bearings, meaning that the rotor cannot wobble from or escape its intended axis of rotation while spinning, even at high speeds. <br><br>The reason I strongly recommend building and using the Akiyuki Brick Channel's Technic Steel Ball Bearing designs INSTEAD of buying and using smaller ball bearings off-the-shelf is because those ball bearings are inherently larger in diameter and cheaper to construct than any (affordable) equivalent off-the-shelf options. A Technic ball bearing built using 11L ring elements will spread and distribute load more evenly over a larger diameter, increasing and improving the rotor axle or driveshaft's stability at much higher speeds than any of the smaller bearings you used in this video can. While the Akiyuki Brick Channel's design uses special 14mm steel balls not produced by LEGO, these are very easy and cheap to find and buy, uch as the ones I found here: https://www.amazon.com/14mm-Chrome-Steel-Bearings-G25-50/dp/B075RSHK51. Keep in mind that buying in bulk almost always provides the best value for these sorts of applications.<br><br><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMXdkLFfQLQ&t=909">15:09</a> Lastly, as a safety precaution, I strongly advise you to always strongly reinforce any rotating structures you build with LEGO that you intend to spin quickly. When I build fans or propellers in this fashion (where the blades are mounted perpendicular to the rotating hub, as you have done here), I will ALWAYS use the modified Technic pins with holes (https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=15100#T=S&O={%22iconly%22:0}) to vertically (or horizontally, depending on the orientation by which the rotating construction is mounted) reinforce the rotating structure PARALLEL to its axis of rotation so that I can significantly reduce the chances of the structure breaking while spinning at high speeds, thereby increasing safety margins by reducing the risks of blade-out incidents. This additional reinforcement can and does make the rotating structure heavier—which can increase the load on the motor—but it is still worth it to maximize safety. Including this additional reinforcement may not be necessary for smaller rotating structures intended to rotate below 500-700 RPM, but for any rotation speeds above that threshold (which your brushless motor rotors likely exceed when spinning), I very strongly recommend it for safety. In your model, the actual fan blades you use on your models are relatively short (only 2 stacked Technic beams long), so the air friction and centrifugal forces working against them are nowhere near as concerning as they would be for full-on air propellers, but it's still a good idea to take the necessary safety precautions of reinforcing the rotating structures just in case. <br><br>As I explained previously, I am still planning on building a large sleek, futuristic amphibious supercolony airship model. This <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMXdkLFfQLQ&t=76">1:16</a> scale hydroaerospacecraft (watercraft/aircraft/spacecraft) model will double as the wind tunnel and RC testbed flight model for my family's planned large sleek, futuristic amateur-homebuilt Type-C Wing-In-Ground-Effect eVTOL superyacht aerowatercraft (aircraft/watercraft) that we are planning to hopefully start building sometime in the early 2030s and register with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) once completed sometime in 2043, 2045, or 2047. While the actual final full-scale, life-sized aerowatercraft will be built primarily from wood, fiberglass, and potentially other affordable aviation-grade composite materials, this initial testing model we are building will be primarily constructed from PVC pipes and other materials that we will buy, to save money we will also be leveraging our existing, expansive LEGO Technic part collection for many of the aerowatercraft's mechanical features (VTOL takeoff/landing transformation mechanisms, flaperons/airbrakes, rudder/steering mechanisms, extending flight wings, landing gear extension/retraction mechanisms, hydrofoil extension/retraction mechanisms, swiveling proprotor thrust-vectoring flaps, landing gear wheel/hydrofoil suspension systems, etc.) and other moving parts (spinning transmedium flight proprotors, spinning marine drive propellers, spinning cooling fans, spinning landing gear driving wheels, spinning LIDAR systems, slowly-rotating radar bars, slowly-revolving supercolony core rings, etc.). For components that are intended to, or will need to spin anywhere north of 700 RPM (including, but not limited to: the 0.6-0.7 meter diameter transmedium flight proprotors (which will be thoroughly reinforced for protection against high-speed centrifugal forces), the 11-inch-diameter marine drive propellers, the cooling fans, and potentially even the aerowatercraft's landing gear driving wheels (during conventional runway takeoffs and landings)), I am planning to employ a hybrid approach to the Akiyuki Brick Channel's method(s) of constructing large-diameter, heavy-duty ball bearings like those that I have described earlier in this comment, where the rotor itself is levitated but the axle on which the rotor is mounted is stabilized by the custom Technic ball bearings. Seeing this process demonstrated in one of your videos would not only help us visualize this setup (so that my family and I can reliably evaluate whether or not we should truly proceed with investing our time and money into it), but it would also help other viewers of this channel learn how this setup works, along with its advantages and disadvantages. <br><br>Hopefully this sounds like a fun experiment to try, Jamie! If not, I understand. Thanks so much again for sharing this video and please know that all of your time, patience, and consideration is very greatly appreciated by all of us viewers.
11
@Thecrypttidgamer · 1 year ago
true levitation for a speaker sounds cool
13
Up next

Maxing Out My Homemade Brushless LEGO Motors
Jamie's Brick Jams · 683K views

Lego Gravity Power: Turning Falling Weights Into Electricity!
Jamie's Brick Jams · 535K views

Making a Real Working Steam Turbine for LEGO!
Jamie's Brick Jams · 1.1M views

Lego Piston Power: Making ELECTROMAGNETIC Engines!
Jamie's Brick Jams · 1M views

Here’s What Happens Inside a Wind Turbine to Generate Electricity
Skrawl · 2.6K views

Maxing Out The World’s Strongest LEGO Crusher
Jamie's Brick Jams · 138K views

Why a Magnet Doesn't Actually Run Out of Energy
Sleep On Physics · 124K views

I Built a Fully Automated LEGO Car Factory
Banana Gear Studios · 793K views

Bessent PANICS As Bond CRISIS Hits WORST MOMENT - Dutch Say BACK OFF USA
House of El · 232K views

Melting Motors: 120 Volts vs Homemade Lego Motor
Jamie's Brick Jams · 675K views

Powerful Lego BLADELESS Turbine Generator!
Jamie's Brick Jams · 1.1M views

World’s Strongest Lego Crusher Powered By Air
Jamie's Brick Jams · 1.8M views

Adding Weapons To a Massive LEGO Tank
Jamie's Brick Jams · 181K views

I Built a Mechanical Flappy Bird Game
Engineezy · 1.2M views

Building Bigger & BIGGER Brushless Motors Using Lego
Jamie's Brick Jams · 1.4M views

Making the most pickproof lock yet
Works By Design · 7.6M views

This Lego Vacuum-Powered Generator SUCKS!
Jamie's Brick Jams · 907K views

Barely Legal Lego: Making a Powerful Lego Coil Gun
Jamie's Brick Jams · 1.1M views

Casting Engine Parts from 3D Prints
Camden Bowen · 1.9M views

Lethal Lego: Making An Overpowered Bolt Gun
Jamie's Brick Jams · 1M views