Strobbed Crookes Radiometer

[Aubrey McIntosh, Ph.D.]

Without warning, I started thinking about a Crookes radiometer this morning.

Of course, I had the standard thoughts of making it go faster, or
measuring how fast it does go, and remembering sunny afternoons in my
childhood with mirrors and radiometers, but no air conditioning.

One completely new thought (to me) was to illuminate it with LEDs and to
synchronize the illumination with the vane's position.

Anyone already done this and have some circuits to share?

 

[John Larkin]

On Mon, 13 Jun 2005 12:23:54 -0500, "Aubrey McIntosh, Ph.D."
<newsposter@spam.vima.austin.tx.us> wrote:

Without warning, I started thinking about a Crookes radiometer this morning.

Of course, I had the standard thoughts of making it go faster, or
measuring how fast it does go, and remembering sunny afternoons in my
childhood with mirrors and radiometers, but no air conditioning.

One completely new thought (to me) was to illuminate it with LEDs and to
synchronize the illumination with the vane's position.

Anyone already done this and have some circuits to share?

You could make a Crookes servomotor.

John