Helmholtz Coil Track System
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| The track system and carriage. |
The research lab I'm currently working for has a one-axis Helmholtz coil, which was originally built to test magnetometers. A Helmholtz coil pair, in theory, produces a uniform magnetic field along the axis between the two coils. Therefore, to test a magnetometer, there needs to be a mechanism to move it axially between the each coil.
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| Axial view of Helmholtz coil and track. |
Because each magnetometer my lab uses has a different physical footprint, I designed the track system with rapid prototyping in mind. That is, I could design a different carriage for each different magnetometer and tweak any track designs as needed.
Each part was laser-cut using 1/4'' thick acrylic, then bonded together with acrylic cement. The carriage is held onto the track by placing non-ferromagnetic screws through the outer holes of the carriage. This constrains the carriage to movement along the track, with little play between the screws and the track. The notches on the carriage denote the position of the magnetometer's magnetic sensors, whereas the notches on the track denote dead center between the two coils.
This design is a simple, temporary setup that will eventually be replaced with a three-axis Helmholtz cage, which I am currently designing.
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| Side view of Helmholtz coil and track. |
