Update on my Proof of Principle Model of Bessler’s Wheel.

Someone emailed me to ask me why I didn’t visit the Besslerwheel forum any more and why was my blog silent about my work?

Well I visit the forum everyday but find that I have little reason to comment.  I have rarely come across anything that hasn’t been commented on countless times in the past and the authors seem to be very few in number these days, although they sometimes have excellent discussions with interesting topics.  

There is a lot of commentary on the English translations done for me by my friend Mike Senior, not so much finding fault as much as trying to squeeze extra information from the translations using modern translators.  I have no objection to this, it might be helpful, but I recall Mike’s advice to me when he agreed to translate everything.  

The text was written 300 years ago in a foreign language by a man who was born into a peasant family.  No criticism intended, but his culture would have used colloquialisms, slang, numerous idioms and of course common terminology - unknown to us.  Nuances in meaning vary in all languages including German and English.  So using Mike’s translations provided in a form which he believed gives the most likely meaning is probably as near as we can get to Bessler’s thoughts.  Not that Mike didn’t make mistakes , I’m sure he did, but in my opinion it’s still the best we have. Modern translators use modern German as their baseline - I doubt they could use the German of Bessler’s day to get modern English - even the English of the 1700s differs markably to today’s language.

Visit this website for numerous examples of how English word meanings have changed or even reversed their meanings.  It’s called semantics and it is common to all languages.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_change#:~:text=Semantic%20change%20(also%20semantic%20shift,different%20from%20the%20original%20usage.

The other question about this blog - why is it so silent? Good question, I hoped too have some real answers relatively quickly.

Time passes at an ever increasing speed and my intention was to have one final go at building a working model of Bessler’s wheel, before my 79th birthday, but it seems to have been blown off course by the winds of time.  I thought that with all the rain we’ve been having, I could work on Bessler's wheel in my garage/workshop secure in the knowledge that working outside on my wife’s exterior plans was out of the question.  Oops, I had forgotten a list of interior jobs I had promised to deal with asap.  Anyway to quote from “Gone with the Wind”, the last line of the book reads, “tomorrow is another day”.  So tomorrow has come…..a bit. Now I’m able to spend, at least some time on the wheel, I believe there are no more excuses left for me but to finish this job once and for all!

So from now on I’ll be working on it, but continuing to fulfil my other commitments, by working round them, hopefully.  I’ll have a better idea of a finishing date after a few days.

Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” I guess the same applies to me/us, but my confidence in this design is high and even if it doesn’t work, I will share it here in case anyone’s interested. I do think it is the same as Bessler’s but rather than try to explain it I’ll simply post photos and videos of it once it’s ready. This is not a new design for me because I’ve been studying it for almost a year, but there have been minor alterations and adjustments to make, not to mention the old pieces of previous mechanisms I’m using up which require extensive alterations. 

But perhaps these are just excuses for my procrastination? Maybe I can always find other things to do, which I convince myself, are more important, more urgent ….and easier! Or as someone suggested, the reason for the delay is apparently, that  I fear the outcome which will end in another failure.  That at least is not true, I always anticipate success even though, like Thomas Edison, I’ve found 10,00O, ways of making a stationary wheel.  I’m just getting older and it takes more of an effort to keep working, but I’m definitely going to finish this one as soon as I can.

JC

The True Story of Bessler’s Perpetual Motion Machine.

On 6th June, 1712, in Germany, Johann Bessler (also known by his pseudonym, Orffyreus) announced that after many years of failure, he had succeeded in designing and building a perpetual motion machine. For more than fourteen years he exhibited his machine and allowed people to thoroughly examine the outside of it, but it’s internal workings were kept hidden. This was because the inventor feared that his design would be copied and someone else might obtain credit for all his years of hard work looking for the solution. He followed the advice from the famous scientist, Gottfried Leibniz, who was able to examine the device, and recommended a number of demonstrations and tests designed to prove the validity of his machine without giving away the secret of its design.

Karl the Landgrave of Hesse permitted Bessler to live, work and exhibit his machine at the prince's castle of Weissenstein. Karl was a man of unimpeachable reputation and he insisted on being allowed to verify the inventor's claims before he allowed Bessler to take up residence. This the inventor reluctantly agreed to and once he had examined the machine to his own satisfaction Karl authorised the publication of his approval of the machine. For several years Bessler was visited by numerous people of varying status, scientists, ministers and royalty. Several official examinations were carried out and each time the examiners concluded that the inventor's claims were genuine.

Over a number of years Karl aged and it was decided that after so long it was time the inventor left the castle and he was granted accommodation in the nearby town of Karlshafen. Despite the strong circumstantial evidence that his machine was genuine, Bessler failed to secure a sale and after more than thirty years he died in poverty. His death came after he fell from a windmill he had been commissioned to build. The windmill was an interesting design using a vertical axle which allowed it to benefit from winds from any directions. 

He had asked for a huge sum of money for the secret of his perpetual motion machine, £20,000 which was an amount thought only affordable by kings and princes, and although many were interested, none were prepared to agree to the terms of the deal. Bessler required that he be given the money before the buyer was allowed to view the internal workings of the machine. But those who sought to purchase the wheel, for that was the form the machine took, insisted that they see the secret mechanism before they parted with the money. Bessler feared that once the design was known the buyers could simply walk away knowing how to build his machine and he would get nothing for his trouble. 

I became curious about the legend of Bessler’s Wheel, while still in my teens, and have spent most of my life researching the life of Johann Bessler (I’m now 78). I obtained copies of all his books and had them translated into English and self-published them, in the hope that either myself or someone else might solve the secret and present it to the world in this time of pollution, global warming and increasingly limited energy resources.

Not long after I was able to read the English translations of his books, I realised that Bessler had embedded a number of clues in his books. These took the form of hints in the text, but also in a number of drawings he published and I found suggestions by the author that studying his books would reveal enough information about his wheel,to allow “someone with an acute and discerning mind, to build one”.

For some ideas about Bessler’s code why not visit my web sites at 

http://www.theorffyreuscode.com/

Take a look at my work on his “Declaration of Faith” at 

http://www.orffyreus.net/

Also please view my video at 

https://youtu.be/5BWVKtpuzn0

It gives a brief account both the legend and some more detail about some of the codes.

The problem of obtaining a fair reward for all his hard work was anticipated by Bessler and he took extraordinary measures to ensure that his secret was safe, but he encoded all the information needed to reconstruct the machine in a small number of books that he published. He implied that he was prepared to die without selling the secret and that he believed that posthumous acknowledgement was preferable to being robbed of his secret while he yet lived.


It has recently become clear that Bessler had a huge knowledge of the history of codes and adopted several completely different ones to disguise information within his publications. I have made considerable advances in deciphering his codes and I am confident that I have the complete design.


Johann Bessler published three books, and digital copies of these with English translations may be obtained from the links to the right of this blog. In addition there is a copy of his unpublished document containing some 141 drawings - and also my own account of Bessler’s life is also available from the links. It is called "Perpetual Motion; An Ancient Mystery Solved?" 

This biography contains a wealth of information about Bessler himself, as well as many quotes by Bessler and letters to him or about him from many interested parties. It tells of his life up to and including his years with Karl the Landgrave of Hesse Kassel, and what happened to him later.

Bessler's three published books are entitled "Grundlicher Bericht", "Apologia Poetica” and "Das Triumphirende...".

I have called Bessler's collection of 141 drawings “Maschinen Tractate”, but it was originally found in the form of a number of loosely collected drawings of perpetual motion designs. Many of these have handwritten notes attached and I have published the best English translation of them that I was able to get. Bessler never published these drawings but clearly intended to use them in his planned school for apprentices.

You can order copies of the books from my website at 

http://www.free-energy.co.uk/

Printed books direct from the printer can be obtained from here

https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/johncollins

Or from the top of the right side panel under the heading ‘Bessler’s Books’.

There are also links lower down on the right side panel.

These books contain the most important information available if you seek to find the solution to Bessler’s wheel.

JC

Bessler’s Perpetual Motion Machine

Almost everyone has what one might call their own ‘thing’, maybe a hobby or an obsession, but it’s something that captures their attention and interest -  and my own ‘thing’ involves trying to verify the claims of Johann Bessler (aka Orffyreus).  After almost half a century of research in a number of famous institutions holding numerous ancient books and documents, I have been able to establish that in the years approaching 1712, Johann Bessler’s did indeed build a successful working model of a perpetual motion machine.  Despite the assumption that such machines are impossible it has become obvious that his claims were genuine.

My first shadow of doubt about the establishment’s view on this matter came when I read an explanation attempting to show how his machine was faked; it was so badly written and so full of false assumptions and unbelievable mistakes, that I questioned the underlying evidence relied upon and I believe it was almost entirely guesswork.

Surely such a device if false, should be easy enough to prove an illicit imposition. Such fraudulent devices are the target of many investigators who are usually are well equipped to test the credibility of the claimant.  Bessler frequently experienced such negative reactions at his first exhibitions, but was able, through the help of one of the most famous scientists of the era, Gottfried Leibniz, to plan a number of demonstrations which would prove to be impossible to reject, as convincing evidence of the inventor’s integrity.

In addition he permitted a man of unimpeachable reputation who was widely respected to examine the interior workings of the machine in order to confirm or deny its validity.  Karl, the Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel was able to verify Bessler’s claims. So what are we to make of this apparent paradox?

Between 1842 and 1847 Julius Robert von Mayer, James Prescott Joule and Herman von Helmholtz discovered and formulated the basics of what we refer to as the law of conservation of energy.  Energy can’t be created or destroyed, it can only be transformed from form to another.

But in their denial of the possibility of a gravity enabled continuous motion machine, though their reasoning was logical it failed to take into account every possible configuration that might over ride their conclusion.  This fallacy has been questioned countless times, and from a time long before it was first mooted.  There are records of hundreds of attempts to produce a perpetual motion machine reliant on the force of gravity for its energy source.  

One argument suggests that because no such machine has ever been invented, it must be impossible.  If that conclusion were convincing most of the current inventions in use today would never have happened.  But Johann Bessler did find the solution and there should therefore be a concerted attempt to find it again.  The potential for such a device is unlimited in this era of climate change, pollution, and the limited sources of alternative energy.

Bessler encoded information in his books which he intended to be found and deciphered in the event of his death before he had sold his machine.  It is available from this blog and my other web sites where each of his four books with full English translations are detailed. See the right hand panel for more information.

JC

The True Story of Johann Bessler and His Perpetual Motion.

 On 6th June, 1712, in Germany, Johann Bessler (also known by his pseudonym, Orffyreus) announced that after many years of failure, he had succeeded in designing and building a perpetual motion machine. For more than fourteen years he exhibited his machine and allowed people to thoroughly examine the outside of it, but it’s internal workings were kept hidden. This was because the inventor feared that his design would be copied and someone else might obtain credit for all his years of hard work looking for the solution. He followed the advice from the famous scientist, Gottfried Leibniz, who was able to examine the device, and recommended a number of demonstrations and tests designed to prove the validity of his machine without giving away the secret of its design.

Karl the Landgrave of Hesse permitted Bessler to live, work and exhibit his machine at the prince's castle of Weissenstein. Karl was a man of unimpeachable reputation and he insisted on being allowed to verify the inventor's claims before he allowed Bessler to take up residence. This the inventor reluctantly agreed to and once he had examined the machine to his own satisfaction Karl authorised the publication of his approval of the machine. For several years Bessler was visited by numerous people of varying status, scientists, ministers and royalty. Several official examinations were carried out and each time the examiners concluded that the inventor's claims were genuine.

Over a number of years Karl aged and it was decided that after so long it was time the inventor left the castle and he was granted accommodation in the nearby town of Karlshafen. Despite the strong circumstantial evidence that his machine was genuine, Bessler failed to secure a sale and after more than thirty years he died in poverty. His death came after he fell from a windmill he had been commissioned to build. The windmill was an interesting design using a vertical axle which allowed it to benefit from winds from any directions. 

He had asked for a huge sum of money for the secret of his perpetual motion machine, £20,000 which was an amount thought only affordable by kings and princes, and although many were interested, none were prepared to agree to the terms of the deal. Bessler required that he be given the money before the buyer was allowed to view the internal workings of the machine. But those who sought to purchase the wheel, for that was the form the machine took, insisted that they see the secret mechanism before they parted with the money. Bessler feared that once the design was known the buyers could simply walk away knowing how to build his machine and he would get nothing for his trouble. 

I became curious about the legend of Bessler’s Wheel, while still in my teens, and have spent most of my life researching the life of Johann Bessler (I’m now 78). I obtained copies of all his books and had them translated into English and self-published them, in the hope that either myself or someone else might solve the secret and present it to the world in this time of pollution, global warming and increasingly limited energy resources.

Not long after I was able to read the English translations of his books, I realised that Bessler had embedded a number of clues in his books. These took the form of hints in the text, but also in a number of drawings he published and I found suggestions by the author that studying his books would reveal enough information about his wheel,to allow “someone with an acute and discerning mind, to build one”.

For some ideas about Bessler’s code why not visit my web sites at 

http://www.theorffyreuscode.com/

Take a look at my work on his “Declaration of Faith” at 

http://www.orffyreus.net/

Also please view my video at 

https://youtu.be/5BWVKtpuzn0

It gives a brief account both the legend and some more detail about some of the codes.

The problem of obtaining a fair reward for all his hard work was anticipated by Bessler and he took extraordinary measures to ensure that his secret was safe, but he encoded all the information needed to reconstruct the machine in a small number of books that he published. He implied that he was prepared to die without selling the secret and that he believed that posthumous acknowledgement was preferable to being robbed of his secret while he yet lived.


It has recently become clear that Bessler had a huge knowledge of the history of codes and adopted several completely different ones to disguise information within his publications. I have made considerable advances in deciphering his codes and I am confident that I have the complete design.


Johann Bessler published three books, and digital copies of these with English translations may be obtained from the links to the right of this blog. In addition there is a copy of his unpublished document containing some 141 drawings - and also my own account of Bessler’s life is also available from the links. It is called "Perpetual Motion; An Ancient Mystery Solved?" 

This biography contains a wealth of information about Bessler himself, as well as many quotes by Bessler and letters to him or about him from many interested parties. It tells of his life up to and including his years with Karl the Landgrave of Hesse Kassel, and what happened to him later.

Bessler's three published books are entitled "Grundlicher Bericht", "Apologia Poetica” and "Das Triumphirende...".

I have called Bessler's collection of 141 drawings “Maschinen Tractate”, but it was originally found in the form of a number of loosely collected drawings of perpetual motion designs. Many of these have handwritten notes attached and I have published the best English translation of them that I was able to get. Bessler never published these drawings but clearly intended to use them in his planned school for apprentices.

You can order copies of the books from my website at 

http://www.free-energy.co.uk/

Printed books direct from the printer can be obtained from here

https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/johncollins

Or from the top of the right side panel under the heading ‘Bessler’s Books’.

There are also links lower down on the right side panel.

These books contain the most important information available if you seek to find the solution to Bessler’s wheel.

JC

UPDATE and INSPIRATION

Even though I’m 79 now, my enthusiasm for seeking and finding the solution to Johann Bessler’s perpetual motion machine has not diminished one iota.  I’m still determined to find it myself, or help someone else to do so.  Over many years I’ve dealt with the scornful or humorous reactions to my search; the arguments and debates over my apparent lack of understanding of the basic laws of physics; as well as the warm support from those who are open to the idea.  I know what I know, and my years of research have only served to reinforce my conviction that Bessler’s claims were genuine.

Long before the internet arrived I experienced mostly negative reactions to my ideas, if I dared to mention them to others and I quickly learned not to share my ideas.  Once the internet bloomed I stuck my head up above the parapet and quickly became the target for trolls as well as serious debaters and of course a large number of others, like myself, engaged in a lengthy period of research in the same subject though not always with Bessler in mind.

Until recently I believed that if I publicised enough information about the inventor and his machine, eventually someone would succeed in producing a working model, and I have produced an enormous amount of information through five books and several web sites - but no working model anywhere in the world….. yet.

So I recently came to the conclusion that no amount of designs published anywhere will convince the world at large unless it results in an actual working model.  Which is why I have returned to my workshop and begun again to try to recreate what I believe will prove to be configured the same as Bessler’s wheel.  I apologise to those who thought  I would finish it quite quickly.  It’s time consuming and not so easy - I am making parts out of old discarded pieces from previous attempts, and this takes time and at my age I’m usually mostly at my best in the mornings.  I also have other projects which keep me busy because as some know, we moved into this house about 18 months ago and we had builders in for six months, so there are lots of things my wife has identified, mainly in the garden, but not all, which she would like me to deal with!

The weather here has been bad with continuous rain and strong winds for most of this winter, so when it’s dry, (hardly ever) I get to work on the other projects outside.  Until I’ve completed Bessler’s wheel and I have a result, I won’t know if I’m right, but win or lose, I will publish all the details.  What I do believe is that when people see the completed wheel, whether or not it works, they will understand why I’m so confident that this is the real thing and maybe the concept will work, even if it requires a little adjustment.

I read an inspiring blog recently and I thought about the reasons given for writing such a blog.  They described how many people find encouragement by always looking forward and not dwelling on the past; we in this line of research are incurable optimists - we have to be to keep going!  Everyone believes in something, whether it’s religion, science, politics or something in social media. We all have our choices and we don’t need to be afraid maintain our beliefs in the face of strenuous opposition.   

I think with absolute certainty that a gravity-enabled wheel, such as Johann Bessler’s, is perfectly feasible and the evidence that it is, is out there.  If only people would open their minds to the possibility of manifesting such claims as Bessler’s.  We were taught that such a device as Bessler’s was/is impossible but it should really be thought of in the same way as a political opinion - not necessarily the absolute truth - it's just someone’s opinion.

Pierre Bayle (1647 – 28 December 1706) had it right when he wrote:-

“ The antiquity and general acceptance of an opinion is not assurance of its truth.”

In his “Historical and Critical Dictionary”, Bayle expressed his view that much that was considered to be "truth" was actually just opinion, and that gullibility and stubbornness were prevalent.”

JC

The Facts About Johann Bessler’s Perpetual Motion Machine.

 I am temporarily stopping my frequent blogs in order to concentrate on building a working model of Bessler’s perpetual motion machine.  I have interpreted sufficient clues to make a device which is based upon his own machine.  I will publish the result as soon as I can.

In the mean time please read the following account of his life.

JC

On 6th June, 1712, in Germany, Johann Bessler (also known by his pseudonym, Orffyreus) announced that after many years of failure, he had succeeded in designing and building a perpetual motion machine. For more than fourteen years he exhibited his machine and allowed people to thoroughly examine the outside of it, but it’s internal workings were kept hidden. This was because the inventor feared that his design would be copied and someone else might obtain credit for all his years of hard work looking for the solution. He followed the advice from the famous scientist, Gottfried Leibniz, who was able to examine the device, and recommended a number of demonstrations and tests designed to prove the validity of his machine without giving away the secret of its design.

Karl the Landgrave of Hesse permitted Bessler to live, work and exhibit his machine at the prince's castle of Weissenstein. Karl was a man of unimpeachable reputation and he insisted on being allowed to verify the inventor's claims before he allowed Bessler to take up residence. This the inventor reluctantly agreed to and once he had examined the machine to his own satisfaction Karl authorised the publication of his approval of the machine. For several years Bessler was visited by numerous people of varying status, scientists, ministers and royalty. Several official examinations were carried out and each time the examiners concluded that the inventor's claims were genuine.

Over a number of years Karl aged and it was decided that after so long it was time the inventor left the castle and he was granted accommodation in the nearby town of Karlshafen. Despite the strong circumstantial evidence that his machine was genuine, Bessler failed to secure a sale and after more than thirty years he died in poverty. His death came after he fell from a windmill he had been commissioned to build. The windmill was an interesting design using a vertical axle which allowed it to benefit from winds from any directions. 

He had asked for a huge sum of money for the secret of his perpetual motion machine, £20,000 which was an amount thought only affordable by kings and princes, and although many were interested, none were prepared to agree to the terms of the deal. Bessler required that he be given the money before the buyer was allowed to view the internal workings of the machine. But those who sought to purchase the wheel, for that was the form the machine took, insisted that they see the secret mechanism before they parted with the money. Bessler feared that once the design was known the buyers could simply walk away knowing how to build his machine and he would get nothing for his trouble. 

I became curious about the legend of Bessler’s Wheel, while still in my teens, and have spent most of my life researching the life of Johann Bessler (I’m now 78). I obtained copies of all his books and had them translated into English and self-published them, in the hope that either myself or someone else might solve the secret and present it to the world in this time of pollution, global warming and increasingly limited energy resources.

Not long after I was able to read the English translations of his books, I realised that Bessler had embedded a number of clues in his books. These took the form of hints in the text, but also in a number of drawings he published and I found suggestions by the author that studying his books would reveal enough information about his wheel,to allow “someone with an acute and discerning mind, to build one”.

For some ideas about Bessler’s code why not visit my web sites at 

http://www.theorffyreuscode.com/

Take a look at my work on his “Declaration of Faith” at 

http://www.orffyreus.net/

Also please view my video at 

https://youtu.be/5BWVKtpuzn0

It gives a brief account both the legend and some more detail about some of the codes.

The problem of obtaining a fair reward for all his hard work was anticipated by Bessler and he took extraordinary measures to ensure that his secret was safe, but he encoded all the information needed to reconstruct the machine in a small number of books that he published. He implied that he was prepared to die without selling the secret and that he believed that posthumous acknowledgement was preferable to being robbed of his secret while he yet lived.


It has recently become clear that Bessler had a huge knowledge of the history of codes and adopted several completely different ones to disguise information within his publications. I have made considerable advances in deciphering his codes and I am confident that I have the complete design.


Johann Bessler published three books, and digital copies of these with English translations may be obtained from the links to the right of this blog. In addition there is a copy of his unpublished document containing some 141 drawings - and also my own account of Bessler’s life is also available from the links. It is called "Perpetual Motion; An Ancient Mystery Solved?" 

This biography contains a wealth of information about Bessler himself, as well as many quotes by Bessler and letters to him or about him from many interested parties. It tells of his life up to and including his years with Karl the Landgrave of Hesse Kassel, and what happened to him later.

Bessler's three published books are entitled "Grundlicher Bericht", "Apologia Poetica” and "Das Triumphirende...".

I have called Bessler's collection of 141 drawings “Maschinen Tractate”, but it was originally found in the form of a number of loosely collected drawings of perpetual motion designs. Many of these have handwritten notes attached and I have published the best English translation of them that I was able to get. Bessler never published these drawings but clearly intended to use them in his planned school for apprentices.

You can order copies of the books from my website at 

http://www.free-energy.co.uk/

Printed books direct from the printer can be obtained from here

https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/johncollins

Or from the top of the right side panel under the heading ‘Bessler’s Books’.

There are also links lower down on the right side panel.

These books contain the most important information available if you seek to find the solution to Bessler’s wheel.

JC

Update on Bessler’s Wheel ……. and I’m 79 today.

I’m 79 today and I’ve been studying the legend of Bessler’s wheel for about 65 years!  Well, about 35 years of serious research.

Not quite there yet, but confidence is high.  I’m building yet another a model of his wheel based on the latest information I have obtained from various pieces of text and some drawings he left for us.  This will probably be my last build and it takes time to build a device which is only sketchily described, but I’m giving it one more go. This doesn’t mean I will then give up!  I shall continue to study Johann Bessler’s books and share anything I believe is important. because he intended to give the secret of his machine to posterity, but he didn’t want to give it away until after his death.  Consequently he left numerous clues which had to be invisible to his followers, disciples and those curious to know how his machine worked. But he did leave comments which indicated there was information available if you looked for it.

Although I’m working on a small model relating to Bessler’s first exhibition model which was only four inches thick and 4.6 feet in diameter, mine is even smaller being only 3 feet wide and 2 inches in thickness, but it only needs to demonstrate the concept and verify its potential. Mine will only be able to turn in one direction unlike Bessler’s later models which were able to turn both ways.

The interesting detail of the first two wheels was that they were always out of balance, and had to have a brake applied to keep them stationary.  This is a necessary feature of the these so-called perpetual motion devices.  The two way models remained stationary until they were given a gentle push in one direction of the other, once the sound of a single weight falling and landing on the falling side of the wheel was heard, then the wheel began to accelerate.

These later two wheels were each 12 feet in diameter and the Merseburg one was capable of reaching a speed of more than 50 RPM.  The last version, the Kassel wheel, turned at 26 RPM, but this slower speed was a deliberate design feature because it was meant to undergo to an endurance test and was only stopped after 54 days of non-stop rotation.  A slower rate of turn meant it had a better chance of surviving the test without braking down early.

To gain some idea of the impressive power of the Merseburg wheel, consider this.  At 12 feet diameter, the circumference measured 37 feet and 8 inches.  At 50 rpm, the speed at the circumference would be 21 miles per hour.  If, as was recorded more than once, that it’s  the rotation speed was sometimes recorded more than 50 rpm, it’s not a big step to calculate its speed at 60 rpm, turning once every second and that would give a speed at the circumference of just over 25 mph.  You could certainly feel the 25 mile an hour wind being generated off the edge of the wheel, or cycling at 25 mph on a windless day.

A report on the slower Kassel wheel which ran at 26 rpm, commented that if a man tried to stop the wheel suddenly by hanging on to it, it would lift him off the ground.  These kind of subjective impressions are very convincing about the inherent power in these machines and we should not be too quick to dismiss their potential use as electricity generators.

They were single wheels on one axle but if, for instance we were to mount ten wheels on a single axle, we would increase their power potential ten fold.  That ignores potential extra weights, improved mechanisms and smaller but more complex mechanisms.

I will posting some pictures on this blog, once I’ve completed the model, but please allow a little more time before I do that, because it’s my birthday today, and I’m beginning to work more slowly!

JC

The True Story of Johann Bessler’s Perpetual Motion Machine

I am temporarily curtailing my frequent blogs in order to concentrate on building a working model of Bessler’s perpetual motion machine.  I have interpreted sufficient clues to make a device which is based upon his own machine.  I will publish the result as soon as I can.

In the mean time please read the following account of his life.

JC

On 6th June, 1712, in Germany, Johann Bessler (also known by his pseudonym, Orffyreus) announced that after many years of failure, he had succeeded in designing and building a perpetual motion machine. For more than fourteen years he exhibited his machine and allowed people to thoroughly examine the outside of it, but it’s internal workings were kept hidden. This was because the inventor feared that his design would be copied and someone else might obtain credit for all his years of hard work looking for the solution. He followed the advice from the famous scientist, Gottfried Leibniz, who was able to examine the device, and recommended a number of demonstrations and tests designed to prove the validity of his machine without giving away the secret of its design.

Karl the Landgrave of Hesse permitted Bessler to live, work and exhibit his machine at the prince's castle of Weissenstein. Karl was a man of unimpeachable reputation and he insisted on being allowed to verify the inventor's claims before he allowed Bessler to take up residence. This the inventor reluctantly agreed to and once he had examined the machine to his own satisfaction Karl authorised the publication of his approval of the machine. For several years Bessler was visited by numerous people of varying status, scientists, ministers and royalty. Several official examinations were carried out and each time the examiners concluded that the inventor's claims were genuine.

Over a number of years Karl aged and it was decided that after so long it was time the inventor left the castle and he was granted accommodation in the nearby town of Karlshafen. Despite the strong circumstantial evidence that his machine was genuine, Bessler failed to secure a sale and after more than thirty years he died in poverty. His death came after he fell from a windmill he had been commissioned to build. The windmill was an interesting design using a vertical axle which allowed it to benefit from winds from any directions. 

He had asked for a huge sum of money for the secret of his perpetual motion machine, £20,000 which was an amount thought only affordable by kings and princes, and although many were interested, none were prepared to agree to the terms of the deal. Bessler required that he be given the money before the buyer was allowed to view the internal workings of the machine. But those who sought to purchase the wheel, for that was the form the machine took, insisted that they see the secret mechanism before they parted with the money. Bessler feared that once the design was known the buyers could simply walk away knowing how to build his machine and he would get nothing for his trouble. 

I became curious about the legend of Bessler’s Wheel, while still in my teens, and have spent most of my life researching the life of Johann Bessler (I’m now 78). I obtained copies of all his books and had them translated into English and self-published them, in the hope that either myself or someone else might solve the secret and present it to the world in this time of pollution, global warming and increasingly limited energy resources.

Not long after I was able to read the English translations of his books, I realised that Bessler had embedded a number of clues in his books. These took the form of hints in the text, but also in a number of drawings he published and I found suggestions by the author that studying his books would reveal enough information about his wheel,to allow “someone with an acute and discerning mind, to build one”.

For some ideas about Bessler’s code why not visit my web sites at 

http://www.theorffyreuscode.com/

Take a look at my work on his “Declaration of Faith” at 

http://www.orffyreus.net/

Also please view my video at 

https://youtu.be/5BWVKtpuzn0

It gives a brief account both the legend and some more detail about some of the codes.

The problem of obtaining a fair reward for all his hard work was anticipated by Bessler and he took extraordinary measures to ensure that his secret was safe, but he encoded all the information needed to reconstruct the machine in a small number of books that he published. He implied that he was prepared to die without selling the secret and that he believed that posthumous acknowledgement was preferable to being robbed of his secret while he yet lived.


It has recently become clear that Bessler had a huge knowledge of the history of codes and adopted several completely different ones to disguise information within his publications. I have made considerable advances in deciphering his codes and I am confident that I have the complete design.


Johann Bessler published three books, and digital copies of these with English translations may be obtained from the links to the right of this blog. In addition there is a copy of his unpublished document containing some 141 drawings - and also my own account of Bessler’s life is also available from the links. It is called "Perpetual Motion; An Ancient Mystery Solved?" 

This biography contains a wealth of information about Bessler himself, as well as many quotes by Bessler and letters to him or about him from many interested parties. It tells of his life up to and including his years with Karl the Landgrave of Hesse Kassel, and what happened to him later.

Bessler's three published books are entitled "Grundlicher Bericht", "Apologia Poetica” and "Das Triumphirende...".

I have called Bessler's collection of 141 drawings “Maschinen Tractate”, but it was originally found in the form of a number of loosely collected drawings of perpetual motion designs. Many of these have handwritten notes attached and I have published the best English translation of them that I was able to get. Bessler never published these drawings but clearly intended to use them in his planned school for apprentices.

You can order copies of the books from my website at 

http://www.free-energy.co.uk/

Printed books direct from the printer can be obtained from here

https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/johncollins

Or from the top of the right side panel under the heading ‘Bessler’s Books’.

There are also links lower down on the right side panel.

These books contain the most important information available if you seek to find the solution to Bessler’s wheel.

JC

UPDATE - and BESSLER’s Wheel Today.

 My own project to build a version of Bessler's wheel in order to prove that I know how to do so, is progressing slowly and steadily.  I’m using old bits and pieces from previous attempts and having to adapt them to their new purpose which is probably slowing things down, but it is less costly than buying in new material. 

Now that I have accepted that nothing will prove the design other than an actual working model, I have enjoyed being in my workshop again, but I wish the temperature outside would warm up a lot.  It’s currently -4 degrees Centigrade which is equal to 24.8 degrees Fahrenheit and I can’t  heat the garage enough to make any difference.  But I wrap up and it’s not so bad.

The wheel is three feet in diameter, marked out in fifths, like a pentagram. There are five mechanisms and five weights.  I am working on constructing the levers which isn’t too problematic.  I can see where the cords will pass and I have the ten pulleys marked out approximately.

I thought the cords might present a problem because there would be times in their action when the cord would loosen, and I would have to design some way of gathering the loose cord to hold it ready to tighten again.  I considered attaching the pulleys to a spring loaded short lever, but in the end I found that it won’t be a problem because the falling weight which will pull the pre-falling weight just 30 degrees, acts at exactly the same time as the pre-falling weight, so the cord always remains taut.  Both actions are simultaneous.

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On another matter, I see the comments previously have cast doubt on the power obtainable from Bessler’s wheel.  Bessler himself said he believed a wheel of some 20 ells in diameter would be possible.  

From my book about Bessler, “ John Rowley, master of mechanicks, for making a dam before and behind the engine, for clearing the old foundation, for setting down a new frame, 26 foot long and 11 foot high, broad enough for the twelve foot wheel for the new wheel of twenty-four foot diameter and twelve foot broad; for the new brass engine with brasses to the crank, forcing rods and a new crank et. . . £740.”  

From this we can see such a large wheel was readily achievable 

A 20 ell diameter wheel would be about 37 feet wide, and Bessler was obviously answering a simple question about what might be achievable. But  having a wheel of such a large diameter is not necessary, when you could mount several wheels on a single axle, thus multiplying the potential output many times over, while keeping the diameter smaller.  Modern designs would adapt a wheel to minimise the space required. 

Wind turbines can be over 300 feet high and more than 200 feet wide  Steam turbines can weight hundreds of tons, by comparison Bessler wheels could be effective at much smaller sizes.

It has often been commented that the reason he never sold his machine was because it wasn’t as powerful as competing methods such as water wheels and wind mills,  one reason for his failure to sell his machine was because of his terms of sale.  He demanded the money up front before anyone could look inside the device - an understandable precaution. No one was prepared to risk that.  The Czar of Russia, Peter the Great, was prepared to accept such a deal, although if Bessler had been found cheating, there is no doubt he would have demanded the ultimate sanction of execution.  Unfortunately Peter died on the way to Kassel.

The other reason that his wheel was never sold was because no one could find a practical use for it.  Windmills and water wheels had accomplished all that people needed and Bessler’s wheel was unproven.  The only use which was considered was in removing water from flooded mines and that was solved by Newcomen’s Beam engine which began to remove water from Cornish mines in about 1705. This system used a piston pump, something unavailable to Bessler’s wheel.  Although ingenious, Bessler’s machine would never find a practical use until our time, when we need a cheap, 24/7 device for producing electricity anywhere in the world.

JC