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.
A blog about Johann Bessler and the Orffyreus Code and my efforts to decipher it. I'll comment on things connected with it and anything I think might be of interest to anyone else.
The ‘Bessler’s Books’ button at the top of the right side panel, will take you to a page giving access to all Bessler’s books. Simply click ‘home’ to come back to my blog.
Note the copyright notice.
Monday 30 October 2023
The True Story of Johann Bessler and His Perpetual Motion.
Tuesday 24 October 2023
Update on Building a Working Model of Johann Bessler’s Wheel.
Thursday 19 October 2023
Johann Bessler’s Inspirational Dream
Three hundred and eleven years ago Johann Bessler, aka Orffyreus, exhibited something he called a perpetual motion machine. It took the form of a wheel mounted between two pillars or supports. It rotated at about 50 RPM, and would begin to turn as soon the brake was released. He welcomed the public who examined the device. They were allowed to stop it, start it, or slow it down. He didn’t allow anyone to see the interior because he intended to sell the machine for £20,000.
Most people are convinced it was a fraudulent enterprise.
There are those who believe Bessler’s Wheel was genuine but don’t know where the energy came from to drive it.
Others who accept Bessler’s words that the weights were the energy source and therefore accept that gravity provided the energy. The problem they encounter is that we have been taught that gravity is not an energy source because it’s a force.
The situation has resulted in deadlock. The circumstantial evidence that Bessler’s wheel was genuine is compelling. It’s legitimacy was verified by the only person besides Bessler, who was permitted to study the internal workings. This man, Karl the Landgrave of Hesse Kassel, was chosen because his reputation as an honest person of great integrity had been established over many years, acting as an honest broker trying to bring the wars that were then currently being waged throughout Europe to an agreeable end.
His excellent reputation was critical to his role as an impartial mediator and he would never have become involved in anything of questionable authenticity. His name was a vital part of the verification, but he only accepted that role if he was permitted access to the internal structure of the wheel to confirm what Bessler claimed was true. He described it as quite simple and expressed surprise that it hadn’t been discovered before. He issued an official document, certifying that the claims that Bessler made regarding his perpetual motion machine or wheel, were correct.
This leaves us with an interesting paradox. We have been taught for more than three hundred years, that perpetual motion machines defy the laws of physics, yet it would appear that this may not be true
So we have two points of view to consider. Here’s a quick reminder.
Bessler swore his machine was genuine
Karl agreed and issued a certificate stating in his opinion, the wheel was genuine
Every test devised simply added to the evidence that Bessler told the truth.
Who is right, Bessler or the venerable scientific institutions?
Bessler began by simply showing his first wheel, spinning and being stopped and starting again. It always began turning as soon as a brake was released. Spectators were encouraged to thoroughly examine the device but not allowed to view the interior.
News of the wheel reached the ears of that famous man of science, Gottfried Leibniz. He arranged a private meeting with Bessler to study the machine’s performance and concluded that it was a valuable machine. He suggested a number of tests that Bessler should incorporate in his public exhibitions of the machine to persuade potential buyers of the machine’s merit.
The tests included stopping and starting the wheel, including running it in either direction. This was a new step by Bessler who wished to make his machine able to rotate in either direction in order to silence those who claimed his machine was wound up by clockwork, this required the wheel be given a gentle nudge in either desired direction before the wheel began to turn and accelerate to its full speed. Other tests included translocation of the device from one set of bearings to another a few paces away; allowing intense examination of both sets of bearings before and after translocation; demonstrations of the wheel’s power in lifting heavy loads and driving an Archimedes screw pump were routinely demonstrated. Finally a 54 day test in which it was locked in a room, with a 24 hour guard outside the door. The wheel was made to begin rotating and the room locked and sealed with Karl’s personal seal. The rooms on either side and above and below had already been checked for some connection with the locked room. All was found satisfactory. After 54 days, Karl unlocked the door and he and a number of witnesses found the wheel still spinning.
So what is the answer to this paradox? It’s clear from the history of this particular area of study that literally thousands, maybe tens of thousands of people have sought a solution to this puzzle, from the earliest inhabitants of Egypt, Sumer, the Indus valley and China up to the present day. It seems that there is an inbuilt instinct that a device such as Bessler built is an absolute certainty if only we could discover how to build it. Johann Bessler knew; he built a working model.
The evidence is clear, a machine which is enabled by the force of gravity to run and run, is simply waiting to be rediscovered. It’s not perpetual motion because it could come to a stop through wear and tear, accident, overloading etc. But it could run continuously without using any of the traditional sources of energy such as running water, wind, fire or the modern equivalents.
How? Bessler said the weights provided the energy. Energy is a property of the weights in Bessler’s wheel, but they have to be moved by the force of gravity. The weights provide a medium through which gravity can supply energy by moving them, making them fall.
We’re all familiar with the need to lift the fallen weights at each revolution. Bessler discovered the method, it came to him in a dream, maybe a daydream. He found the answer and in his books he provided codes and clues and hints, indicating everything we need to know to duplicate his work.
I believe that I have found the answer and am currently building a model which I hope will be a working model! I too found inspiration in the middle of the night, lying awake considering everything. This happened a few months ago and I’ve been working on how to make the best of use my of sudden comprehension. Of course I have been here countless times over the last 50 years or so, but I’m confident that I have the right configuration and am trying to finish this build and then working or not, I’ll share what I believe is the solution to this very long search for the truth.
JC
Wednesday 11 October 2023
How I Discovered Johann Bessler’s Perpetual Motion Machine
Tuesday 3 October 2023
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.
More Information Hidden In Plain Sight
I’ve posted another page of information that I’ve decided to share in my www.gravitywheel.com blog page. This also comes from “Das Triumphant Orffyrean Perpetual Motion”.
This book contains even more information intended to guide the reader into discovering the solution to Bessler’s wheel, but it isn’t easy, it’s taken me a lifetime of study in my spare time to get to this point. This book and others by Bessler, as well as myself, are available as digital copies from the panel to the right, either from the top where is says “My Publications” or from the bottom of the same panel. Each of Bessler’s books written originally in German, include full English translations. You can get printed by versions from the link to www.lulu.com.
I will continue to share pieces of information while attempting to build a working model of Bessler’s wheel. I will also post some pictures of my progress in the build but I plan to keep back pictures of my progress behind any information I give out.
The clues I have discovered and interpreted already are available to read at my web site at www.theorffyreuscode.com - these are well established and show examples of Bessler’s style and method.
One of the most interesting pieces of code are contained in his book Apologia Poetica. It consists of five pages of biblical references totalling 141, which I have detailed on another of my web sites at www.orffyreus.net
There you can read about some of the progress I’ve made in defining the code and identifying the separate parts which can lead towards interpreting the text.
JC
Sunday 24 September 2023
Another Step Forward.
I’ve posted a new blog at www.gravitywheel.com. There’s an old picture of a failed design based on my favourite configuration of five equal compartments! But I’ve included a couple of clues I haven’t shared before; the “hidden in plain sight” variety. There are plenty more of those to come so stick around you might be surprised.
JC
Friday 15 September 2023
Beginning Bessler Wheel Build in My Workshop
Having cleared the remains from previous builds out of the way, my first task was to mark out on the 3 feet wide MDF disc I’m using, the precise configuration of the planned mechanisms. This wooden disc will provide a backplate to attach the various parts. Unsurprisingly there will be five equal segments.
I’ve marked out the outline of the pentagram as accurately as I can, although I’m not too concerned by any minor inaccuracies, the basic concept is, I believe, quite forgiving.
One of the curious features of the pentagram is the perfect consistency of all the angles involved. The basic angle is 18 degrees and literally all the others used are multiples of this number; hence they are 18, 36, 54, 72, 90 and 108.
Note that Bessler having added an extra J and an E to his initials used his complete initials JEEB to become WRRO using a method known as the Caesar Shift, a well known device used for hundreds of years to encode messages. E being the 5th letter and R the 18th letter, you can see the connection to the pentagram. The remaining letters, W and J also have an important function to act as clues in the correct configuration.
As I mentioned previously I have very few pictures from previous builds and I could attach those I have, but as they are examples of failed designs I see little point in doing that. My first picture will be the marked out disc once I’ve completed that step in the process.
Then I’ll make the various pieces from wood, aluminium, mild steel, string and plastic. I calculate I will need 50 pieces plus screws etc. That’s a minimum of ten items per segment, but I may need more. I’ve already carried out some preliminary tests to confirm that one part of the design works as I planned, but after all these years I know that unexpected problems can arise as the build progresses, but hopefully nothing which is insurmountable.
JC
Monday 11 September 2023
The True Story of Johann Bessler and his Perpetual Motion Machine
Some news about a second blog for those who follow me here:-
Firstly, I’m including a brief account of the life of Johann Bessler who discovered the secret of a perpetual motion machine. It derived its energy from the effects of gravity. A model of his device, generally referred to as gravity-wheel, is currently being constructed according to a number of clues he left in his three publications plus a collection of his drawings.
This blog will continue here but I am also starting a second blog which will contain details of my progress but will not accept comments as it is intended to be a record of my work. It will contain descriptions and images as I continue to develop my build. I accept that this construction might fail at the end, however I shall include many of the clues I have found and interpreted and I am hopeful that these may help some other person than myself, to achieve success in this endeavour. It is my hope that somehow in this era of global warming and pollution this machine will help to save the planet.
So my second blog can be found at www.gravitywheel.com
So for those who are still unaware of the amazing invention of Johann Bessler here is his story.
The Legend of Bessler’s Wheel
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.
Johann Bessler, aka Orffyreus, and his Perpetual Motion Machine
Some fifty years ago, after I had established (to my satisfaction at least) that Bessler’s claim to have invented a perpetual motion machine...
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There are a number of images taken from Johann Bessler’s books which appear to support my previous post on Bessler’s Wheel Revealed. I shal...
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So the end of the year approaches and I’m still building my Bessler-Collins wheel. I’m trying to finish it before New Years Eve, but if I do...
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It still surprises me that some people dismiss the possibility of gravity being the chief originator of movement in Johann Bessler’s wheel. ...