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.
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Wednesday, 28 February 2024
The True Story of Johann Bessler and His Perpetual Motion.
Friday, 23 February 2024
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
Friday, 9 February 2024
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.
Monday, 5 February 2024
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
Thursday, 18 January 2024
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.
Tuesday, 16 January 2024
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
Thursday, 11 January 2024
Are We the Last of a Dying Breed? - Not If I can Help It!
Johann Bessler aka Orffyreus, left us his record of his search for the secret of building a perpetual motion machine. He published three books which I have republished with English translations included. After his death a box was found containing 141 pictures of PM machines which failed but led him on to success. These pictures are believed to have formed part of a syllabus to be used in his intended school of apprentices. These too, have also been published with English translations of his notes where ever possible.
There are both digital and printed copies of all of these available. I also published my account of his life and his search for the secret. I sought each and every document issued during his life which was written to him, by him, for him or about him. These included numerous letter and newspaper articles. During the many years I spent researching him, I also built many wheels in an attempt to find the same secret.
My books have been sold to many people around the world. This blog has been going for nine years and my books and my websites were first online or published back in 1996, almost 30 years ago!
So why has there been zero interest in a machine that could provide cheap/free electricity any where and everywhere? The answer lies in the utter inability of modern scientists, technologists, natural philosophers, researchers, inventors, amateurs, professionals, historians, boffins, experts, scholars, academics……..you get my point ….to consider that a major triumph lies waiting in the wings to step up and become the biggest solution to the energy crisis in history and the potential to ameliorate the effects of climate change here and now. No one, but no one, thinks for a millisecond that there is any thing to be had from these historic pages which are full of emotional complaining, grumbling, crying for attention to come and witness his amazing invention.
We few who battle to find Bessler’s solution are a dying breed. Most of us are of an age where we no longer work, we lead quiet lives in retirement, our focus of attention centres on finding the solution that Bessler found.
We have noted that the interests of those younger than us grew up in the high tech world which was born and flourished after we had already moved beyond its current vigour, too late for some of us to catch up. But we were fed on mechanical machines, building, repairing, studying. But that era has passed on, with higher technical demands placed on those whose expertise is required to maintain and build and improve.
In the end it’s down to use to build a working model of Bessler’s wheel, it’s the only thing that will answer all the question, and make people sit up and take notice.
After all the information I have accumulated I still have one complaint that I find so frustrating. The witnesses to the wheel gave us only the bald facts.
Where is an exact description of the noise from the wheels? They didn’t describe the cracks they could see through in the wheel. Was the sound from the Kassel wheel exactly eight or was there another softer sound? Were the thumps equally apart or was there a gap at one point in each rotation? You can see where I’m going with this, I remain convinced that the wheels work only with an odd number of mechanisms.
The same complaint applies to all the wheels but as my old friend Mike used to say, “it’s Hobson’s choice - it is what it is, take it or leave it.”
JC
Saturday, 6 January 2024
Johann Bessler’s Device Offers Clean, Free Energy
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.
Wednesday, 3 January 2024
Additional Imagery in Support Bessler’s Wheel.
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 shall occasionally post some here.
Johann Bessler’s Perpetual Motion Mystery Solved.
The climatologists and scientists are clamouring for a new way of generating electricity because all the current method (bad pun!) of doing ...
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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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Finally I’m going to share what I know, and what I think I know, about the solution to Bessler’s wheel. This will be a bit shorter than my ...
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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 t...