ALTERNATIVE ENERGY FORUM - etc.

I just wish it was automatic shift. Maybe with some sort of spring on the shifter.
Wish a high torque situation could move the intermediate roller to a better gear.

Schematic of one I built that works, the disc's are just flattened cones. Must be shifted manually.

The more I think about it (and I’m currently losing sleep) I can’t see a way to transmit drive both efficiently and with a variable output without friction. The best I can think of - with the lowest friction - is a conical CVT.

A light or optical CVT is probably non-starter 😂.

I’m not sure how it would work where the output (constant diameter) moves closer to centre of the input (reduced diameter), less space for the same number of magnets - unless you can get triangular ones??

Have you considered an optical CVT system that operates entirely through the transfer of light. Instead of relying on mechanical components, gears, or fluids, you could transmit rotational energy from an input shaft to an output shaft using modulated light and photovoltaic conversion.

The input shaft would be connected to a high-efficiency laser array. As the shaft spins, the light source is powered and begins transmitting a beam - either directly or through optical fibers or mirrors - towards a photovoltaic receiver. The intensity, frequency, or pulse pattern of the light is modulated according to the input speed, acting as a control mechanism for how much energy is transferred to the output side.

The output consists of a ring or disc-shaped photovoltaic panel, which converts the incoming light into electrical energy. This energy is then fed into a DC motor or actuator that drives the output shaft. By adjusting the characteristics of the light—such as brightness or modulation rate—the system can vary the effective torque and rotational speed, providing a continuously variable transmission effect without any physical contact between the moving parts.

Another