I need a flywheel-like part, and was wondering whether anyone had suggestions on what kind of thing I should be looking for. I've looked briefly through the McMaster-Carr and Stock Drive Products websites, but being a software guy I'm not really familiar with the hardware they describe. So I'm not sure quite what to buy.
The project that I'm working on involves making very accurate measurements of the velocity and acceleration of a DC motor using an encoder and microcontroller. I plan on using the data to help me develop a model for the dynamics of a small mobile robot. There are a lot of steps before I get there, but right now I need to be able to attach a wheel with a known moment of inertia to the motor and then measure how fast it spins up. This procedure will let me compute both the stall torque for the motor plus the torque/speed gradient. I've already been able to match the manufacture's specification on a bare motor. If I can mount a wheel with a non-trivial moment of inertial on the shaft, I should be able to directly measure the effects of energy lost through friction in the gear chain. I don't need something really massive, maybe just the weight of a typical cell phone or paperback book (though I could go heavier).
My test motors have a 6mm shaft about one and a half centimeters long. I'd like to be able to attach and remove the test wheel easily. Ideally, I'd like to get a couple of different wheels with different moments of inertia. Also, if I can't get the moment of inertia from manufacture's specs, then the shape needs to be clean enough that I can take measurements and estimate a value. And, just like everyone else, I need to keep cost within limits of my meager hobbiest's budget.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Gary