Do magnets and electronics mix?

Your turn-of-phrase "zero contact under my components" is philisophically inspiring. The magnetic force is nonetheless real and is surely a viable option for isolating your equipment.

One of the attributes of such a suspension system could be continuously tuneable motion damping implemented by inserting coils with variable series resistance into the magnetic field to dissipate kinetic energy to and from the table. This damping could be custom tuned over a wide range. Such damping schemes prevent large oscilations in analogue meters, for example, and a search of the web will find other illustrations of this. You should consider this mode of damping if you are going to design your own platform.

I think that given the ability to tune the stiffness and damping of these "magnetic shock absorbers" might provide a compromise between isolation and dissipation and allow for an effective, critically damped system.

No doubt this has been thought of for audio applications in which case it would interesting to know about.

Cool, Smokester, what sort of key words would I look under to get a start. Patrick

Magnetic levitation in three dimensions is not really possible. In all situations that I know of, there will be some force (read: hard contact) in at least one dimension, to keep the whole assembly oriented. Would be great if it was truly suspended, but more like magnetically sprung is the reality of it. the platforms for TT and the like that are sold for the purpose have a single rod connecting/orienting the upper and lower sections, which are sprung by magnets. without the rods, the upper platform would just skate away and fall to the ground.

-Ed

That was Malechi Constants problem in Vonegout's "Sirens of Titan". The magnetic furniture kept sqirting around. I had Planned to tether the platform with a guide pin and a felt gasket or the cutting wheel of a pipe cutter.

The idea of isolation and "zero contact" is wishful thinking. The force that pushes the magnets apart is just as real as the force that holds up a component on any other type of footer. It isn't a magic carpet that just floats there.

Even though they aren't physically touching the two pieces are still coupled together by these forces just as if they were. Moving one will exert a force on the other. If the magnets in the base vibrate for whatever reason, this will move the magnetic field and cause the "floating" piece to vibrate as well, and vice versa..