I just got this really cool levitating top (L3vitr0n knock-off--shhhhh!) from Hong Kong on eBay for just $15 from the seller edarenus. I had bought one in China but the airport security would not allow it on the plane, saying it would interfere with plane's RADAR, which is totally false. It is just a passive magnet. Now the weight of the thing is enough to make it a fairly lethal projectile in the right kung-fu hands but that's another story... I was able to make this thing levitate in just a couple minutes. Much faster than that "other top". :)
Some pointers:
1. Level the base. Very important. I used an appliance bubble level, that you can get at any home construction store, to gravitationally level the base. The bubble should be in the center of the circle, looking straight down. Note that this does not mean it will be magnetically level but it will certainly be in the ballpark. In my case I was lucky. It was right on for both types of level. What are the odds of that happening...?
2. Start out heavy. Load the heaviest weights onto the top first. In this case, the 4 metal washers.
3. Get it to spin on the plate. Hold the plate down tightly with the free hand. Go slowly. Do not over-spin or it will fly off.
4. If it jumps up to one side, try leveling it by raising that side slightly with one of the wedges.
5. If it won't spin but just collapses to the base, try removing a weight. You may have to add a smaller weight to replace it.
6. Once it is spinning smoothly on the plate, try lifting the plate vertically very very slowly. It should just barely rise off the plate if everything is right. If not, remove a weight and repeat. Now, if it rises up but flies off to one side, you may have to add a smaller weight to replace the one you removed.
