Reference
Coded magnet glossary
The words you meet when reading about programmable magnets - maxel, correlation code, Barker code, multipole - defined in plain language.
- Coded magnet aka correlated / programmable
- A magnet whose North and South poles are arranged in a designed pattern (a code) instead of one plain North and one plain South, so its force can be programmed to attract, repel, hold, align, or latch.
- Maxel magnetic pixel
- A single magnetic element - one coded cell of North or South, typically 1-4 mm - that acts like a pixel of the overall pattern. Many maxels arranged in a code make up one coded magnet.
- Correlation code the pattern
- The sequence of North/South cells written across a magnet's face. Borrowed from radar and RF, a good correlation code gives a sharp force spike when two matching magnets align and near-zero force when they are shifted.
- Barker code example sequence
- A short binary sequence (such as + + + − − + −, the Barker-7) prized in signal processing because it has very low off-peak autocorrelation - ideal for making a magnet grab hard in one position and let go everywhere else.
- Autocorrelation match strength vs offset
- A measure of how strongly a code matches a shifted copy of itself. Coded magnets use codes with a tall central peak (aligned = strong attract) and small side values (shifted = weak or repel).
- Multipole magnet many poles, one face
- A magnet with many North and South poles on a single face rather than the usual two. Coded magnets are a designed kind of multipole magnet.
- Correlated magnetics the field
- The technology, developed by Larry Fullerton beginning in 2008, of programming magnetic behavior by applying correlation codes to the poles of a magnet.
- Polymagnet the brand
- The commercial brand under which coded magnets are made and sold by Correlated Magnetics Research. See where to buy.
- Phase / offset how far it is shifted
- The amount one magnet's code is slid or rotated relative to its partner. Zero offset is aligned (peak force); shifting the offset sweeps the pair through attract, cancel, and repel.
- Latch & release hold then let go
- A behavior in which a coded pair holds firmly when aligned but releases with almost no effort after a small twist or slide drops the correlation to zero.
- Spring / hold-at-a-distance contactless spring
- A behavior in which layered attract-and-repel codes settle the pair at a fixed gap, so it floats at a set spacing and pushes back like a spring without touching.
- Self-align snaps into registration
- A behavior in which the code's correlation peak pulls an off-center or rotated part into one exact orientation and position.
Keep reading
Related guides
START HERE
What is a programmable magnet?
Plain-language definition and how it differs from an ordinary magnet.
THE MECHANISMHow coded magnets work
Correlation codes, maxels, and the align-shift-repel effect, step by step.
BUYINGWhere to buy programmable magnets
Who makes and sells coded magnets, demo kits, and custom design.
WATCHCoded magnet videos
Authoritative demonstrations of attach, align, latch, and spring behaviors.