Clock

thingiverse

My second attempt at crafting a straightforward, mechanical, weight-driven clock with the least components possible. It utilizes 4mm brass rods, a 1# drive weight, and presently, two ballpoint pens serve as the winding weight. The pendulum is a 1/4" aluminum tube, secured to a mirror. It functions, but it demands refinement. Specifically: Hands A ratcheting winding mechanism A crutch system to minimize the pendulum's oscillation A clock face A more refined way to attach the weights The gear train and escapement are pretty universal, allowing all components to work efficiently with minimal post-printing processing. Note: Gear tooth size and shaft holes are slightly offset inward to compensate for my printer's tendency to over-extrude. UPDATE: As requested, I uploaded additional parts necessary to create the red (column) version of the clock, minus the holders for the quarters at the ends of the seesaw pendulum, which I cannot locate. To assemble this version, you'll require all parts without "v2" in the file name, along with wheel4v2. However, the pendulum needs adjustment to maintain accurate time. UPDATE 2: I added renders of various gear configurations. UPDATE 3: Assembly instructions: - Verify that gear teeth are free of artifacts and that all will rotate smoothly on their shafts. - Adhere ONE of the mount pieces to whatever you are using as a backing (in my case, the mirror). - Slot 4mm rods into their mounts (you'll have to determine the length). - Wrap about 2m of cord around the drum on wheel 4 (three wraps of necklace cord provided sufficient friction with the weights used). - Onto the shaft in the shorter mount (the one connected to the pendulum pivot), slide the escape wheel, minute wheel (3), and hour wheel (5). - On the taller mount slot the 60-tooth gear (2) and the wheel with the drum (4). - With painstakingly minuscule adjustments, position the unglued mount until you find the sweet spot where gears mesh with the least resistance. - Adhere the free mount in place on the backing once you are satisfied or out of patience. - Place the arch-shaped frame piece onto the shaft with wheels two and four, then adhere the other frame pieces to the arch and the backing material using a similar process as described in the preceding two steps. - Attach a pendulum to the anchor (using a simple pendulum close to 1m in length will yield the required two-second period. Keep it lightweight and be prepared to spend time adjusting). - Tie the drive weight on the left side and the winding weight on the right side. - Mount it to the wall - Watch it tick - Design and print some hands, or otherwise modify it to your liking. FYSA: - Ensure that, however you mount the clock to the wall, the pendulum is balanced so that the anchor achieves equal lock in each direction. - As the main shaft is cantilevered, ensure that the mount is robust enough to prevent it from getting pushed sideways from sustained torque generated by the weight. PLA to mirror may not be sufficient without the right glue. This was an early escapement design; unless the pendulum swings sufficiently, it behaves more like a recoil escapement than a Graham escapement. I might refine it eventually. UPDATE 4: I added a new escape wheel and anchor that should operate more efficiently as mentioned in the previous update. They are untested, as I do not currently have access to a printer, but they worked well in a computer simulation. Also, user Zarlor created these excellent assembly animations for both configurations, which might be easier to follow than my posted instructions: http://gph.is/2alyFDR http://gph.is/2aYdpDL UPDATE 4.1: I re-uploaded the new anchor with slightly trimmed pallets and a smaller drop. This modification should prevent you from having to trim them by hand or sand down the back side of the escape teeth. Again, this is an untested modification. UPDATE 5: I added a two-piece mount and frame. Using these parts may eliminate all of the tedious wiggling and adjusting as described above during assembly. The caveat is that your printer must be extremely accurate (unlike my old printer used for this design's initial print) to ensure that gears mesh properly. Also, the frame will resist the flexural stress from the clock weight with the part's z-axis, which is its weakest dimension. Be cautious not to add too much weight, especially if using a pulley.