Robot Bicycle Zoetrope

pinshape

UPDATE 8/9/2018: Someone has taken this design and uploaded it to their own Thingiverse page without giving credit, copied my description from here into theirs, and stolen my YouTube video of me building the design. To stop this kind of theft in its tracks, I'm now charging for access to this design. This bike wheel zoetrope is a one-of-a-kind design that turns your bike wheel into an animated display. It was specifically made for 18 spokes on one side of the wheel, with two complete cycles of animation. The files included are nine robot bodies and two sets of clips to attach them to the spokes - one set for 3.5mm wide spokes and another for 2mm wide spokes. Before you start printing, measure the diameter of your bike spokes so you know which set of clips to use. You'll also need heavy-duty glue to attach the robot bodies to the spoke clips; I recommend E6000, a fast-drying adhesive that works well on most materials. The robot bodies are 4.25 inches tall and 2mm thick, making them suitable for most printer platforms. To print this design, you'll need to print two copies of each of the nine robot body files: robotbody1 through robotbody9. I printed mine at .35 with half using rafts and half without on my Up Mini printer in ABS. To make assembly easier, number each print on the back as it comes off the machine so you can easily access the right pieces for the cycle when it's time to attach them. You'll likely need exactly 18 long bike clips in either 3.5 or 2mm width, but you might prefer using short clips instead, which are easier to snap onto spokes. For the bike clips, I printed at .2 with fine quality and added rafts to prevent warping; however, you may be able to do without them. It's essential to print the clips at the highest resolution possible for a snug fit. UPDATE: If your bike has 16 spokes on one side, you can easily remove robotbody6 from your prints, and the animation will still flow smoothly. Once everything is printed, lay your bike horizontally on the ground and keep the wheel as level as possible. Before attaching the bike clips, ensure they'll be completely hidden by each body. Arrange the pieces close to the photo of the full wheel and try to maintain even spacing between the bodies (though it might be challenging due to uneven spoke spacing). You may need to angle a body slightly to fit around the spoke, but keep the grounded foot on the rim. Go through each spoke one by one, gluing each body to a bike clip already attached to the spoke. Once everything is dry, you can spin the wheel and view the animation through your cell phone's camera lens or using a strobe light at night. Note: You won't be able to see the animation with the naked eye - it will just appear as a blur when spinning.