Added: 5 years ago
From: BLitwin
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  • smart art. beautiful.

  • the only thing I like about this is that gear that allows the piston to move straight in and out... is there ANY deviation from straight on that arms movement?

  • That's very observant!  There is almost certainly some deviation from a straight line motion, since it is a physical embodiment, and thereby inherently imperfect, as opposed to the theoretic ideal. The mechanism is an example of "Hypocycloidal" motion. -B

  • @BLitwin well I am asking about theoretical and practical.... not the deviation deemed "within tollerance". it is clearly superior to crank shaft motion, I am wondering how close to perfect it really is. the weight increase is an issue but even if it could not operate in hte real world (which you proved it does) it is still an awesome concept. thanks for the word, I'll have to look that up.

  • Hmmm. Superior? I guess it depends on your judgement criteria. On the one hand, you don't need a gudgeon pin, in the piston. But, you do need two gears - that's more costly to manufacture. And, to gang more than one piston, you need still more gears to connect the output shafts (no place for a shared crankshaft). Then, there's the question of efficiency, about which I'm dubious. Still, it is cool looking! :) -B

  • Hmmm. Superior?  I guess it depends on your judgement criteria. On the one hand, you don't need a gudgeon pin, in the piston. But, you do need two gears - that's more costly to manufacture. And, to gang more than one piston, you need still more gears to connect the output shafts (no place for a shared crankshaft). Then, there's the question of efficiency, about which I'm dubious. Still, it is cool looking! :) -B

  • love it!

  • I built this, now I can time travel!

  • You did??? So, you are me, come back to visit??? Please, tell me I'm rich and famous, in the future!! : )

  • @BLitwin Yes, this is your future self, you go broke in the year 2012, then the world ends ...but just before it happens, I traveled to the present to leave a comment...

  • That's such a relief to know! Now, I can stop worrying : )

  • At first I thought this was a totally worthless machine then I realized that pump doohicky makes a vacuum for the ball grabber... Still pretty pointless though admittably

  • Worthless? Pointless? Is that all ya got? How about something new to work with, here? You call yourself an artist? Pffffft! : )

  • If it were automatic it would make a very cool decoration

  • Yeah, umm... Huge high powered particle accelerators have not managed to rip a hole in the universe, so I doubt this scrawny little molecule mashing machine will. >) Cool looking gizmo, though!

  • Amazing.

  • the only thing it's going to smack is if you put your finger in the grinder thingy

  • Not sure I know what you mean, Anton. It's a piece of artwork; nothing more. It will not brush your teeth, while you walk to work, nor sort jellybeans by flavor. It just "is." -B

  • What exactly is this?

  • You know, my mechanical-engineer side says this thing is cool as hell, but my wheat side thinks that whoever built this thing should be curing cancer or something...

  • What a nice thing to say ...I think. Does it count that my dad is in cancer research?

    Wait. You have a "wheat" side?

    62+

  • Thats awesome!!

  • Utterly, utterly demented....sigh

  • it only works at the right speed right?

  • Yes, It has a limited speed range.  Crank too slow, and the vacuum leaks too fast to pick up, or retain the ball. Crank too fast, and the pickup/release cycle gets out of sync with the ball's return.

  • @BLitwin Okay, it's a very interesting design. Do you have the schematics for it that I could look at?

  • I only made a few sketches for this one, which I'd be hard pressed to put my hands on, being that I made it over 25 years ago. At any rate, I don't release any of my fabrication drawings. Sorry.

  • @BLitwin That's alright, the video is good enough for me, I understand the theory behind it and could probably make my own...

  • The digital age arrived too quickly, mechanical is far more interesting.

  • Hmm, diabolical, like it!

  • Pure mechanical art. I like it.

  • good try, but it's really too bad that nothing comes out of so much work there is a basic failure in the system because it is a well known fact that no mechanical device can smack atoms : this was demonstrated in 1928 by karl von mayo from the plank institute in berlin.

    this can only be done by hand.

  • Great device. How exactly does it smack atoms?

  • What? You can't see 'em? They're getting smacked an' whacked all over de place!

  • @BLitwin I'm typing on my keyboard, atoms are being smacked an' whacked all over de place!

  • hypnotic

  • Can you make this run on electricity and sale some of them? I have a BRAINIACK that would love something like this for a conversational piece. Thanks for sharing.

  • I accept commissions, all the time : )  -B

  • That's a work of art. Can't believe I sat there for two whole minutes watching it.

  • Genius. Thanks for posting it. Amazing the ingenuity put into something that does so little work, but wonderful at the same time.

  • lol it took me 1:30sec to realize that the arm was picking up a ball that went down a slide. I was like wtf is this before that =P still pointless but yay

  • what if you crank too fast?

  • If you go too fast, the marble will not reach the cup, in time to be picked up, again. Faster than that, other parts will become unhappy.

  • Sweet! I would so sit there and crank that thing around for hours.

  • это же надо такое придумать)) прикольно!!

  • I particularly like the ring-gear-spirograph thingie that converts rotary motion to linear motion. Is there a name for that mechanism? Or did you dream it up yourself?

  • That's a hypo-cycloid arrangement. Haven't seen it used, elsewhere, probably for good reason. There are more practical and power efficient ways of deriving linear motion, from rotating parts. But, I do love the elegance of it. Nice to hear from someone who appreciates that. -B

  • @BLitwin About the Hypo-cycloidial arrangement you have there, as far as I can understand, the ring gear will have to have twice the teeth than the planet gear, and that the rod which moves linearly has to be attached somewhere on the circumference of the planet gear. What I don't get is the circumference of the planet gear, how do you find it? Top of teeth or bottom of the whole between 2 teeth?

  • It's on the pitch circle of the gear; an imaginary line, at which two perfectly machined gears would mate, with zero backlash. Gears are generally specified by this nominal diameter, e.g. a 12 pitch gear with 12 teeth, has a theoretical pitch diameter of 1 inch. The outer diameter of a gear is greater than the pitch diameter, by the height of its tooth.

  • This reminds me of a comic strip :)

    ww w.smbc-c omics.c om/index.php?db=comics&id=1428­#comic

  • Thats badass.

  • How did you design and build this? Did you use a CAD program?

  • I made this one in 1985 or '86. That's about two years before I started using CAD software. Up to that point, I did everything on vellum, or in my sketchbook, or my head. I still draw, and consider it an absolutely essential skill. -B

  • That is an incredibly beautiful, cool, and pointless machine. I love it!

  • awesome

    

  • What an amazing machine. At first I had the idea it didn't do anything useful, but I was wrong. It kept me entertained the three times I watched the video.

    Great work.

  • Well, this is useless...Me Gusta /meme  This is pretty cool

  • Mission accomplished!

  • very kool

  • idits and coments... nice video

  • Once again i am speechless  Bravo!

  • It's the Sisyphus engine

  • Waste of time.

  • And yet, you watched the whole thing. Hmmmm

  • @Thetruthishere11 You need a brain to understand the beauty of this Masterpeice

    I feel really sad for you

  • @Thetruthishere11

    So you say this is a waste of time. Did you even bother asking what the point of building this contraption was? Did you take the time to think that it was about the process of building the device more so than it was to build something that did something for the sake of something other than learning?... Sadly, the biggest waste of time was your comment that this was a "waste of time." That time that it took you to complain about it, you'll never get it back.

  • Yikes! Let's keep it sweet, please. This is art, for the sake of art, only. Art can be perfectly pointless and a waste of time. I can easily accept that, and bear no malice towards anyone who feels that way about it. It's all about the interaction, after all. -B

  • @BLitwin

    I wasn't replying to you BLitwin... I was replying to "Thetruthisthere11"... just FYI.

  • @BLitwin

    FYI - I wasn't replying to you BLitwin... I was replying to "Thetruthisthere11" due to the fact that so many people take the time to complain for the sake of complaining. You may not feel malice towards this person for making the complaint, however, you are not the only one that has to suffer the wrath of those looking to MAKE PEOPLE SUFFER FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR OWN ENJOYMENT... Regardless of how this made you feel, I shouldn't have to suffer through your choice of inaction.

  • Take heart. If what you say about these flamers is really true, there's no real enjoyment being had. I believe a kind of tragic psychological process, is at work within these people. One can only hope that they will someday emerge from their personal darkness.

  • @BLitwin that is truly poetic. You sir are a bigger man than I. Oh and that is a fantastic device you have there, I really like the use of the hypo-cycloid arrangement, I think the brass stands out beautifully against it's clear backdrop. Bravo sir BRAVO!

  • @BLitwin welcome to the internets, land of flame and troll

    Also, what would you suggest for someone that wants to get into this hobby? Aside from starting with legos...?

  • Well, for me, this has never been a "hobby." It's interesting to hear you refer to my work, that way. And, it makes me wonder, "What does an artist do, for a hobby?" Accounting? Insurance sales? I don't think so. Anyway, who needs a hobby, when they are passionate with their work? :^) -B

  • @BLitwin way to digress! :)

  • I was hoping to see it travel through time

  • Hmm. Well, I did make it thirty years ago. Does that count?

  • it's beautifull!

  • That, sir, is one of the mose beautiful peices of machinery i have ever seen

  • where can i buy one???

  • Lovely

  • very very nice! absolutely love stuff like this!

  • what is it supposed to do? in theory anyway

  • Everything you see, that's what it does; nothing more.

  • @mewmaster151 so.... its kenetic art?

  • Well, it ain't mashed potatoes! :)

  • Stuff from the 80's looks so complicated...

  • awesome

  • Haha, I thought the arm had a magnet tip on it to pick up the ball, so I was trying to figure out what the piston did. Vacuum pick-up makes a lot more sense.

  • No im not angry just curious what is it? whats it supposed todo?....pretty cool though

  • Everything you see in the video, that's what it does; nothing else. That's all!

  • WTF is this?

  • Not sure what you mean. Are angry at it?

  • @BLitwin if he is angry its because his mind has blown =P

  • Magnificently brilliant piece of engineering and machine work.

  • Nice,

    This has had alot of thought,

    Im a bit of a junior to this,

    but Im sure you will like my inventions. (on my videos)

  • This is beautiful. It makes a wonderful sound.

    Subbed

  • ...cooled by DHMO in the atmosphere!

  • Wow, a mechanical representation of some of the jobs I've done! Very excellent work, btw.

  • Absolute pick and place perfection!

    Next is the hamster in the wheel-o-matic(TM)

  • Naaa. Animals are too unreliable 8^P

  • WHOAH!.... that atom at 0:47 got smacked BIG TIME !.... Totally thought that was gonna implode the universe. But then I guess if it did, I wouldn't be watching this... whew !......

    This is such a cool and well designed machine.

  • Pretty funny, Zetune. Thanks -B

  • You Sir ,are an excellent machinist as well as a competent engineer. Having spent years working in the packaging and high-speed machinery field, I feel quite qualified to praise your accomplishments and I award you another well earned subscription.

  • Wow, I love this! I would love to make something intricate like this, but the time it must take to make something like this... damn, not for me.

  • ale głupota :/ i czemu to ma służyć?

  • ??? English ???

  • what is the perpose of this? please reply i want to know

  • it's just art

  • read the info...

  • the purpose is to look pretty and shiny. nothing more. it serves it well

  • super

  • awesome

  • Now THAT's entertainment. Very fun!

  • Very cool. I particularly liked the vacuum pickup.

  • pretty cool

  • made me lol

  • Beautiful!

  • Now that's one beautiful Kentucky-do-nothing you got there ;)

  • it's gonna make a blackhole and then smack it

  • very cool how it uses the piston for suction :)

  • soooooo...what does this have to do with smashing atoms?

  • i believe it's "smacking."

  • so it's a ball abuser....

    I WANT ONE!

  • Why do mechanics remind me so much of biology?

  • What is the purpose of this machine?

  • Ask yourself, "What is the purpose of art?" If you find an answer, you will have the answer to your original question. -B

  • So it Does absolutly nothing?

  • Quite to the contrary, not only does it pick up and drop a little ball bearing, it also causes folks, like you, to ask questions. -B

  • Sisyphus can only sympathize..

  • It's strangely beautiful. In that it isn't doing much, that it's just moving a ball bearing to the top of a slope and catching it at the bottom, but at the same time, looking closer, at all the gears and components running it, it's actually doing a lot. Nice little machine.

  • The person who designed this must have been a genius.

  • sounds like water drops. But what does this prove, or disprove o.O?

  • Hmmm. I wasn't aware that I was trying to "prove" anything. -B

  • Well, from the description, it sounded like it was proving something scientific...But what's the point of this. Use simple terms please...

  • That is a question so many people ask. But, what is the point of anything? I recommend you find satisfaction in the fact that it simply is. -B

  • I think that this machine is beautiful; simply wonderful.

  • that is fascinatingly bizarre!

  • That poor poor ball bearing.

  • It's a commercial component.

  • BLitwin

    Do you have to cut the internal gear?

  • nonsense, all of you!

    you know how Ikea test their furniture? like opening and closing drawers endlessly? Well, SKF, another swedish company, uses this device to test the ball bearings manufacturer to make sure they can handle long periods of repetitive movement, which is something ball bearings usually arent designed to withstand.

    trust me, i know 'cos i used to work for the swedish ministry of ball bearings.

  • Pretty funny, Wei.

  • kinetic art at it's very best and it sounds very hypnotic

  • yeah when its real quiet like that it makes me wanna piss my pants

  • That is very cool,The only thing i would like to see is a keyway on the end of that crank shaft so that a chainsaw motor or high rpm brushless motor can be attached .But for real though ,Props on construction,it looks good .

  • why did you stop

    wheres part 2

  • useless but soo sweet !

  • It doesn't appear to do anything. But this is so fucking cool lol.

  • Amazingly pointless!!!

  • Heheheheh. Thank you! -B

  • What is that? a machin that pick up cola bottles?

  • Cola bottles? I think you are hallucinating. I don' need no steenking cola bottles! -B

  • What do it does then? exept that in the video is it just pikking up and ball and drop it?

  • Isn't that enough?

  • Well, meybe it could be a self drived machin that lifted a ball just start it by turning one round with that wheel and it does everything by it self.

  • Sounds like you have some work to do!

  • you just think about that

  • very sweet.....very sweet indeed

  • Call me stupid, but what does it do?

  • Everything you can see in the video, that's what it 'does.' Nothing more. -B

  • beuatiful as a monument!

  • Creanme que este mecanismo es una joya soñada, es un homenaje a mi trabajo. ¡¡ IS BEAULTIFULL!!

  • at first i thought, what the hell, but then i realised just how amazing it is, genius.

  • This is awesome, absolute genious! :D

  • Trying to find out what purpose does it serves. At least I can think it serves as an art and entertainment.

  • Good guess! -B

  • very nice... would love to see this in hi-def.

  • that the most beaultifull thing ever

  • That is so cool

  • Very cool.

  • That one probably took some calculating oO

  • How do you build all of your parts? Do you own a machine shop?

  • Yes. I have a machine shop in my studio: lathe, vertical mill, saws, gringers, etc. I can make most anything I can think of there, though the space is pretty cramped - in my basement!

  • and?...what is this for?....

  • I would ask you, what is any art "for?"

  • and who says that this is art?....

  • As its maker, I say that it is art. If you don't like it, that is your prerogative.

  • I join him in saying that it is art

  • congrats very surprising and refreshing. excellent

  • woow

  • Very cool, very good work