I’ve long been a fan of automata and mechanical movements. I designed my own original automata 6 or 7 years ago that uses a Whitworth quick return mechanism and spend a lot of time dabbling in that space.
Given the duty cycle here, I’m highly confident that there’s no need for lubrication and that it’s probably more durable than I am. It only runs when it “sees” someone standing within 3 feet of it and my water heater just doesn’t get that much traffic.
It’s fairly quiet when it runs. There is sound in the video, but you’d probably have to turn your speakers all the way up to hear it. The motor only runs for 5.65 seconds to rotate the next panel into view.
Power is supplied by a 12 volt adapter plugged into an outlet, so there’s no concern about batteries and such. The PIR sensor polls continuously except when it’s running the motor.
Ah, I know this book! I share your passion for the subject and I’ve only explored two so far: the Whitworth quick return mechanism and the Geneva wheel.
Love this project! Who knew that hot water heaters made great gallery spaces? Ours is covered with coupons and warranties from our maintenance provider.
Of interest if you like linkages and mechanisms… Nguyen Duc Thang has been animating literally thousands of them and makes index files to help you find what you’re interested in.
Your crafty subtitle mechanism inspired me in a related tangent. My first thought was that a stepper motor could be used in place of the Geneva gear. That led to the idea of using a pair of such a steppers on 12 element subtitle boards to to make a word clock.
A day later and I have a first draft ready for printing. One 12 sided element covers the minutes (in 5 minute increments) and the other the hours. Stay tuned.
