Automatic Touch-Sensitive Reversing Transmission

This is a proof of concept for a 2-setting automatic K'nex transmission. This mechanism is not intended for use in any future project, I simply had the idea and wanted to see if it would work. The wheel on top of the mechanism spins continually in one direction until its movement is interrupted. The machine detects the rotational force applied on the axle and automatically switches gears, reversing the direction of the wheel to avoid stress on the motor.

This machine was designed and built in about 4 hours from nearly 500 pieces and 33 gears.

Video of the mechanism in action:

Close-ups of the switching mechanism:

The red gear in the upper right slides along the length of the red rods depending on the tension of the chain. This gear rides on a cart which triggers the transmission when it reaches a certain height. There are 2 of these tension mechanisms in the device, one for each direction of rotation.

K'nex Dome

School's out, so I am able to begin building massive outdoor structures again. Here is the first of what I hope will be many.

This K'nex dome spans over 14 feet and is almost 6 feet high at its center. Each leg is 10 feet long, but only 3 inches thick. I designed this dome to test a modification of the k'nex arch I used in The Labyrinth. The dome was built in 10 hours by Austin Granger and Sam Ihlenfeldt and uses over 5,500 pieces.

Under Construction

Testing the design strength with 4 legs

All 8 legs in place

Center of the dome

Close up of one of the legs

This is not a ferris wheel...

This is a flywheel and lateral support bearing for my upcoming large project. I will need 2 more of these 3-foot wheels to complete it. These wheels will support a large, rotating shaft which should experience considerable stress. I will be installing this wheel in a prototype bearing-housing and testing its functionality soon, updates by this weekend.

Something New....

Labyrinth deconstruction has begun, and I am in the planning stages for my first (of hopefully many) large-scale summer construction projects. The build will probably get started this weekend and I will post pictures when I get far enough along. I don't want to say what it is yet, but if it works, it should be a world's first!

Sears Tower Meets Baseball Bat (high speed)

Does this really need any explaination?


Video 1 (420 fps)



Video 2 (420 fps)




Batter: Simon Olson

Labyrinth in slow motion (210 FPS high-speed video)

I just got a Casio Exilim ex-fc100, which can shoot high-speed video at up to 1000 FPS. To test it out, I filmed one of the racing tracks of Labyrinth at 210 frames per second (7 times slower than normal).



Also, just for fun, here is my finger being caught in a mouse trap at 1000 frames per second!

HAPPY PI DAY!!!

A little something I whipped up in flash for Pi Day 2010.