Mechanical Binary Counter

[aeh5040]

Here is a fascinating binary counter I recently found on youtube. Note: this is not my creation! I wish I could see enough detail to figure out exactly how it works. I posted a comment asking for more info, but no response yet. Anyone up for a reverse-enginerring challenge?

Edited December 6, 2015 by aeh5040

[Technyk32231]

If you understand how the binary number system works, I think this can be recreated in many ways. The number for each digit toggles every 2^n times, where n is the number of digits from the left. For a binary number XYZ, Z goes "0101010101", Y goes "001100110011", and X goes "0000111100001111", etc. So I think there is a 1:2 gear reduction between each digit, and so the cam toggles the digit half as many times as you go to the left.

[DrJB]

Reminds me of a quote/signature from another board I often visit: There are 10 different types of people, those who understand binary, and those who do not.

[aeh5040]

If you understand how the binary number system works, I think this can be recreated in many ways. The number for each digit toggles every 2^n times, where n is the number of digits from the left. For a binary number XYZ, Z goes "0101010101", Y goes "001100110011", and X goes "0000111100001111", etc. So I think there is a 1:2 gear reduction between each digit, and so the cam toggles the digit half as many times as you go to the left.

I think most people reading this forum already know what binary is, but thanks anyway. However, your proposed explanation of this counter is certainly incorrect. Gearing down by 1:2 for each bit would simply result in each lever moving at half the speed of the previous one. But you can clearly see that they all move at the same speed, but at different time intervals.

What makes this counter particularly innovative and interesting is that all bits have their own power source - you can see the axle running along the front that power all of them. This means, I think, that it could be extended indefinitely without the problems of cumulative backlash and power loss that result from odometer-style designs (such as the Geneva mechanism based one in my Pendragon). (Although all this is to some extent speculation, because as I said, I cannot see the details of how this one is working).

Edited December 7, 2015 by aeh5040

[Technyk32231]

I think most people reading this forum already know what binary is, but thanks anyway. However, your proposed explanation of this counter is certainly incorrect. Gearing down by 1:2 for each bit would simply result in each lever moving at half the speed of the previous one. But you can clearly see that they all move at the same speed, but at different time intervals.

What makes this counter particularly innovative and interesting is that all bits have their own power source - you can see the axle running along the front that power all of them. This means, I think, that it could be extended indefinitely without the problems of cumulative backlash and power loss that result from odometer-style designs (such as the Geneva mechanism based one in my Pendragon). (Although all this is to some extent speculation, because as I said, I cannot see the details of how this one is working).

clearly i was mistaken, i should have thought that through. Maybe it is something of a geneva mechanism, but with each bit having its own geneva mechanism? in that case the 1:2 gearing could work, possibly.

[aeh5040]

clearly i was mistaken, i should have thought that through. Maybe it is something of a geneva mechanism, but with each bit having its own geneva mechanism? in that case the 1:2 gearing could work, possibly.

No worries, and thanks for the interest!

Again, this mechanism seems to be different from (and better than) Geneva mechanism one, in that each stage gets its own power, so there is (apparently) no accumulation of friction as you go along the stages. The point is that one could in principle drive something that required lots of torque and power from each bit (e.g. a giant "0" and "1", maybe!), and still have enough power.

I'd like to understand exactly how it works!

Edited December 10, 2015 by aeh5040

[Technyk32231]

What i'm saying is that each stage would get its own power.

G=Geneva mechanism ----- = driveshaft oo = gearbox

G G G

1:4oo 1:2oo 1:1oo

--------------------------------------

Not sure if my "diagram" makes sense, but each stage has its own gearbox so that each stage turns half the speed as the previous.

[Technic Jim]

Reminds me of a quote/signature from another board I often visit: There are 10 different types of people, those who understand binary, and those who do not.

There's 10 types of people in this world; those who understand binary, those who don't and those who didn't expect this joke to be in base three!

[aeh5040]

What i'm saying is that each stage would get its own power.

G=Geneva mechanism ----- = driveshaft oo = gearbox

G G G

1:4oo 1:2oo 1:1oo

--------------------------------------

Not sure if my "diagram" makes sense, but each stage has its own gearbox so that each stage turns half the speed as the previous.

I appreciate the attempt, but this will not work. You will just end up with a bunch of Geneva mechanisms going at different speeds. The slower ones will spend long periods in intermediate states between two bits.

If you look at the video it is quite clear that each bit actuates the next one. Indeed, that is a necessity to get a reliable counter of any kind.

[Technyk32231]

...Then I'm up for a reverse-engineering challenge