aeh5040 Posted February 21, 2023 Posted February 21, 2023 About 5 years ago I made the first version of this model, which used a combination of pneumatic and mechanical control. I was never completely satisfied with this - according my own particular ideas of purity it would be better for it to be either 100% pneumatic or 100% mechanical. Moreover, it was not completely reliable at shows, since the pneumatic elements tend to dry out and develop leaks over time. The new version is entirely mechanical, and just works from one motor. I have taken inspiration from the recent mechanical Container Transport GBC modules and put the control system out in front where it is visible to an audience. The Tower of Hanoi puzzle is to move a stack of "discs" (here 5 of them, not really disc shaped) from one peg to another, making use of a third peg, with the rules that only one disc can be moved at a time, and a larger disc can never go on top of a smaller one. It required 2^5 - 1 = 31 moves to complete. The solution is ususally described recursively, but here (as in the previous version of the model), it is implemented by a repeating sequence of moves between pegs A and B, B and C, C and A, etc, where in each case the smaller of the two discs on top is the one that moves. The main challenge with such models is to provide a precisley timed control mechanism for the various functions that is reliable and capable of supplying sufficient torque. After trying various options, I did this using a chain drive (similar to the Loop Coaster, but with controlled lowering as well as raising), and two Tomy Armatron mechanisms, one with feedback to advance by a precise amount, and the other using a slipping clutch in combination with end stops. Quote
lcvisser Posted February 22, 2023 Posted February 22, 2023 That’s amazing. I can’t believe this all runs off of just one L-motor. Really nice. I’ll read up on those mechanisms! Quote
gyenesvi Posted February 22, 2023 Posted February 22, 2023 Wow, that's pretty insane that such a thing can be done purely mechanically, looking at the video first I thought it is programmed with Mindstorms :) Even that would be a great feat, but this is next level. Very impressive work! Quote
pow Posted February 22, 2023 Posted February 22, 2023 (edited) I like how you reduced the motion to a minimum. Thanks for that masterpiece of art! Edited February 22, 2023 by pow more superlatives Quote
2GodBDGlory Posted February 22, 2023 Posted February 22, 2023 Very impressive mechanical work there! Quote
kolbjha Posted February 22, 2023 Posted February 22, 2023 Fantastic! Like @gyenesvi I initially thought it was a Mindstorms creation. When I realized everything was purely mechanic... absolutely amazing! Quote
aeh5040 Posted February 23, 2023 Author Posted February 23, 2023 (edited) On 2/22/2023 at 10:32 AM, gyenesvi said: Wow, that's pretty insane that such a thing can be done purely mechanically, looking at the video first I thought it is programmed with Mindstorms :) Even that would be a great feat, but this is next level. Very impressive work! Thank you for all the kind words folks! Mindstorms would be cheating! (Just kidding - I'm very impressed by the things people do with it, but I am obsessed with doing everything mechanically). 23 hours ago, pow said: I like how you reduced the motion to a minimum. Thanks for that masterpiece of art! Many thanks! I'm curious what you mean by "reduced the motion to a minimum"? My general philosophy is to make everything as simple as it can be, and no simpler (while achieving the intended goal), but I'm not sure whether that's what you are referring to... Edited February 23, 2023 by aeh5040 Quote
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