Berthil

I just saw a very big mistake on my side, the Brick Technology escapement is run in the opposite direction with a string going under the spindle instead of above. So there is hope You've seen it and I also just noticed myself, shame on me. Fun and learning is what the competition is about, they said Actually, now that I had some time to think about it, the escapement is symmetrical so it should not matter in what direction it is operated. So I might be less stupid than I thought or I am and am missing something, only gravity could have some influence (push down instead of up). This also means it will not be more efficient when running in the other direction, I will see as I will try of course. Running the weight with a chain in the other direction will not be possible as the chains would need to cross in the same 2D plane or have some construction to run over the weight and to the other side.

I'm a novice when it comes to clocks but am experienced in running mechanisms as frictionless and reliable as possible with designing GBCs. I'm using the Brick Technology clock and you're right, it is a quarter per second so 1:4. I expected the escapement would run without problems, especially after the friction optimisations, but it doesn't in my build. Maybe some magic is applied by Brick Technology.

@Davidz90 The clock has seconds, minutes, hours, AM/PM and the ball chime. One swing of the pendulum from left to right is one second and half rotation on the escapement. I used the Brick Technology clock mechanism which has substantial downgearing right after the escapement to seconds, and more after that for minutes and hours. I've optimised all axles to support on both sides where it was possible to prevent friction. The prototype build in my video does not have all the planned frame and axle supports yet as it was a short test, so I plan to have less friction in the final build and hope for the best. Meanwhile I converted the weight string to gears and tread links, I expect better torque distribution to the escapement. It probably means more rewinding which is okay for me, the clock is a showpiece of Technic trying to look like a clock and doesn't have to run a full day on one weight rewind. But it has to run of course. I also added a weight at the top and am very close to 1 second per swing in the current configuration. I'll have a look at the suggested escapement and use a knob wheel, thanks. Will adding weight to the pendulum be good for keeping the swing movement going despite an inefficiënt escape mechanism, or is it just adding friction to everything?

@Davidz90 I've already looked at these from the links in your book, the single pin would be most suitable but has a full rotation on every swing right? I need a half rotation because the gearing ratios go into fractions after the escapement instead of whole numbers, and I don't see a way to change that. I could add a 200% gearing but this would only add to the friction already there. How did you run this amazing clock with all the mechanics behind it, just from the pendulum and weight? I would like to do something similar, but in a table clock without the long pendulum and be able to make building instructions for it.

Small update, but not a visual one. I've experimented with different and more efficient escapements, at least more efficient on paper. I worked on them until deep in the night but none of them work. Mainly because the whole machine has friction, many mechanisms are attached. A robuust and high force escapement system is required instead of a low friction fiddly one. I was very close to giving up but I like the clock very much, so I'm reverting back to the former escapement system and will try to optimize that as much as possible and hope it will work in the finished build. If not, I will find ways to let it work, if needed even with an additional motor and clutch system to overcome the high friction. I'm not giving up.

Finally a dark Mode, thank you!

Good to see you got everything working so good, I expected nothing less from the writer of the 'Guide to LEGO Clocks' book. .

@Davidz90 Thanks again! The bar is a good tip. I'm also looking at using the Bionicle tooth as a knife suspension. In my setup a Detent escapement system seems to be the best way to go but a Bionicle tooth or light saber suspension system seems hard to integrate, also because I want to keep the pendulum in the middle of the clock without changing all the gearing. Luckily, still almost 6 week until the deadline

@Davidz90 Thanks for the feedback, I will have a look at it. The top weight I already tried by adding train weights. This slowed it down but also decreased momentum a lot, but I'll give it a go together with a a more efficient escapement, before disassembling everything.

A bit of progress on the Clock, finally after Dutch Postal Services took 11 days deliver 3 Bricklink orders. Unfortunately the clock needs big updates to have a chance to function properly because the escapement doesn't run on its own: the pendulum is too short and the escapement runs slightly too fast. I tried to solve that by heightening the pivot point but this also meant adding gears with friction and backlash. This means I have to increase the height of the entire clock, probably by eleven studs. Because of this I have to redesign the weight and ball chime system. in the video I'm puling the string to mimic the weight that needs to be added, the string is genuine LEGO (x77ac50) but it is too thin and too short. It's too close to the winding axle and has no momentum. If I help the top gear next to the spindle a little bit with my finger, the escapement runs. I might try a longer and thicker string, and have more windings on the spindle to create more momentum. I might also try and use small track links on a gear now that I know I have to redesign it anyway. The redesigning of the frame and weight and ball chime system attached is my own fault. I should have checked the timing of the escapement first by building a prototype and test the swing time, but since I used about the same length as in the Brick Technology setup I assumed it was okay and designed too far ahead. As such the ball chime system with the Zamor Sphere works as the video shows, the frame is also sturdy.

Very interesting. Maybe you can also add the 12 Chinese animal zodiacs and/or the 7 Buddha postures of the determined week day The latter is easier. I'm a Horse and have the reclining Buddha. The Bilion year clock of Brick Technology has year subtractors, maybe it helps. It also has one 3D printed gear to enable the clock, I hope you don't need one. Good luck and fun with the build.

After 60 hours of work, a more or less digitally finished Technic Pendule Table Clock. I've added a chime ball drop at the right, every hour a Zamor Sphere should drop with a notable sound on a large tile. So at the right a ball will go up in an hour. Since I have no experience with Zamor spheres, I will build the frame and the chime system first as soon as the Zamor Spheres arrive from Bricklink. So expect a video soon of the working chime system . The rubber tires act as sound dampening, it does not make the clock a vehicle . If no effect, I'll probably replace them with something else. I didn't.

Great work so far. Looks like the whip will provide the consistency/torque needed and can provide the 1 second timing for an accurate clock, at least as much possible with a 100% LEGO clock .

Since all Bricklink Designer sets are from the existing brick palet, it's not necessary to own the set as the bricks can be sourced quite easily. But now would be the time to do so, and also obtain the sticker set while available. Although I expect there will be 3rd parties that will be making replacement sticker sheets.

Very nice idea! Wintergatan is epic, hence his 260 million views on that video alone. Unfortunately he never finished his Marble Machine X and nowadays is using a 3D printer instead of wood and the machines are downscaled (which is understandable). I wish you luck and very curious about the end result.

@Davidz90 Yes, that's the escapement left of the rewinding motor. Since the weight system is on the left, I hope to make a compact ball chime system on the right with maybe a ball storage and tilt system on the back, or if it doesn't obscure the oscillator, on the front. I agree that chiming the hours with the exact amount of balls in a mechanical contraption may take more space than the clock . Also because of contest time restrictions, I'll probably be concentrating on one ball per hour and release all 12 when it is 12 o'clock but maybe have to add an 'AM' mode without dropping balls to not wake up the whole house . After the contest, I might make a horizontal escapement on top and the elaborate ball chime system as an add-on, as well as more brick-build Steampunk ornaments.

Buidling instruction available on Rebrickable Making a Technic Pendulum Clock is sitting on my wishlist for years now, so the non-vehicle contest seems like a good moment to have a go at it. It took me about three days to make a start in Stud.io but I'm already studying clocks for years now. This clock is inspired by the Billion Year clock by Brick Technology and has some similarities in the same way in that a drive train or suspension is re-used in models, all via reversed engineering. I hope that is okay for the competition. In the end a clock is not rocket science, it needs an escapement, a weight and the correct gearing for seconds, minutes and hours (1:60:60:60). Next is building and testing the mechanisms and adjust weights to let the clock run on time. When that works I will fortify and beatify the frame, like covering up the battery box. Maybe also add a Steampunk vibe as far as that is possible with Technic elements. If time permits I want add some ball action with Zamor Spheres (so no GBC). Im thinking of dropping one ball every hour so that it makes a 'chime' sound, or the exact amount of balls at that hour. That might be too ambitious because it should have a mechanical mechanism like the rest of the clock and get drive from the clock. If all works out well I might make building instructions for it.

Thanks for he positive replies. On Rebrickable I can see more than 3000 have viewed it with 175 likes, but only 9 have bought so far. Since almost nobody did any donations for my free building instructions which have over 100 downloads per day(!), the 9 sold is more than I ever had via donations the last 7 years for the years of work that went into making all of these free building instructions. As such I can already name it a succes. Thank you.

I respect the amount of work you have/will put into this, but for me it will not be prettier than the original. As such it will be an accomplishment if you are able to complete, but if you have a family/friends, it would be wise to spend time with them rather than completing this.

If honorering 50 years of Technic, I would expect a B model and even a C model with the set. Remember the days when TLG would issue an inspirational book with alternative builds of sets. No such thing these days. One (IP) model only, mostly with lots of stickers now. I've had the 358 as a very special gift when I was eleven and scrambled to get other Technic sets after that (Tractor, Forklift). I'm from a poor family and although we were never hungry, more Technic sets was only something I could dream about. I've spend many hours of building with the bricks of these sets after that, even before the term MOC was known, using elastic bands to create some kind of suspension. Even used my old bricks to create with my kids (see photo). The sets with B-models and books with alternative builds were inspirational. It's that inspiration I would like to see back in a Technic 50th anniversary build.

You call it a step back, I would call it a step forward without panelling up everything with those ugly panels of current time. With the right model of course, one that has something to more to show than just a paneled outside. The Da Vinci model is a good example. Something like that in a larger scale would be fitting for a 50th anniversary model, with a good mix of bare Technics with appealing looks without al those ugly panels. For me the new Technic with liftarms is just to make the old Technic more rigid and compact, a 50th Anniversary model should showcase that.

It's a slow process and I don't know all the silicon oils, but to be safe I would remove it, also because it doesn't really help anyway. After that sand the back a bit thinner as suggested earlier. Or use one that turns smooth 'out of the box'.

I have build an improved variation of this six axis arm robot arm and have used the new blue 12t gears on the turntables, this reduces backlash even further. A worm gear is recommended to use only when forces are not high. I think the main improvement is drive on both sides of the turntables on all axis. the use of the 12t gears improves it further. I have a Stud.io model of his and my version and was planning on creating free building instructions when finished. I'm in the final stages of programming and mainly have used the hub and some motors from the 51515 set (not the ugly teal parts). Mine can rotate freely on banana gear racks as the hub that powers the six motors is on the arm.

A silicon oil carrier can dissolve the (oil based) weakener in LEGO thus making it brittle. I build GBC and have used silicon oil only on gears sparsely when I started. Still, after a year or so, all 24t gears broke in half. For that reason I use only dry teflon (PTFE) and apply with a brush, which can be seen at the end of this video. I've used it for more then 6 years now without problems. But with turntables I had more succes with sanding down the back of the Light Bluish Gray part on a flat 800 sheet on the table until the turnable runs smooth. I especially had to do that for this GBC, otherwise it would not run smoothly. There is quite some variance in how (new) turntables fit together.

I've spend quite some time in redesigning the 910032 Parisian Street from BDP Series 1 to a corner modular while using 98% of the parts. To close up the back I had to add 131 parts not in the set, mostly standard tan bricks. The modular can be split to look inside. Building instruction available on Rebrickable.