Davidz90

Okay, thanks for the information! I'll look into it.

I have considered that, but all the extra work with cooperating with editors etc. didn't seem worth it. I think that as a free online book, it will have more readers (might be wrong about this). That being said, having a physical, printed book sure feels better. However, can I publish something that is already posted online for free? If so, I may give it a try after some more revisions. Any ideas what to add are appreciated. I'm really happy to get all the positive feedback. Thanks!

Wow, thank You very much! Of course you can use it! I plan to expand the section 2.15 in future revisions. (Greetings from Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, Poland; Institute of Mathematics and Physics) Thanks!

Link to the book: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tKEfn04DPgdjs7aB_9l1JUw8vH_4c711/view?usp=sharing Link to the new, second edition: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1u2hjSavIkEeW3qnAZkPk7qt0ar5UKe-d/view?usp=sharing After 10+ years of building Lego clocks, I decided to collect all my knowledge on the subject into a book (ok, maybe not all but most of the simpler stuff :P). The book contains many illustrations, renders and building instructions. Starting from very simple ones: 2 8 through more advanced mechanisms with detailed step by step explanations how they work: 6 There is also a large chapter about physics of clocks: 5 3 Book ends with extensive literature section, there are also numerous links to Youtube videos throughout so that all discussed mechanisms can be seen in motion. I hope that some people will find this interesting and useful :)

Interesting, thanks for sharing!

True, althought border between "vibrating" and "flapping extremely fast" is rather blurry. I'm gonna do some experiments with hitting the resonance frequency of the blades - this way, fast pronounced flapping/vibration could be done with minimal movement of the wing root.

Nice job! I have the ornithopter, flapping range is about the same as in your model. Yes, the front wings flap more than rear ones but it's not as bad as in some reviews. It seems that the build is just very fiddly. A dream come true would be more pronounced and motorized flapping - I wonder how fast the wings could go before whole thing shakes itself apart.

What a fun build! Well done.

Second part of small escapement demonstrations:

Thanks for sharing this! Some time ago, I found out that the actuators moving the mirrors in James Webb Space Telescope were prototyped with Lego! Specifically, when watching this documentary on them: I noticed that first comment on this video is from Robert Warden, who designed these devices. To quote: "Robert Warden here. I wrote the paper back in 2006. I just wanted to say how impressed I am with your reverse engineering! Your graphics and description are very well done. Back then, we didn't have easy access to 3D printers, so I built the first model out of Legos, which is still on my desk! Wishing you all the best - Bob" He also provided a video of this Lego model:

So, I started writing the book. Part of it is discussion of various escapement types and small, easy to build examples of them. Here's showcase of the first four, each of them under 50 pieces:

Oh, I don't intend on selling it. It will be free.

For anyone interested, here's a link to instructions: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F0I6FHT8jyRJfaDp8Td_nGbjcEde0Jnu/view?usp=sharing Given the amount of requests for instructions, tutorials and explanations, I'm considering writing some sort of a book on the subject of Lego clocks. There's too much stuff to cram it into a series of videos. It would cover not only the engineering topics and various Lego escapement designs, but also the physics of pendulum clock. However, I'm not sure if that wouldn't be too niche?

Next creation. For this one, I combined Lego with a little woodworking to make something in a more modern style. 1 It uses the same mechanism as my recent mini-clock. Due to longer, heavier pendulum, it is more accurate - up to 30 seconds/day. 2 The whole thing is fixed to a wooden board by simply driving screws through Technic holes and into the wood. 3 Link to a video:

Wow, I'm not a car fan but this is truly beautiful! The fact that you managed to cram 4 motors and a battery box into something this small, without sacrificing the looks, is outstanding.

Thanks! Yes, compactness and low cost were my design goals here. Considered making it studless, but old school technic bricks are way more rigid with less pieces.

Here's a small but fully functional clock, with full build instructions. It is designed to be clamped to an edge of a table/shelf or hanged on a wall. Driving weight lowers by 20 cm per hour, so at typical shelf height of ~160 cm, one gets 8 hours of working time. link to the instructions: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tbNfih7dY28Cv3CotBCrR4Pl8SmZic_Y/view?usp=sharing

That's a cool idea! You are right, inner workings of a pendulum clock are surprisingly intricate and the physics behind them is truly fascinating. I have some plans to create a small, easy to build wall clock, with full instructions and detailed explanation of how it works.

I got featured on Beyond the Brick channel :)

Some photos and additional description: The general structure of the clock is two towers with pendulum hanging in between. This arrangement makes it relatively stable and saves a lot of material when compared to traditional grandfather clock that encloses the pendulum in a case. side The tower is 170 cm high, but pretty narrow. In fact, total cost of this clock is less than twice the price of the recent Notre Dame cathedral set. front The clock face is a plate sandwich, put under very slight tension. face Finally, the mechanism. For power, I'm using a non-Lego DC motor plugged to a phone charger. A potentiometer (blue) is used to regulate the motor torque. Motor output speed is regulated by a fan. mechanism

Whoa, that thing is going to be huge!

My newest creation, takes some solutions from the last high-precision clock (like the temperature-compensated pendulum), but uses a completely different escapement design.

Supported!

Final result after one month of testing. Max error: -6/+7 seconds. And here is my newest build - a hollow clock face. Inspired by some 3D-printed clocks out there. Minute hand is fixed to one ring gear, hours hand is suspended by magnets on second ring. Now I'm thinking on how to power it. First idea was to use standard quartz mechanism out of regular wall clock, but these tend to have very little torque, just enough to move lightweight hands.

Nice and simple!