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Understand 1,700 Mechanical Linkages with These Helpful Animations

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31–40 of 67 posts

Re: Understand 1,700 Mechanical Linkages with These Helpful Animations

#31
post #28

I would have preferred if these were looping GIFs, or if there was a way to watch these videos on loop without interruptions. There was a similar site that had looped animation for a lot of these.

You can use gfycat for this. I converted the first one to demo: https://gfycat.com/CornyHonorableFrillneckedlizard.

Should be very easy to do, although you'll lose metadata and potential credits, of course.

Re: Understand 1,700 Mechanical Linkages with These Helpful Animations

#32
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some time ago i talked with a machine designer - and he told me that the industry is moving away from complex mechanical contraptions , into microcontrolers coupled with smart motors(servo - either linear or rotary) which allow exact controlled positioning.

This is certainly true in general. I see a niche for the mechanical solution if reliability is a primary goal and there is a (not too complex) gear that can solve your problem. About ten year ago I worked in project that designed a solar tracker. These trackers need to be cheap and reliable. Every hour an mechanic spends in a remote location is incredibly expensive and cuts into your yield very fast. Interestingly th…

Why are mechanical solutions more reliable than a servo ? Aren't mechanical and moving parts less reliable than electronics , in general ?

Re: Understand 1,700 Mechanical Linkages with These Helpful Animations

#33
post #18

Amazing. Now I'm left to wonder what all these contraptions are good for. For example, why would one use something like this "Persian joint": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFoiSRWdW5E ?

Some time ago i talked with a machine designer - and he told me that the industry is moving away from complex mechanical contraptions , into microcontrolers coupled with smart motors(servo - either linear or rotary) which allow exact controlled positioning.

Except for the mechanical watch industry; which might make a serious comeback? I mean it's still here, but interest has faded. I have weird feeling people will become interested, beyond a steampunk level, in finely machined/designed mechanical watch movements?

The Internet has made watchmaking/repair something a determined person can learn at home. I guarantee once you learn the basics, you will look at that old Seamaster sitting in the drawer in a whole new light. Taking apart an old watch, cleaning it, oiling it, and eventually wearing it on your wrist is a good feeling.

With me it went from an interest in automatic movements, to a hobby. Then it went to an obsession, but I'm weird? (I take things to far.) To maybe a building my own watch one day? I haven't lost money on the pursuit of this hobby though.

If you are young, their are a few watch repair schools still around. Rolex funds many of them because so many watch repairers are retiring, or died years ago. I would definetly go to one of these schools if I was younger, and could just pick up and move. That said, the right use of the Internet, and the right books can get someone pretty proficient in repair, and even design?

Think about all those rich dudes who wear complicated mechanical timepieces? All those watches will eventually need servicing? I've noticed rich poeple like a good deal, and take notice of watch servicing costs(cleaning, oiling, etc.) that are currently outrageous at the factory. I feel if a future watchmaker has the right tools, a portable clean room, and charged under $300 a service, he/she could make a good living?

It does seem like an uphill battle to get people interested in watches? When I was younger, I just liked what the watch looked like. My first watch was a Tag Formula 1 bought across from Macy's in San Francisco in the 90's. I like that Quartz watch. As I got older, I started to appreciate what's under the hood, and I really wanted to learn how to repair these mecanical complications. I can guarantee it's not as hard as some people make it out to be! I hope to have a few free instructional websites up in the future.

Re: Understand 1,700 Mechanical Linkages with These Helpful Animations

#34
post #18

Amazing. Now I'm left to wonder what all these contraptions are good for. For example, why would one use something like this "Persian joint": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFoiSRWdW5E ?

Some time ago i talked with a machine designer - and he told me that the industry is moving away from complex mechanical contraptions , into microcontrolers coupled with smart motors(servo - either linear or rotary) which allow exact controlled positioning.

Except for the mechanical watch industry; which might make a serious comeback? I mean it's still here, but interest has faded. I have weird feeling people will become interested, beyond a steampunk level, in finely machined/designed mechanical watch movements?

The Internet has made watchmaking/repair something a determined person can learn at home. I guarantee once you learn the basics, you will look at that old Seamaster sitting in the drawer in a whole new light. Taking apart an old watch, cleaning it, oiling it, and eventually wearing it on your wrist is a good feeling.

With me it went from an interest in automatic movements, to a hobby. Then it went to an obsession, but I'm weird? (I take things to far.) To maybe a building my own watch one day? I haven't lost money on the pursuit of this hobby though.

If you are young, their are a few watch repair schools still around. Rolex funds many of them because so many watch repairers are retiring, or died years ago. I would definetly go to one of these schools if I was younger, and could just pick up and move. That said, the right use of the Internet, and the right books can get someone pretty proficient in repair, and even design?

Think about all those rich dudes who wear complicated mechanical timepieces? All those watches will eventually need servicing? I've noticed rich poeple like a good deal, and take notice of watch servicing costs(cleaning, oiling, etc.) that are currently outrageous at the factory. I feel if a future watchmaker has the right tools, a portable clean room, and charged under $300 a service, he/she could make a good living?

It does seem like an uphill battle to get people interested in watches? When I was younger, I just liked what the watch looked like. My first watch was a Tag Formula 1 bought across from Macy's in San Francisco in the 90's. I like that Quartz watch. As I got older, I started to appreciate what's under the hood, and I really wanted to learn how to repair these mecanical complications. I can guarantee it's not as hard as some people make it out to be! I hope to have a few free instructional websites up in the future.

Re: Understand 1,700 Mechanical Linkages with These Helpful Animations

#35

Transmission like this looks really good in a simulation, but I wonder how much lubrication would this require to operate in the real world. this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdzSqc8pxVg

A lot of those solutions have been around for centuries but are quite impractical. The problems are often the required operational tolerances, wear rate, poor torque characteristics and other real life issues.

They are utterly fascinating to watch though.

Re: Understand 1,700 Mechanical Linkages with These Helpful Animations

#36
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some time ago i talked with a machine designer - and he told me that the industry is moving away from complex mechanical contraptions , into microcontrolers coupled with smart motors(servo - either linear or rotary) which allow exact controlled positioning.

Except for the mechanical watch industry; which might make a serious comeback? I mean it's still here, but interest has faded. I have weird feeling people will become interested, beyond a steampunk level, in finely machined/designed mechanical watch movements? The Internet has made watchmaking/repair something a determined person can learn at home. I guarantee once you learn the basics, you will look at that old Seam…

I used to be very interested in these. I really enjoyed learning about the various movements, servicing them, etc. When in college I worked to be able to buy a couple nice automatic watches and have always appreciated them. They're absolutely fascinating. But I kind of fell out of interest in favor of digital watches years ago. Love smart watches like the Basis and Pebble as they're like an extension of my phone. My old Tag and IWC have been sitting in a drawer for years and I'm torn between selling them for the thousands they're worth, or keeping them around in case I get interested again.

I think the age of passing down watches to your kids is over and generally they're simply status symbols,whereas before they were status symbols that served a useful function (that's now replaced with our phones).

One would be able to make a living learning to service expensive mechanical watches, but the industry seems to be dying and I'm reasonably confident it won't make a resurgence among the general population.

Re: Understand 1,700 Mechanical Linkages with These Helpful Animations

#37

Transmission like this looks really good in a simulation, but I wonder how much lubrication would this require to operate in the real world. this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdzSqc8pxVg

Someone else made an animation of this in r/mechanicalgifs not long ago, and people brought up the same objection. It turns out, though, that you can buy angled screwdrivers using this mechanism, and they work pretty well.

Re: Understand 1,700 Mechanical Linkages with These Helpful Animations

#38
post #28

I would have preferred if these were looping GIFs, or if there was a way to watch these videos on loop without interruptions. There was a similar site that had looped animation for a lot of these.

On the youtube page if you're using the HTML5 player, you can make them loop at least in chrome. Just right click the video, which should bring up the youtube menu. Just right-click again in the video area (not on their popup menu, but while it's still up), and "Loop" should be an option.

Re: Understand 1,700 Mechanical Linkages with These Helpful Animations

#39
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some time ago i talked with a machine designer - and he told me that the industry is moving away from complex mechanical contraptions , into microcontrolers coupled with smart motors(servo - either linear or rotary) which allow exact controlled positioning.

This is certainly true in general. I see a niche for the mechanical solution if reliability is a primary goal and there is a (not too complex) gear that can solve your problem. About ten year ago I worked in project that designed a solar tracker. These trackers need to be cheap and reliable. Every hour an mechanic spends in a remote location is incredibly expensive and cuts into your yield very fast. Interestingly th…

I was hoping that footnote was a link to the gear, not a demo of its application. Would you happen to have that?

Re: Understand 1,700 Mechanical Linkages with These Helpful Animations

#40
post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would actually be a time-space machine if you didn't plan on suffocating. http://i.imgur.com/o4CJS2w.png

The Sun is the center of the Universe. Interesting.

Everywhere is the center of the Universe.
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