New guy with SMOT questions

[sknoxmn]

Nope, not yet.  Looks cool though. Very pretty. I'm still working out the build portion of my own design. I have the design part figured out. But I'm working out how to best bend rails to match each other.  I'll probably end up with screws in a board and using it as a jig of some kind.

[TinselKoala]

Finsrud's device is powered by the big spring in the middle. A slight compression of this large spring, barely noticeable by eye, will run the machine for a week and can be reset very easily and quickly during the weekly "dusting". Most of the mechanism functions as a combination pendulum/flywheel/escapement to store and release the spring's energy to keep the ball moving around the track. Think "cuckoo clock" running on lifted weight and you won't be too far wrong.
It is not a SMOT.

[Groundloop]

Finsrud's device is powered by the big spring in the middle. A slight compression of this large spring, barely noticeable by eye, will run the machine for a week and can be reset very easily and quickly during the weekly "dusting". Most of the mechanism functions as a combination pendulum/flywheel/escapement to store and release the spring's energy to keep the ball moving around the track. Think "cuckoo clock" running on lifted weight and you won't be too far wrong.
It is not a SMOT.

TK,

If you have studied the Finsrud device, you will see that the little spring at the top is only allowing the track
to be slightly tilted so that the steel ball can move. The Finsrud device is powered by a 40Kg weight inside the
support structure. This 40Kg weight has magnets glued on. And there are many magnets under the weight that,
together forms a chaos pendulum. The three smaller pendulums are used as a track speed controllers. The Finsrud
device is not a wind up clock. Mr. Finsrud has published some drawings of his device. You can find them here:
http://www.galleri-finsrud.no/index.php?option=com_phocagallery&view=category&id=177&Itemid=70

GL.

[TinselKoala]

TK,

If you have studied the Finsrud device, you will see that the little spring at the top is only allowing the track
to be slightly tilted so that the steel ball can move. The Finsrud device is powered by a 40Kg weight inside the
support structure. This 40Kg weight has magnets glued on. And there are many magnets under the weight that,
together forms a chaos pendulum. The three smaller pendulums are used as a track speed controllers. The Finsrud
device is not a wind up clock. Mr. Finsrud has published some drawings of his device. You can find them here:
http://www.galleri-finsrud.no/index.php?option=com_phocagallery&view=category&id=177&Itemid=70

GL.

In pmd_05 you can see the spring I'm talking about. It is not a "little spring". I did not mean to imply that it is a "wind up clock" only that it is an escapement mechanism with energy storage in the pendulums.  Powered by the weight, OK, it still needs to be reset periodically.
Thanks for posting the drawings.

[Groundloop]

In pmd_05 you can see the spring I'm talking about. It is not a "little spring". I did not mean to imply that it is a "wind up clock" only that it is an escapement mechanism with energy storage in the pendulums.  Powered by the weight, OK, it still needs to be reset periodically.
Thanks for posting the drawings.

TK,

>>Powered by the weight, OK, it still needs to be reset periodically

Not only the 40Kg weight, also by the fact that this 40Kg weight is a chaos pendulum because of the magnets
glued to the underside of the weight and on to the weight itself. If it was only the weight then the ball will stop in a short
time. But because of the chaos pendulum then the swing of the weight is prolonged a very long time. You only need
a very little power to move the track so that the steel ball will roll. Also the three side pendulums keep the ball speed
down so that you do not "use up" the stored momentum in the 40Kg pendulum too fast. And here is the secret to
this device AS I SEE IT (I may be wrong). The operator moves the tree outher pendulums by hand to start the device.
This will also store energy into the 40Kg large pendulum in the base of the device because the track is connected
to the large pendulum with a gear up mechanism.  The release of the operator hand input is then "used up" in a very
long time because of the gear down from the large pendulum to the track, and also to the fact that a chaos pendulum
with magnets on, will prolong the swing of this pendulum. The three outer pendulums is also used to slow down the
track so that the "operator input" can be "dished" out on a longer time frame. It is my belief that this device is run
by "Mister hand". But is is a beautiful art work.

GL.