The Topsy Turvy Clock by Andy Clark

Andy Clark of The Workshop Shed blog made this, The Topsy Turvy Clock, after being inspired by a kids TV show, featuring a clock with numbers in the wrong places.

Andy Clark explains:

I saw a clock with the numbers in a Topsy Turvy order and wondered if I could actually make it work. After concluding it would be too much of a technical challenge to make it entirely clockwork, I decided to use stepper motors and software control. I wanted it to look like an original mantel clock so the brass mechanism and style of numerals were key. I had the numbers laser cut in card by a company who normally make wedding table decorations so the what I call "antique white" is actually "champagne". I started planning in late November last year so it's been a long build with mechanical, electronic and software challenges. I finished it just this week after a month of fine tuning and completing the software.

Here is where you can learn more about the Topsy Turvy Clock. It's also been entered in the Atmel Simply AVR Design Contest, so be sure to vote for it!

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Automata as jewelry - pendant automaton by Kimberly Nogueira

Here is a small mechanical piece of jewelry by metalsmith Kim Nogueira. The piece, a pendant to be exact, recently won first place in a design contest held by Metal Clay Artist Magazine. This year's annual design competition was called "Metal Clay Plus...". The magazine was looking for work that incorporated innovative combinations of metal clay and non-metal materials.

Nogueira's piece, entitled Lost Point of Origin, is made from fine silver, sterling and bronze clays, mica, vitreous glass enamel, faper, thread, tourmaline, a found object, pearl, etched and pierced copper sheet, fine silver wire, sterling silver sheet, wire and tubing. That's a lot of different materials!

From the artist:

When I made this piece, I had no idea that others would be interested in what I thought was a beautiful but very odd box. I was just excited to have an excuse to push myself to use whatever materials my heart desired to tell a story.

You can see more jewelry by Kim Nogueira on her web site.

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Name a new MechaniCard and you could win one of your own!

MechaniCards are small, hand-cranked kinetic sculptures, designed in limited edition by artist Bradley N. Litwin. They are constructed primarily from paperboard, with a few bits of wood, metal, or plastic.

The lastest one, shown in the video above is yet to be named. Here is the fun part: you can be the one to name it! Here's how:

1. Visit the MechaniCards web site
2. Send your suggestion for a title of the one shown here
3. If your entry is chosen, you will receive a free copy of the newly-named card

There is no purchase is necessary to enter. One entry per person. The winner will be picked on March 15th, 2012.

Here's a link to the MechaniCards web site where you can see all of the current designs and submit your name for the new one!

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Instructables National Robotics Week robot contest

The world's best DIY site, Instructables, is gearing up for National Robotics Week by holding a robot contest. To enter, you need to publish a new Instructable that shows how to build a robot by March 20th.

All kinds of robot projects are eligible -- from the simple to the complex. Ideally, the robots should be something that K-12 students could make with the help of teacher or mentor.

Instructables is giving away some great prizes for the contest. Projects will also be featured on the National Robotics Week website. Winners will have a chance to show their robot projects at live events during National Robotics Week.

Here's where you can learn more about the Intructables Robot Contest. Here is where you can learn more about National Robotics Week, April 9-17, 2011.

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Crankahead automaton contest winner list!

The First Crankahead Automata Contest has ended and the winners have been announced. They are as follows:

• Category A-cademy: The loan applicant by Andrew Kaye
• Category B-oom: Show me your feelings by Pablo Lavezzari
• Category C-rank: Sisyphus in Hiding by Dave Johnson
• Category D-ecelerator: Melting Snowman by Sarah Bunker

Congratulations to all the proud makers and those selected for a prize!
See these and ALL of the great entries for the Crankahead Automata Contest.

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Crankahead automata contest officially begins!

Automata enthusiast, Sergio Pinese, and others have organized the first Crankahead Automata Contest.

Some contest details from the Crankahead web site:

Contest:
Build your own vending machine, donation box, mechanical picture or automaton. Here we call it automaton and mean an object with moving components. Build it within a limited time period and send us a video, some pictures and a description. That's all!

Conditions
The automaton you make was never published in the internet before the competition start date: October 12th, 2010 (no images or videos on Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, …).
After this date you are free to reveal details of your automaton in work in the internet.

Restrictions
There are no restrictions: you are free to choose materials and mechanisms and there is no specific subject to follow. There are also no limits with the size (except due to the size of your home) because in the end you only need to make available the documentation material (video, pictures, description).

The contest period will end on January 30th, 2011.

For all the details visit the Crankahead Automata Contest web site.

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Contest: Make a mechanical vending machine

The good folks at the The Kugelbahn Blog have announced a competition! The goal is to design and build a coin-operated vending machine that dispenses small German chocolate bars. The deadline for the competition is January 31st, 2010.

Machine Specifications
The apparatus is to be purely mechanical and hand operated. With the input of a 20ct-coin the machine should output one little chocolate bar. The ALDI Moser-Roth chocolate package (found in Germany) contains 50 pieces measuring 5mm x 35mm x 35mm each, which are cheap and stack well (see the picture above). The coin-acceptor unit is to make possible the chocolate output with one 20ct-coin. Other coins with a smaller diameter should fall into the return area.

For all of the competition details visit KugelbahnBlog starts TINKERING COMPETITION for chocolate vending machines.

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Win a Laser Cutter from Instructables

Instructables is giving away a BrightStar LG3040 laser cutter package worth over $6000!

To enter the contest, here's what you need to do:

1. Publish an awesome Instructable on any subject anytime between April 15th and Sunday June 17th 11:59 PM PDT and add it to the Laser Cutter contest group. They will judge the projects with help from Squid Labs and past winners, while taking into account each Instructable's rating and number of pageviews as another "judge."

Entries do not have to involve lasers; any Instructable is eligible. The focus is on sharing what you're passionate about.

2. Five finalists will be selected and announced around Friday June 22nd. Each of the five finalists will need to submit a proposal telling what they would do with the laser cutter.

Check out all the details of Instructables Laser Cutter Contest