Under-the-hood video of Colin Neu's "First Flight" kinetic sculpture

Did you see the video featuring the amazing kinetic sculptures by Colin Neu? Here is an closer look at one of the pieces featured. This one is titled First Flight. That beefy spring-driven motor you see at the beginning came from an antique gramophone motor. The video shows that there is some extraordinary craftsmanship going on here at every level. I think this sculpture may be as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside. Bravo!

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Super-small 12 cylinder engine may be the smallest in the world!

With close to six million views on YouTube, this video doesn't fall into the "undiscovered" category. Nevertheless, it falls into the crazy-amazing-miniature-machine category.

This incredibly small motor is the work of a Spanish engineer named Patelo. 1200 hours went into designing and fabricating one of the world's smallest V12 engines. The video shows the assembly process and culminates in the motor running on compressed air. This is some very fine miniature machining, indeed.

It's Monday; let this inspire you to make all that you can of the coming week. Enjoy!

[ Thanks John! ]

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Video shows you exactly how to build a tiny electric motor

I won't need to say much about this video from hilaroad.com that shows how to build a simple electric motor because it is so well-made and comprehensive. The video shows you step-by-step how to go about making a simple battery powered motor. This is a great rainy-day project, party trick, and desktop conversation starter. I've made one myself and the results -- even though entirely expected -- are mysterious and somehow thrilling. You really should try this when you have 20 to 30 minutes (tops!) to spare.

The video also covers the basic theory involved in electromagnetism, which includes the disassembly of a small toy motor. It all makes a lot more sense once you've made a small motor of your own. Other versions of this simple motor have you strip the varnish off the wire on only half of one of the wires. This makes the jump to understanding the commutator a little easier.

If you feel like getting the various materials together would be a hassle, you can always spend a couple of bucks on the Simplest Motor Kit. This would be good option if you want to send one to someone by mail. Though the included explanation book is said to be confusing, if you use it in conjunction with the video shown here, everything should be clear.

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Plans to build a model of a flathead 4 motor out of scrap wood

Ken Schweim has come up with a new set of plans. This time around, he has designed and built a Willys L-134 flathead engine model out of wood! The plans are available as a Kindle e-book on Amazon.

From the book description:

The engine rotates with a hand crank mounted on the flywheel end of the crankshaft. The movable parts include the four pistons, connecting rods, eight valves, cam shaft, crankshaft, and timing gears. The head is included with the four spark plugs, plug wires, and a distributor (for looks only). The valves are all timed for a normal four cycle engine and the firing order is the same as a Willys L-134 flathead engine. The head is mounted on two wood hinges to allow a clean view of all the valves and pistons.

Made from small pieces of scrap wood pieces, the motor model can be built using with standard woodworking tools. The model measures approximately 12" long by 8" wide. The book contains over 300 step by step photos and blueprints. Here's a sample page from the book showing the plan drawings and helpful photographs that accompany the text:

Not only does it look like an enjoyable woodworking project, but you will learn about how internal combustion engines work along the way. In fact, it looks like the model would make a great science fair project! For those interested in learning to make wood automata, the project incorporates many commonly used mechanical components including the hand crank, crank shaft, gears, linkages, and cams.

Here's where you can view more sample pages and order your own copy of the book Build a Wood Flathead 4 Motor

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Mechanical Devices for the Electronics Experimenter

I don't dabble with electronics as much as I used to, but I do on occasion. Just this week I was doing some research and had to find some answers regarding the different types of motors, how to drive them, and how to understand their torque ratings. Mechanical Devices for the Electronics Experimenter came in very handy.

I'm not sure why the ratings on Amazon aren't higher for this book. True, it does not go into great depth on any of the subjects covered, but I suppose that's one reason I like the book. I was able to read up on DC motors, stepper motors, servos, and solenoids in a short amount of time. Of course there must be more to know about these topics, but for a concise summary and review, this book served me well.

And motors aren't the only thing covered. Other chapters include:

1. Basic mechanical principles - the physics you actually needed to learn!
2. Sensors - mostly for determining speed and position
3. Motors and Motor control - with circuit diagrams
4. Motor control - with some circuit diagrams included
5. Stepper motors - with info on using cheap surplus motors
6. Solenoids - including info on making your own
7. Gears and pulleys - a nice treatment of why the involute form is used
8. Mechanical components - info on bearings, shafts, springs, ratchets
9. Pneumatics systems
10. Vacuum systems
11. Hydraulic systems
12. Wheeled vehicles - getting into robot-specific territory here
13. Arms, legs, and hands - again, mostly of interest to the robot makers

The diagrams are simple line drawings, but they ARE clear. That's what matters. The author likes to throw in a lot of math, but I had no trouble just breezing past it when all I was after were the core concepts. If you happen to like math, well...it's in there. Also, the book makes sure to relate most topics back to electronics. You won't find that in every book.

So the book might be somewhat misnamed. It's really more about the basics of mechanical engineering. With this in mind, I think it's quite a good book. Here is where you can check out Mechanical Devices for the Electronics Experimenter.

If you are searching for something more nut-and-bolts practical, check out Animatronics: Guide to Holiday Displays which has a lot of good nitty-gritty info on the making of mechanical things and Making Things Move DIY Mechanisms for Inventors, Hobbyists, and Artists which is outstanding all around.

If you are in fact looking for in-depth introductory information on mechanical engineering (with even more math), then I recommend Mechanical Engineering Principles by John Bard and Carl Ross.

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