
Five Hundred and Seven Mechanical Movements - mrmaddog
http://507movements.com/index23.html
======
memset
In a similar vein, here is a video from the US Navy in the 1950s which
describes how mechanical computers work (for calculating trajectories of
missiles being shot from ships.)

Utterly fascinating to see how very simple mechanical devices, like differing
gear ratios, can be used to calculate things like logarithms.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpkTHyfr0pM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpkTHyfr0pM)

~~~
ealloc
Fascinating, an analog computer. Reading about it on wikipedia, it seems
analog computers have been almost completely forgotten in the digital age. It
makes me wonder what kind of analog computer would be possible now with 21st
century technology, especially because of discoveries in condensed matter.

For example, could an electrical analog system be a way of carrying out large-
time molecular dynamics simulations? With proper tuning of the material, might
you be able to create arbitrary potentials between the electrons within it so
that they would interact roughly like atoms in an MD simulation? Or, perhaps
you could create an analog chip where the electrons would 'naturally' solve
various NP-hard problems, effectively by brute force?

~~~
jonmrodriguez
Based on your comment, I did a little searching for the terms (single electron
circuit) and found this interesting document. Maybe it's the kind of thing
you're talking about:

[http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/suppl/10.1142/p650/suppl_...](http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/suppl/10.1142/p650/suppl_file/p650_chap01.pdf)

\--

For a completely different portrayal of futuristic mechanical computers, check
out Neal Stephenson's story _The Diamond Age_. It's set in an era of nanotech,
and the computers are nanoscale clockwork computers.

~~~
dalek_cannes
Rod-logic!
[http://www.halcyon.com/nanojbl/NanoConProc/nanocon2.html](http://www.halcyon.com/nanojbl/NanoConProc/nanocon2.html)

------
chernevik
Okay, stupid questions. \- To what extent are mechanical engineers using these
sorts of things? \- Are there texts discussing the design / selection /
integration of movements to perform particular tasks? \- Are there are texts
like that targeting application to Arduino driven robotics? Mindstorms?

~~~
uxp
I'm a trained watchmaker. I use, fix and sometimes build many of these as
components of watch movements.

[1] Is what I know as a Geneva Drive. Back before we had fancy alloy springs
and were forced to use Steel as the material for mainsprings because that's
all we knew, watches had problems where a freshly wound watch would run fast
and a watch that hasn't been wound for a day or so would start to run slow, as
the strength of the spring tapered off. The Geneva Drive was a solution,
though it's more of a hack, to only let the spring release power inside the
middle of it's power arc, by preventing the watch from unwinding past a
certain low point and preventing the user from winding the spring up to it's
strongest point.

[2] This is a simple Heart Cam. Mechanical Chronographs (Stopwatches) use
these to reset the chronograph runner to zero. A hammer, represented as the
horizontal pin, is released from a caught position with spring tension on it,
which slams into the heart cam and forces it to reset to a predetermined
position. Incredibly simple design. No matter where the hammer slams down on
the cam, it is guaranteed to reset to the same place. (It's also a golden
ratio)

[3] This is basically the design of a modern instantaneous date wheel. The
snail-cam ("D" looking thing) is generally affixed loosely on the gear. The
worm gear drives the flat gear, naturally, which catches the snail-cam and
drives it forward. As the cam rotates, it slowly raises up the hammer, which
has tension provided by the spring. At a defined point, the hammer reaches the
apex of the snail-cam and (since the cam is affixed loosely and is allowed
some circular freedom) slams forward "instantaneously". The cam will usually
have a finger that then flicks forward a date wheel.

[4] Fusee Chain. Similarly to the reasons behind the Geneva cross (loss of
power as a spring unwinds), we developed the Fusee chain to compensate for the
loss of power by acting like a transmission in a car. As the spring unwinds,
it uncoils the chain from the spiral wheel, which in turn will have a high-
torque output at first (~ 1:1 ratio), and slowly increase revolution while
decreasing power. These were highly present in English watches, but are no
longer produced (as we have fancy alloys that alleviate all of the necessity
of these things)

[5] A Verge Escapement. Another long-forgotten mechanism. Escapements are the
things that regulate the output of circular motion. It's basically a ratchet-
and-pawl mechanism. You'll generally have an oscillator (like a pendulum)
attached to the lateral verge which rocks the teeth back and forth, the drive
train then tries to move the escape-wheel forward, but the verge only allows
one tooth to pass per vibration (a vibration is one half oscillation). The
"Swiss Escapement" has largely replaced this mechanism. [6] This is
essentially the same thing.

[7] The Cylinder Escapement. In the 60's the Swiss freaked out because the
Japanese started producing cheap, disposable watch movements. The result of
this was a huge loss of Swiss watch companies as they struggled to compete.
One of the ideas they came up with was to produce a large number of cheap
watches, but they couldn't just drop prices, they also had to retool and drop
quality, substantially. The cylinder escapement was not a new invention in the
60's, but it started to get a lot of use around then. On a personal note,
these are terrible things. They were designed to be disposable, and
subsequently were marketed to kids quite often. This is where a number of the
Ingersoll watches came from (like the old Mickey Mouse watches). The original
ones that are worth more than most startups in Mountain View are cylinder
watches, and finding one that runs is the equivalent of founding a Facebook
for watch collectors. [8] This is how it works when looking at it interacting
with it's escape wheel.

[9] The Swiss Lever Escapement. B is the pallet, D is the oscillator (Balance
Wheel). Escapements essentially work all the same. They're mostly just
renditions of one idea. The swiss lever escapement was up until the mid 2000's
practically the only escapement produced in wristwatches. The pallet stones
have since been upgraded to be synthetic ruby, along with the majority of the
other bearing surfaces in watches, since the introduction of this book,
however.

[10] This is what I'd call a Daniels Escapement, or Co-Axial Escapement. If
you've looked at an Omega watch since the mid 2000's (as referenced above),
you've probably heard about the Co-Axial Escapement. This is what it looks
like. It's much more complicated than any of the other escapements, and has
whole books written about it, and yet is the simplest mechanism once you
figure out how it ticks. It quite literally only touches the oscillator once
an oscillation. All the previous escapements are required to touch the
oscillator twice (once going up, once coming back down). This is literally the
difference between a tick and a tock. This only ticks, it has no tock. The
less interaction the pallet has with the oscillator means that there is less
energy lost in it's oscillation, and helps with both accuracy and longevity
(they wear out less, and can run longer per wind).

[11] This is a rotary Wankel engine, like the Mazda RX. Not a watch part, but
still a "modern device"

[1] [http://507movements.com/mm_212.html](http://507movements.com/mm_212.html)

[2] [http://507movements.com/mm_097.html](http://507movements.com/mm_097.html)

[3] [http://507movements.com/mm_064.html](http://507movements.com/mm_064.html)

[4] [http://507movements.com/mm_046.html](http://507movements.com/mm_046.html)

[5] [http://507movements.com/mm_234.html](http://507movements.com/mm_234.html)

[6] [http://507movements.com/mm_302.html](http://507movements.com/mm_302.html)

[7] [http://507movements.com/mm_294.html](http://507movements.com/mm_294.html)

[8] [http://507movements.com/mm_295.html](http://507movements.com/mm_295.html)

[9] [http://507movements.com/mm_296.html](http://507movements.com/mm_296.html)

[10]
[http://507movements.com/mm_313.html](http://507movements.com/mm_313.html)

[11]
[http://507movements.com/mm_425.html](http://507movements.com/mm_425.html)

~~~
marincounty
Actually, did you ever think about writing a book on mechanical watches?
There's a need for a modern book. Most of the material out there is from the
50's.

~~~
uxp
Funny thing about mechanical watches, the technology hasn't changed in 150
years. The technology around tooling has changed substantially, which in turn
allows us to produce more accurate and cheaper watch components and movements,
but we're still producing the same old watch design that we (Americans) stole
from the Swiss and started mass-production of.

The book I used in school was "Theorie de l'horologie" [1], which is a fairly
modern book. I supplemented this with "The Bulova Watch Repair Training
Manual" [2] and "Practical Benchwork for Horologists" [3]. I would argue that
the most useful book for practice was "Practical Benchwork", which was
originally released in 1938, it's latest edition being from 1988.

[1] [http://www.amazon.com/The-Theory-Horology-Charles-Andre-
Reym...](http://www.amazon.com/The-Theory-Horology-Charles-Andre-
Reymondin/dp/B000BD6ARI)

[2] [http://www.esslinger.com/the-joseph-bulova-school-of-
watchma...](http://www.esslinger.com/the-joseph-bulova-school-of-watchmaking-
watch-repair-training-manual.aspx)

[3] [http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Benchwork-Horologists-
Louis-...](http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Benchwork-Horologists-Louis-
Levin/dp/0930163125)

~~~
alxndr
And it sounds like new materials have obviated some of the designs too.

Still, I'd read about how these machinese were developed and then made
obsolete by other technology.

------
tzs
For those who like printed books, Dover has an inexpensive edition of the
underlying book [1].

There are many similar books, such as "A Victorian Handbook of Mechanical
Movements" [2], and "1800 Mechanical Movements, Devices and Appliances" [3].

[1] [http://www.amazon.com/507-Mechanical-Movements-Mechanisms-
De...](http://www.amazon.com/507-Mechanical-Movements-Mechanisms-
Devices/dp/0486443604/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1)

[2] [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0486498123](http://www.amazon.com/dp/0486498123)

[3] [http://www.amazon.com/Mechanical-Movements-Devices-
Appliance...](http://www.amazon.com/Mechanical-Movements-Devices-Appliances-
Science/dp/0486457435/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_6)

~~~
justincormack
Originals are not hugely expensive eg
[http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=811432778...](http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=8114327784&searchurl=bt.x%3D-471%26amp%3Bbt.y%3D-292%26amp%3Bsortby%3D1%26amp%3Btn%3D507%2Bmechanical%2Bmovements)

------
iandanforth
If you like this kind of thing and you haven't run across the Equation of Time
cam from the clock of the long now, take a moment and check it out:

[http://news.cnet.com/2300-11386_3-10000718-7.html](http://news.cnet.com/2300-11386_3-10000718-7.html)

------
lalc
Really cute mechanism in
[http://507movements.com/mm_123.html](http://507movements.com/mm_123.html)

The little pins hit the V in the center gear and cause it to shift to the
other gear. Neat!

------
jvehent
That kind of stuff, is why I've always wanted to be an engineer. In my mind, I
visualize arrangements of systems and networks exactly the same way as these.

Building stuff, pressing the "On' button, and seeing it all work is just the
best feeling in the world.

------
ChuckMcM
FWIW, these are great fun to print out on a 3D printer and play with.

~~~
hugs
Is there a library of ready-to-print STLs for this? If not, I know my next
Thingiverse upload! :-)

------
dfbrown
This reminded me of a recent paper on automatically designing animated
mechanical characters. Some of these movements could be used to incorporate
different kinds of animations into these characters.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfznnKUwywQ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfznnKUwywQ)

------
hfsktr
Some of these I had to see animated to even grasp what it might do. Even then
I couldn't figure out what use it might be.

A couple of them describe stuff that used it but most were just technical
details. It would be nice if there was a link to something that used it so you
could see why it was ever made (or maybe some of these are just for fun).

I couldn't get through them all but will come back because it's fun to watch.
More fun than it should be really.

edit: example of one that has me guessing why it exists:
[http://507movements.com/mm_115.html](http://507movements.com/mm_115.html)

~~~
bluemetal
For number 115: by moving the bigger piece side to side you spin the two
wheels. Each wheel spins the same amount but in opposite directions. Shafts
attached to those wheels can be used to drive components that need to move
equally but in different directions.

~~~
hfsktr
Perfect! I couldn't have even visualized that. I just saw gears and didn't
even think about a rod off that.

Another thing that would be interesting is to know when some of these came
about (some are older than people might think [1]).

[1]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odometer#Ancient_China](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odometer#Ancient_China)

------
emhart
Back in the early 1900s there were a handful of people making physical models
of a number of these movements (and some that went beyond this incredible
collection). They occasionally tour, Boston's Museum of Science had a big show
of William M. Clark's collection back in 2006, I think. Anyway, Cornell has
"The Kinematic Models for Design Digital Library" where they try to keep track
of all of these physical models:

[http://kmoddl.library.cornell.edu/collection-
toc.php](http://kmoddl.library.cornell.edu/collection-toc.php)

------
trafficlight
People are so damn clever.

~~~
samstave
I am always in lovee with inventions, especially ones where they are complex
or extremely massive/heavy, where they were done without modern computers.

I find that the amount of large scale steel industrial works, done before our
current era are incredible.

The fact that these movements, visualized in the mind - then described in 2D,
drawn by hand, are fascinating.

------
lkbm
Here's a YouTube video that shows some of these:
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkQ2pXkYjRM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkQ2pXkYjRM)

------
gruseom
This looks like a wonderful thing. But I can't see any animations! What am I
missing?

Edit: ah, only the color diagrams are animated. The top of the page links to a
blurb about that.

~~~
pella
_" Look for the color thumbnails. They identify the completed animations. Use
the prev and next links (above right) to browse the thumbnail pages"_

[http://507movements.com/mm_140.html](http://507movements.com/mm_140.html)

~~~
gruseom
Thanks! Your comment and my edit must have been posted concurrently.

------
tinyProton
Is there any software that would allow one to easily build and simulate these
kind of mechanical movements?

~~~
roryokane
Yes: Algodoo ([http://www.algodoo.com/](http://www.algodoo.com/)), a 2D
physics playground. It used to cost money, but now it’s free.

~~~
alxndr
Just downloaded that and started playing around -- fantastic. I need to force
myself to go to bed.

------
chasing
I'm much more excited about watching all of these little mechanical animations
on a Saturday night than I ought to be...

------
_ZeD_
Oh damnit! Now I miss my lego technic sets!

------
franzay
The animation for
[http://507movements.com/mm_349.html](http://507movements.com/mm_349.html) is
actually a bit misleading, since there are two degrees of freedom: the lateral
movements of the lower and upper halves are independent.

------
valtron
19 - 22: Am I reading this right? Exponential reduction of the power required?
I gotta try this.

~~~
NhanH
It should be exponential reduction of force required, but the length is
longer, so the same work.

------
jpalioto
Clicked thinking I was going to be introduced to a new startup with a pretty
cool name ... actual mechanical movements not bad either, however.

------
noisy_boy
[http://507movements.com/mm_089.html](http://507movements.com/mm_089.html)

Warning: Hypnotic.

------
alexjeffrey
this is beautiful; this will definitely come in handy when I start
machining...

