Quote:
Originally Posted by PCH
Hey Mark
I'm interested to find out more about this work. I know I could google for hours, but I'm guessing you already discovered the best sources of good information. Would you care to share where you found the most valuable info? You can either reply here or PM if you like - whichever you prefer. TIA 
|
Hi Paul,
Some of the best information that I have found is from the following wesbites:
* Keith Newstead -
www.keithnewsteadautomata.com
* Dug North -
www.dugnorth.com
* Carabet Mechnical Theatre -
http://www.cabaret.co.uk/
- also has links to books and dvd's.
I found the hardest part to understand was how to design the shapes of the Cams, as their shape control the motion. I still haven't found any really good material which explains this in detail.
There is a very famous automaton called "The Writer" from 1744 in which a boy writes a note on a piece of paper. The shape of the cams holds all the information to control the motion of the boys hand & pen. The Cams are made from brass. I would really like to know how the designed the cams, but couldn't find any information. It's pretty amazing that this was designed before computers and works so accurately.
PS - I have just uploaded a video of my automata in motion -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG92HENPfuw
Cheers,
Mark