Solenoid-driven wood gear clock

[DickB]

This is a test mule proof-of-concept for a solenoid-driven wood gear clock. The solenoid consists of a coil of wire and a rare earth magnet. The two photos are deactivated and activated. When energized the coil repels the magnet and the lever operates a pawl to push the ratchet wheel 1/60th revolution. A crystal-timed microcontroller will pulse the magnet once per minute, so the ratchet wheel will directly move a minute hand. I need only two gear sets to drive the hour hand and make a clock. I'm going to try to drive this with only two AA cells, which should be possible because the coil is only energized for a fraction of a second each minute. This will be an interesting clock, but very simple and easy to build.

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[DickB]

Here's a more refined version in progress.

This picture is of what is essentially the clock's motor. A coil on the bottom repels the armature and the attached pawl advances the ratchet wheel one notch or 1/60th of a turn. The fixed pawl prevents backwards movement when current is turned off and the armature returns to rest.
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The minute hand attaches directly to this motor.
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A pair of gear sets reduce the motor's speed by twelve to drive the hour hand.
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Very simple - this clock has about 1/3 of the wooden parts that my Mystery Clock has, and way fewer hardware pieces. Only three mpcs. Very easy to build and assemble.

I think I'm going to call this one the Lazy Clock. Unlike most analog clocks that are constantly moving, this one is asleep most of its life. It wakes up every minute for only a fraction of a second, then goes back to sleep.

[SharonB]

Now, if you could make a clock that goes backwards and I could get more hours in a day that would be the clock I'd like to have. I really like seeing what you design.

[ladjr]

That is really amazing. Did I read correctly that it has all wooden parts and a elector magnet


Leo
Life is to short carve something today

[lawrence]

Dude, I love it- should be a project for sale, I might actually buy it (I've never bought a pattern, so this is saying something!)

Lawrence

[DickB]

Now, if you could make a clock that goes backwards and I could get more hours in a day that would be the clock I'd like to have. I really like seeing what you design.
I'm sure that you could make a simple modification to get this one to run backwards!

[DickB]

That is really amazing. Did I read correctly that it has all wooden parts and a elector magnet
That's right, Leo. If you look at any of the photos that I just posted, in the rectangular block at the bottom sits a coil of wire (you can see the wires sticking out) and just above that is a round block of wood with a rare earth magnet embedded in it. In addition to the wood parts, the clock does use hobby brass tubing for shafts and bushings.

[DickB]

Dude, I love it- should be a project for sale, I might actually buy it (I've never bought a pattern, so this is saying something!)

Lawrence
Thanks. I intend to get this into the Pattern Depot. I'm hoping the relative simplicity of this project (compared to other wood clock plans or kits) will encourage people to build their first clock.

[CNC Carver]

I'm was already looking in pattern depot for the pattern. Wonderful. I've always liked your clocks but thought it would be to complicated to build. This one looks more like what a beginer like me could build.

[TerryT]

Dick, your clocks simply amaze me! Very cool.

[cestout]

This will need some kind of oscelator to run it, so you can, if not make time go backwards, you can meke it go fast of slow.
Clint

[DickB]

I'm working on that right now. I've programmed a microcontroller to pulse once per minute. It turns out that the coil voltage must also be applied gradually to full power to help the pawl from jumping suddenly. I have it operating now in test mode where it is pulsing every second, otherwise it's like waiting for paint to dry to debug the mechanism and code. So right now a day goes by in 24 minutes. I'll try to get some video posted tomorrow.

[DickB]

More work on the prototype:


http://youtu.be/qL9c7mu8n2I

[DickB]

Been busy with Christmas rush like many, but I have managed to work some time in for this my latest clock project. I redesigned the solenoid's armature to make it a bit simpler and more effective - it's at the top of the clock now. I also developed the software and built a prototype circuit. The solenoid is not quite as efficient as I want - my goal is for this clock to run a year on two AA batteries. I did wind a more efficient coil to get closer to goal, but I also have several different strengths and shapes of magnets on order, so I'm going to be experimenting with some alternate coil and magnet configurations. I'm pretty confident that I can meet my goal. Other than that the design is pretty well set. I intended this to be wall mounted but for convenience I have it on a bench-top scarp stand. A nice desktop base would be an easy option.

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[ladjr]

Looks great nice job

[mathman]

Looking real nice!

[Northwoods Woodcrafter]

Great wor! So basically, you have a clock displaying the hour and minute with gears. Very clever.

Pete

[kcc2012]

That's really cool. I'm still learning and haven't ventured beyond signs yet. Your click is inspiring.

[henry1]

very impresive an very nice

[CNC Carver]

Dick very impressive. Still not ready for sale?
Jeff

[DickB]

That's really cool. I'm still learning and haven't ventured beyond signs yet. Your click is inspiring.
Nothing wrong with that, but yes there is so much more that can be done with this machine.

[DickB]

Dick very impressive. Still not ready for sale?
Jeff
Thanks. No, not quite ready. I'm still working on a more efficient "motor" and I also need to get circuit boards made up.

I've gotten inquiries from non-CarveWright owners about my Mystery Clock, wanting to build their own. Aside from the carved face on this one, this clock could be made with conventional tools, so I may make up conventional plans too.

[b.sumner47]

Time keeps ticking on. Nice job! I'm going to label you though," Father Time II" Hope you don't mind, Dick. Thanks for sharing.


Capt Barry

[DickB]

I've been working on a more efficient solenoid for the Lazy Clock. My goal is a design that will run for a year on two AA batteries. I think this design will meet the target. Solenoids typically use an iron rod as a plunger, but by using a 3/4" x 3/8" diameter rare earth magnet as a plunger, my clock solenoid is much more efficient. Although this solenoid draws about 140 mA, it fires only a tenth of a second every minute, for an average current draw of less than .25 mA per hour. With AA cells of about 2000 mAH capacity, it should run for a year.


http://youtu.be/hnko9fZRO-w

[DickB]

I completed the prototype, but I'm still working on a few little design changes.

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[badbert]

Wow! That is cool!

[mtylerfl]

Beautiful clock!!

[henry1]

nice clock wow can't wait to carve it

[DickB]

Thanks. I just happened to have the right size hickory board left over to use for the face. I was really pleased with how the grain was accentuated by the oval shapes. No stain was used on the oak, hickory, maple, mahogany, and Baltic Birch parts, just several coats of satin lacquer and a bit of acrylic paint for the numerals.

The mechanism for this clock is truly unique; I haven't come across anything like it. Solenoids typically use an iron core, but by using a cylindrical rare earth magnet core in mine, I was able to get sufficient strength with limited current from the two AA batteries. Even at that, the solenoid is not very strong. I think the batteries will last a year, but we'll see what happens as the battery voltage gradually diminishes. Due to the unique "motor", several gear sets are eliminated, making this the easiest wood gear clock to build.

You will need to wind the solenoid to build this clock, but it's really not hard. The solenoid coil's bobbin consists of a brass tube with two end caps CarveWrighT cut from 1/4" Baltic Birch plywood (same as the larger gears or wheels), and you can wind it in a few minutes using a cordless drill. I need to make a video, but first I need to make a tripod adapter for my Samsung Galaxy tablet - wait, that's another project! I will be providing a complete hardware kit for this clock including magnet, magnet wire, and circuit board, but I will also supply all the information needed to assemble your own kit for anyone that would like. You can even program your own microcontroller with a very low-cost kit from Texas Instruments - only $4.30 - which includes the needed microcontroller and watch crystal!

I did make a few design tweaks, so I need to verify and build another clock from scratch using the tweaked mpcs, and also take lots of build pictures for the assembly manual. I am excited to offer this unique clock, but it will take some weeks yet.

[eelamb]

Dick your work with these wood gear clocks is amazing.

[dltccf]

Looking forward to it.

dave

[DickB]

Getting close now. The second clock is done and the design tweaks are working well. It has been a challenge to keep this design running reliably with such a low-power solenoid but both prototypes have been running and keeping time for a couple days now. I just ordered printed circuit boards and will be collecting parts for a hardware kit. The circuit has a test mode that runs the clock at 60x speed, which is useful when first assembling the clock. But it will also allow me to test battery life. I think I will put a clock into test mode and see how many days it will run at 60x speed. I need 6 days to get a year of battery life at normal speed.

[cestout]

I like this one best. It looks really practical, not a show piece to be very careful of.
Clint

[DickB]

I'm looking for someone who would like to build this clock AND help me verify the .mpcs and instructions prior to release.

I've posted a preliminary copy of the instructions here: http://carveshop.com/stuff/LazyClock.pdf. If you're interested in helping, please review the instructions so that you understand what you are signing up to do. You'll need some specialty wood: 1/4" Baltic Birch, 7/16" hardwood, and 1/2" dowel. Details are in the instructions. If we agree, I'll send you the .mpcs now and a hardware kit in a week or two. (The hardware kit will include all of the non-wood parts needed to build the clock). I would expect you to build the clock and complete it within a few weeks, because this would obviously be gating my release of the project. And of course provide feedback.

Send me a pm or use my web site email address to contact me if interested.

[DickB]

dltccf, your message inbox is full.

[James RS]

Dick your link didn't work



I'm looking for someone who would like to build this clock AND help me verify the .mpcs and instructions prior to release.

I've posted a preliminary copy of the instructions here: http://carveshop.com/stuff/LazyClock.pdf. If you're interested in helping, please review the instructions so that you understand what you are signing up to do. You'll need some specialty wood: 1/4" Baltic Birch, 7/16" hardwood, and 1/2" dowel. Details are in the instructions. If we agree, I'll send you the .mpcs now and a hardware kit in a week or two. (The hardware kit will include all of the non-wood parts needed to build the clock). I would expect you to build the clock and complete it within a few weeks, because this would obviously be gating my release of the project. And of course provide feedback.

Send me a pm or use my web site email address to contact me if interested.

[DickB]

Sorry; try it again - it did just work for me on my tablet right now. I'm using a free hosting service and it does act up once in a while. If you still can't get it, send an email to me (my email address is on my web site) and I'll email the plans to you.

[Capt Bruce]

Dick,

I can't make the time right now to carve and construct a prototype per your generous offer. But please sign me up to purchase the mechanical/electrical parts and MPC when it's available. In simple words this is JUST TOO DARN COOL NOT TO BUILD ONE! Thanks for letting us see the design evolve

[unitedcases]

Dick,

What are your thoughts on making a clock that doesn't require the cutting bit. I have never had any luck with the cutting bit. Matter of fact I don't think I have used that function in years. Could you do a layout that maybe just uses the carving bit to trace a very small line or something along those lines?

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk 2

[DickB]

Curious as to what problems you have had with the cutting but. I use it extensively. The base of this clock and the Mystery Clock are machined using this bit not only for the outer cutout but wire conduits, pocket clean-outs, and holes.

I don't think that gears could be done well with the carving but. The taper would be problematic, and I use 7/16" thick pinions with narrow teeth, which the carving bit could not form properly. The front face on this clock is 100% carved.

I actually extracted "paper" patterns from my Carvewright design for all the parts except the face, for anyone who would like to try building this clock without a CNC. I intend to publish these soon. I suppose you could carve the face and then cut the gears with a scroll saw. But for me the Carvewright does a pretty good job machining with the cutting bit, so I think you should give it another try and let forum members help with any issues you may be having.

[unitedcases]

I appreciate your attaboy approach but I have found that not only am I faster than the cw when comes to cutting but it is just one less bit I have to have in my arsenal. To me it isn't a big deal. I've tried the small step cuts to the full pass. Burned thru 3 bits in the first few months I had it back when I got it in 07 and it has been the scrollsaw, bandsaw and jigsaws duty to cut everything out since then. Those 3 never fail me.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk 2

[DickB]

I understand.

For me, precision is a huge advantage. There is no way that I could cut gears with my band saw or scroll saw as accurately as with the Carvewright. Also, even if the Carvewright may take longer, I can load a board, start a project, and go work on something else, like sanding parts previously cut. So overall it is a time saver for me. I've worn out a few cutting bits, to be expected. But I only broke two. One I dropped on the concrete floor - D'uh! - and the other when I had clogged-up y-axis bearings.

Lots of folks have made wood gears using jigs and a drill press and/or scroll saw or band saw - more power to them. I also learned of some who stack several gear blanks together, then rout the teeth perpendicular to the plane of the gears with specialty router bits that they have had made. For me, the Carvewright is the way to go.

[unitedcases]

I hear you on that one. I like the theory and tried to make it work for me but I guess I just got used to it more than anything. I have a b model that hums like a top. I have a designer problem every once in a blue moon but I got the maintenance down pat. I guess that's what 17 years of working on helicopters will do. My machine stays so busy that I sometimes forget all about my maintenance schedule and I try to do it every 200 hrs vice 250.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk 2

[Skyhawk]

Here are a couple of pics from my build...The face and back are made from cherry. I'm using a natural stain on the face and base, golden oak on the large gears, and red oak on the pawls, and ebony on the hands. A few more coats of poly and some assembly coming up. This is a great project...I'm sure I'll be building a number of these!

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[Skyhawk]

I finished assembly about a half hour ago...
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[James RS]

Great job on that!

[Smoken D]

Yep, that came out really nice. Great Job!

[CarverJerry]

The wife walked in and seen the pictures of Skyhawks clock and said "I Want One of Those!" Great job on that Skyhawk. And DickB please let us/me know when you get a project package put together that includes everything and it's for sale. I'd love to make one for myself.

[DickB]

The project is now available in the Pattern Depot as the Lazy Clock (http://store.carvewright.com/product.php?productid=24247&cat=261&page=1). A hardware kit (http://carveshop.com/html/lazy_hw_kit.html) is available through my web site.

I had gotten some interest from non-Carvewright owners in building my clocks, but alas I did not have plans to build with conventional tools. Except for the face of the Lazy Clock, I think it is possible to build using a scroll saw and a router. So for this project I extracted templates and published them here (http://carveshop.com/html/lazy_plans.html). Also, if you're interested in learning more about the electronics and the software for this clock, or want to build and program your own, I've published the electrical schematic, board layout, and source code here (http://carveshop.com/html/lazy_plans.html) as well.

[James RS]

I was just looking at it in the pattern depot. I noticed some weird characters in the text description.