Scimitar Run Times - how to increase
Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:25 pm
A bit late to the Scimitar construction. Read a few posts and looked at a few videos way too many times and still have some questions. I think it should run longer than I am able to get it to run.
With 10 lbs of weight:
5-6 back rotations with no vanes - seems pretty good
2 back rotations with 1/2 inch thick vanes
2-3 back rotations with 1/8 inch thick vanes. I expected more as the vanes are much lighter
When the ratchet releases there is about 1/2 inch gap from the ratchet to the impulse pallet. I have played around with moving the trigger to change this gap and the 1/2 inch gives the most push to the impulse pallet. I have also played around with rotating the vane arms on the shaft and adding weights on the vane arms to get the most rotation and still have enough momentum on the reverse rotation to trigger the escapement. Still only getting the rotations as noted above.
What weight are most people using to get the rotations (more than 2-3) that appear in you tube videos?
With the 10 lbs of weight, the force on a ratchet tooth is about 1 lb. Seem to be loosing a lot of energy between the drive pulley and the ratchet. All bearings have been degreased and spin freely. The shafts (8mm) were threaded into the base plate using T-Nuts on the backside and a nut and washer on the front side - the shafts are solid with no discernable movement. As with all kinetic sculptures the holy grail is to make them run longer. Any suggestions to get more spins other than adding more weight?
Thank you all in advance for any hints and suggestions.
Doug
With 10 lbs of weight:
5-6 back rotations with no vanes - seems pretty good
2 back rotations with 1/2 inch thick vanes
2-3 back rotations with 1/8 inch thick vanes. I expected more as the vanes are much lighter
When the ratchet releases there is about 1/2 inch gap from the ratchet to the impulse pallet. I have played around with moving the trigger to change this gap and the 1/2 inch gives the most push to the impulse pallet. I have also played around with rotating the vane arms on the shaft and adding weights on the vane arms to get the most rotation and still have enough momentum on the reverse rotation to trigger the escapement. Still only getting the rotations as noted above.
What weight are most people using to get the rotations (more than 2-3) that appear in you tube videos?
With the 10 lbs of weight, the force on a ratchet tooth is about 1 lb. Seem to be loosing a lot of energy between the drive pulley and the ratchet. All bearings have been degreased and spin freely. The shafts (8mm) were threaded into the base plate using T-Nuts on the backside and a nut and washer on the front side - the shafts are solid with no discernable movement. As with all kinetic sculptures the holy grail is to make them run longer. Any suggestions to get more spins other than adding more weight?
Thank you all in advance for any hints and suggestions.
Doug