CLOCK -
Matt was inspired to create
a clock that defies the convention where the hands on every clock, no
matter
how abstract the face, always move in a perfect circle. The minute hand
on this
clock follows an irregular path as it completes its hour-long cycle.
The
minute hand is attached to the bicycle chain, which follows an
irregular
path
created by the randomly placed cogs of varying size. Through the clever
use of
a low RPM motor and gear ratios, the minute hand makes one complete
rotation
every hour. The hour hand of this clock is the cog in the middle which
the
minute hand advances every time it passes. The hour hand has 24 teeth,
one for
every hour of the day.
Due to the irregular shape of this clock, the minute hand can be
pointing in
one direction and five minutes later, seem to be pointing in the same
direction. Along some parts of the clock the minute hand moves
relatively
quickly, while in other areas the minute hand seems to barely move at
all. The combination
of these two effects makes for a visually unique clock.
The project took a little over a year. As you can see in the images
below, the
general shape of the clock remained the same for the duration of the
project
while the orientation and the back board changed. The picture below
shows the
initial layout before the back board was shaped.
All
of the cogs are mounted on aluminum hubs Matt machined himself. In the
following
image you can see the addition of the gear reduction and the initial
shaping of
the backboard.
Unfortunately,
the
original
board
was
too
flimsy and broke. Matt remounted the cogs onto to a more stable
design.
Below
are detailed images of the gear reduction and spring tensioner:
