Backing up to Simple...

I jumped into this project with eager feet, then got overwhelmed with the complexity of engineering. I am not an engineer - I just want to use my gourds to make fun, moving gadgets I can show off and enjoy.

Robert Race, author of Making Simple Automata, lays out a plan for making moving gadgets. His recitation of automaton history is fascinating and will be addressed in a later post, but for now let's review his golden rules: 1) there are no rules, 2) keep it simple, 3) use the properties of the materials, 4) size matters, 5) don't worry about the gaps, and 6) there is always an alternative.


For immediate purposes, Rule #2 - keep in simple, is the mantra to follow. I have been trying to wrap my head around gears, and cogs, and ratchets and rotation formulas when all I need at first in a push handle and a spring. In this example, a handle pushes against a rod which is backed with a spring. The spring is compressed and pushes the rod back against the handle. The center rod is rocked back and forth with repeated pushes of the handle.

The center rod angle and amount of squeeze already in the spring will determine the amount of movement the rod will have. As Mr. Race says, "A good deal of trial and error may be involved in getting a new design to work properly. See that as part of the fun."  And so I shall!

The handle and spring can be hidden inside a box or something,
and a banana gourd painted as a fish on top of the rod would rock back and forth
like it was swimming.