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Just posted. Read all about it here: https://keveney.com/posts/cycloidal-gears-for-fusion-360/ Or, just get the add-in code here: https://github.com/mkeveney/FusionCycloidalGears Still no support for 'perfect print' gears, but I'm thinking about it...
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Nice.
Double check the mounting screw depth and adjustment on the lower standoffs. There shouldn't be much sag with 6lbs of weight. Most of the designs build in about 0.01-0.02" of upward slant to account for some sag.
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After a few false starts on finding the old school electronics that run this clock I found some that fit and work. Video attached is just the weighted pendulum with no gears but I’ll work on them this weekend. Excited to see this run.
will be curious to see how well it keeps time. what old school electronics did you use?
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I've printed most of Steve's clocks, but I think the SP15 is the most beautiful!
It's not as huge as the SP14, which I also built, but it looks great in my studio.
I've attached a video of it running perfectly: I built it 8 months ago and it's never stopped!
Very precise, max a couple of minutes a week.
One small detail: it runs with just 2.5 kg on the pulley!!!
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After some minor tweaks, my 12-day clock ran for 2+ weeks including a winding or two and was keeping excellent time. It's using 4.4 kg of weight with the fishing line loop as designed. Although the weight is a touch heavy, I was just happy it was running so well. Then I woke up one morning and it had stopped. I was able to get it to run again for anywhere from minutes to hours by making minor adjustments but then it would stop.
I took the fishing line loop out and suspended 2.2 kg directly planning to run it without the escapement but before I could do that, it's back to running like a champ again--16 hours straight. I tried the loop with 4.4 kg and it stopped again. As I write this, it's running great with 2.2 kg direct hang.
Any ideas what could be going on?
If the clock works with 2.2kg direct and stops with 4.4kg plus a pulley, and nothing else changed, then the pulley must be the problem. More likely, something else changed. It is easy to check the pulley just in case.
Two things to check after the clock stops are the escapement and the pendulum. It's even better if you can observe the clock just before it stops. Does the pendulum slowly lose amplitude? Or is the escapement losing energy?
Move the pendulum back and forth slowly while observing the escapement. Does it have the same energy as before? Then check the beat. Does the escapement tick and tock at equal amplitudes from side to side?
This clock has a friction sensitivity with gear 3 and the escapement. Sometimes when the clock is being adjusted, the frame can be squeezed and the escapement shaft collars get moved. This can push against the escapement. The slightest amount of side thrust against the escapement can stop the clock.
Hopefully, this provides some help.
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Hi Steve! First of all, thank you very much for these clocks! They are amazing!
I printed and assembled a SPB5 with the 15 day option. After a bit of tuning and reducing friction using your awesome debug hints I got it to work reliably. I went on vacation and even after a week it was still ticking just fine.
Then I decided to take off the weight shell (for an inspection) and put it back on. I didn't change anything else. Ever since then the clock is not running reliably anymore. It runs for a few hours at most, sometimes maybe just for a few minutes. The pendulum amplitude gets smaller and smaller till it completely stops. (I can restart it very easily though with just a gentle push of the pendulum)
Since then I tested the gears in isolation (without the pallet) and the weight (of ~6kg) drives…
Hi again! The clock ended up running for less than a day. I tried again several times and it went back to running for only a few mins. I finally found the time to do some debugging and made some videos. It would be amazing if you could help me identify what I could do.
Here is what I did recently:
1) I tried to push/pull on the arbors, but it didn't seem to help
2) I checked end shake of the escapement arbor and it seems generous (IMO).
3) I tried to wind up the string by guiding it back and forward (thanks for the tip Flynt!)
Here are some videos I made (please excuse the baby and kid noises :)
1) Pendulum free swing test (wo/ gears): https://youtu.be/Nw2MkyHrC_w
2) Clock running only for a few mins (shows end of run and how I afterwards manually move the pendulum to record the escapement characteristics): https://youtu.be/soqnfmDOZ08
3) Escapement end shake: https://youtube.com/shorts/W0Otkp87lLU
4) Gears running with weight, but without pallet: https://youtube.com/shorts/JQjwDQ9XGiI
Thank you so much for all your work and tireless help!
Andreas
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Hi Steve!! I love all your designs!
I built the easy-build wall clock, but the gears won't move freely when the weight is installed.
I reversed the Pendulum just to see if the gears would budge with no interference. No luck.
I have taken the clock apart and rebuilt it several times now. All the gears on the left side work great on their own. All the gears on the right side work great on their own. When all together, it takes a ton of force to get anything to budge.
Please help! I look forward to having your other clocks built. But need this one working first.
It takes a surprisingly small amount of friction near the escapement to stall the gear train when there is around a 500:1 gear reduction. My guess is to look on the right side close to the escapement.
The debug steps should be listed in the assembly guide. Here are the important ones:
Every gear must be drilled to be loose on the arbor.
Every gear needs to have some end shake after assembly into the frame.
The gears that pass through the frame need to rotate freely. This would be gears 6 and 9 on this clock.
Gear 3 behind the escapement is connected solidly to arbor, so the arbor must rotate freely inside the frame.
If all of these checks pass, then start removing gears one by one to see if you can identify the trouble spot. Start with the escapement, then gear 2, 3, and 5. You may need a spacer to hold some of the gears in position along the arbor for some of the steps.
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Clock 13 Tuning notes
As noted in my 'show and tell' post, I did a hasty initial assembly and my clock ran for about 2 days on 4lb 6oz direct weight. Then it stopped and refused to restart.
My original bearings had metal seals that seemed impossible to remove. I got some of the rubber-seal type and removed the seals and lube per the instructions. The lube was a translucent stuff reminiscent of petroleum jelly. IPA didn't seem to dissolve it, so I used acetone.
I found that the dry graphite in the bearings seemed to make them worse, though I suppose it might improve if I ran it for a while to grind up the granules. This was one of the large skate bearings. I skipped it for the rest, and am running them dry. They appear to be chrome plated, so I don't expect corrosion to be m…
Quick followup:
My SP13 has now been running continuously for 6 days, with no signs of stopping.
I assembled the drive weight with pulley and enough shot to give 4lb 5oz. This is less than the safety margin recommended by the instructions, but it's been running so well, I'm inclined to leave it alone for now. The pendulum swings just a hair over 2° each side.
I adjusted the pendulum four times since making the drive weight, and think I now have it very close. I have not touched it in the last three days, and it's still within 30 seconds of true.
Very happy with the design.
-Matt
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I made a comment in my Show-and-Tell post, that Steve replied to.
I have more info, but the discussion makes more sense here.
> I wrote:
> One minor hiccup was that the heads of the #6 screws
> on the ratchet (clicks) were running into the spokes of the
> ratchet wheel...
That is interesting. I have purchased those screws in the past and don't remember the heads being oversized so much. There is a lot of variability between brands though. An 82 degree countersink is a quick solution. This trick should get added to the assembly guides.
I order screws for the parts kits from McMaster-Carr, product number 90048A151. They are specified to have a head diameter of 0.262" and usually measure close to 0.25". I keep using them because they are extremely consistent across many orders.
Thanks for posting. Those are classic style cycloid gears. They should be perfectly functional, but the pinions will have a weak tooth base.
Perfect Print Gears are only slightly modified. The active surfaces are fairly similar. Most of the modifications are only to make the gears easier to 3D print. Many of my clocks with the updated gears were generated by rotating lines around to generate the active surfaces. I fiddled around with a Python app to automate the process but never got it to be fully stable.