New Track

[11Turion]

I thought this might deserve (for its few moments of life before those with far more experience rip it to shreds) its own thread. Hopefully what I have to say makes sense.

After working on this silly thing for over 20 years now, I find that the mechanism seems to be available on the internet. You would need 8 pairs or 16 of them, but Walmart sells them. Shown in the attached diagram is 1/2 of the pair. It goes from the center of the wheel out to the rim. There needs to be one exactly opposite it that goes from center to the opposite side of the rim.

The blue weight starts at the "A" position and the red weight starts at the "C" position. When the wheel rotates counter clockwise past TDC, the blue weight falls to the "B" position, and this falling weight causes additional momentum in the counter clockwise direction. The red weight moves up from center and to the same side, overbalancing the wheel on the left side causing further rotation of the wheel in that direction. When the wheel has turned 180 degrees, all weights return to their original positions, but now the other half of the mechanism repeats the process. With 8 of these on the wheel, all the ones left of center in a counter clockwise rotation would be activated, and all the ones to the right of center would be in the home position.

[jim_mich]

It took me a few minutes to recognize that what you are showing is the hinge mechanisms for my tilting basement windows.

:)}

[WaltzCee]

That is cool.

[11Turion]

Shhhh, I work for a window company and I need to get my sales quota up this month!

Yes, this is a window mechanism. I only have two of them on a flat wheel right now. Can't get parts until after the 6th of January as I am TRAPPED in a house full of dogs that I can't leave unattended. But with a lightweight wheel and just two mechanisms, it looks good.

Any thoughts Jim? I figured you, if anybody, would have seen something like this before.

There is one other thing I did not point out in my first post. The original pivot point for the blue weight is the dead center of the wheel, or "C" on the diagram, but you will notice that the red weights moved up from center when the device is opened, so it is as if the arm that the blue weight is on has extended and it moves farther toward the rim as it falls. ANOTHER point of overbalance for this side of the wheel as opposed to the weights the other side.

Dave

[MrVibrating]

Trading axial for radial displacements causes an axial gap in the distribution of mass, which causes an under-balancing moment equal to any OB moment...

[sleepy]

Draw your eight mechs on a wheel.The blue weights spend more time on the up side of the wheel than on the downside.At any given moment,there will be at least one more blue weight on the up side than the downside.This will negate any gain from the red weights.This is my opinion based on my own experiences with this design.If you draw it out and count your weights,it will clarify it a little.I hope you have more luck with this than I did.