Posted by Joel L. Lewis (24.197.38.131) on June 13, 2003 at 14:55:47:
In Reply to: Bessler's minimalist design.... posted by Nick Hall on June 12, 2003 at 04:20:39:
Yup, makes perfect sense to me-how could his 'secret' turn a wheel unless it could just as well turn a lever?:-D
: With all this discussion about "how many parts?" I think it might be helpful to hear what Bessler himself had to say about his designs:
: "Further, I make my machines in such a way that, big or small, I can make the resulting power small or big as I choose. I can get the power to a perfectly calculated degree...... If I arrange to have just one cross-bar in the machine, it revolves very slowly, just as if it can hardly turn itself at all"
: [Apologia]
: Notice the bit "If I arrange to have just one cross-bar in the machine..."
: To my mind that says that his 'principle' was capable of being instantiated in a very simple rotary device with one "cross-bar" - (and just two weights?).....
: Just a thought for all those interested to know if their design 'fits' that of Bessler himself.
: I am sure that behind any design is a simple principle which can be used in many different types of design - some complex and some simple.
: You can spend years making possible wheels, or you can spend years looking at the maths behind the mechanics of these dynamic systems - either way once the principle is seen, it will be possible to embody it in many different ways.
: Personally I have stuck to the latter approach because I hate actually _doing_ mechanics!!
: :)
: Nick