Mechanism Visualiser - in progress!

Hey all!

I've always found old mechanisms to be incredibly interesting, and have 3D printed many in the past. The biggest problem with many of them however is visualizing their output in a meaningful manner. You can simulate it in CAD, but I wondered if a physical device could do it instead. A month later, we have this!

The mechanism visualiser has a roller with glow-in-the-dark film which reacts to a UV led placed at the output of the mechanism being tested. Its movements are plotted as the conveyor moves, and I can't wait to see what strange and interesting patterns we can create with it! I'm testing it with a Scotch Yoke first, which produces a perfect sinusoidal path. I'll be creating a range of mechanisms to mount to it for testing this year (and would love to hear about any you'd like to see tested).

While the general concept is quite simple, this project really did kick my butt...! I rediscovered my "love" for arduino coding, how to wire up stepper drivers (they don't like 12V into VCC), and all sorts of mechanical nonsense involved in making a functional conveyor belt.

Thank you so much for being part of the Maker's Muse community! Full build video coming soon.

Angus ~ Maker's Muse