For the most part, paper automata are brought to life by cranking a handle. This might turn a gear or operate a cam and via a series of links and levers move the paper character to animate the automata. It is fun from time to time to try making an automata that uses a different power source… and so we come to the Pendulum Powered Dino! Move the box, however slightly, and the friendly diplodocus dips her head driven by a coin weighted pendulum in the box below her.
The project comes as a downloadable pdf file of parts ready for you to print out on your own printer then cut out and make. The step by step instructions are on the website here. If you are a paid subscriber to this newsletter the parts pdf is ready for you to download at the foot of this page for free. Thank you for your support! Members of www.robives.com can also download the parts for free from the website here. Non-subscribers can join in the fun for £5 or equivalent here. Follow this link to check out other pendulum powered projects on the website.
The pendulum in the box is weighted with a small pack of penny coins, each coin is roughly 20mm in diameter and 4 grams weight. Four coins totalling 16 grams works well to move the pendulum back and forth. The time a pendulum takes to swing depends on how long it is. To make the dinosaur move slowly and smoothly a long pendulum is needed hence the tall box. Inside the box a linkage connects to the back of the neck lifting it up and down. The neck itself is make with two parallel bars forming a four bar linkage. These keep the head level as it moves up and down so she looks like it is watching you as she dips her head.
.The finished project makes a nice little decorative piece for your table top.
Paid subscribers can download the project at the foot of the page. As a paid subscriber you will also have access to all sorts of downloadable projects from the entire back catalogue of newsletters. If you are an Annual subscriber let me know and I will be pleased to set you up with membership to the robives.com website where you will have free access to hundreds of other projects at the click of a button.