How many LEGO gears can run successfully off of a LEGO motor? Brick Experiment Channel sets up this gear train challenge with three self-imposed rules: 1. LEGO only. 2. All gears must visibly rotate. 3. “The first gear and the last gear must rotate at the same speed (gear ratio = 1:1).” Each step, fail, and adjustment is documented with quick edits.
What is a gear train? From Wikipedia:
A gear train is a mechanical system formed by mounting gears on a frame so the teeth of the gears engage.
Gear teeth are designed to ensure the pitch circles of engaging gears roll on each other without slipping, providing a smooth transmission of rotation from one gear to the next.
The transmission of rotation between contacting toothed wheels can be traced back to the Antikythera mechanism of Greece and the south-pointing chariot of China. Illustrations by the Renaissance scientist Georgius Agricola show gear trains with cylindrical teeth. The implementation of the involute tooth yielded a standard gear design that provides a constant speed ratio.
There are a lot of gears, LEGO, and engineering videos on TKSST. Start with these highlights:
• Baltic Birch gear and marbles machine
• Making wire gears: Arthur Ganson’s kinetic sculptures
• Gears of all shapes: square, oval, pentagonal, organic…
• DIY cardboard 7-speed manual transmission
• How the differential gear works and why we need them in our cars
via The Awesomer.
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