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Howdy.
I've been working on my 3 digit LEGO mechanical calculator (more properly the
Babbage Style LEGO Difference Engine)
The machine works quite well, but others have asked how to build their own and I
realize what operated well in development would be hard to convey to others
because a lot is in my head and there was a lot of "alignment" tricks used when
bringing the modules together.
The current machine is at http://acarol.woz.org
With that in mind, I have made many improvements this weekend which will make it
easier for others to build one as well as to break down/reassemble modules.
Improvements made (photos by weekend):
1 - Alignment pegs on carry gears.
Previously aligning the carry gears when connecting digit columns took a good
eye. Now, just rotate the carry gears until the pegs align and connect the
columns.
2 - Keyed digit wheels.
Previously there was a rule used when connecting the output of a lower adder to
the adder above through a digit wheel. (There is a 60 degree rotation between
lower and upper adders). The rule was simple and only took a moment for each
digit but was a pain to have to think about.
Now I've "keyed" the digit wheel so there is only one way the two can be
connected.
3 - Adder rotor "quick" removal!
The hardest part to install in the current design is the adder rotor. Once in,
it requires quite a bit of partial disassembly to get it out. I don't remove
one lightly. It also complicates testing because the rotor has to go in so
early the power drive system is harder to get smooth.
I've found a way to have a slide/lock which will hold it in place. Turning the
lock and raising a liftarm used as a slip-ring allows the rotor to be easily
added or removed.
The new rotor has slightly more wobble than the previous one, but I don't think
this will matter. More testing will tell for sure.
I hope to have new pictures and details on the web page sometime in the next
week.
Cheers!
--- Andy http://acarol.woz.org
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