From the MAKE Flickr pool
Member funnypolynomial built a very simple, heat driven motor that sits atop an LCD monitor bezel. It’s actual a revision of an earlier design for use with CRTs –
The original Monitor Spinner did its thing on a giant CRT and was prone to falling off, especially if I turned on the fan in my cube.
I was pleasantly surprised when I got my flat LCD monitors and found they still put out enough heat to make it spin. I decided to make a second version, less susceptable to breezes.
He’s also posted a template for download. Print, cut, add a metal wire with a sharp point, – prepare for numerous comments from your coworkers. – Link
From the pages of MAKE:
HOW TO – Curie engine – MAKE:09 p.114 – Link
14 thoughts on “Build a heat-driven monitor spinner”
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I wasn’t exactly pleased when I learned how much heat my LCD put out, I was expecting to save a lot more power with it.
I guess this is the silver lining.
This was fun — it’s a small enough paper-crafting project that even I could get it to work! My monitor may be more heat-efficient than The Oracle’s (or my office is chillier :-) but it hardly spins at all. In a way, it’s kind of more interesting than one that just spun constantly… I never know if it’s going to be running or not!
Umm…. Mine’s broken… not even a hint of spinning…
Hmm, try using a metal wire/post with a sharp point. Such as the piece from the back of a lapel pin or perhaps a needle.
I’ll edit the post to reflect this variable.
Yeah, NOT a paperclip. See the pointy hook thing I used.
For me, I had to cut the ends off of the little feet-thingies that stick out and hold onto the shaft. They kept stopping the rotation. However, I am using a paperclip, perhaps I’ll try something pointy.
Here’s another monitor spinner that we made for the office. We used a piece cut from an aluminum can to reinforce the pivot point.