Those interested in mechanisms and horology will probably enjoy the hypnotic action of this single-pin escapement executed in Lego by YouTuber horolophile. An “escapement,” FYI, is the mechanism in a timepiece that converts continuous rotational motion into oscillating “back and forth” motion and makes it go tick-tock.
Here’s an entry describing MacDowall’s escapement from the 1877 Encyclopedia Britannica:
[via The Automata / Automaton Blog]
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2 thoughts on “MacDowall single-pin escapement in Lego Technic”
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This should make a very low friction escapement if you have a hardened steel sleeve over a steel pin and a drop of oil for shaft lubrication. It would also be a dead beat movement as it shouldn’t have any retrograde hand movement on the second hand. The pendulum impulse power is also a simple push and avoids the sliding friction of recoil anchor movements and tip wear and tricky setup of Graham deadbeat escapements