Swiss Escapement Desktop Fidget

SUMMARY/DESCRIPTION:

I've always enjoyed the sound of old wall clocks, and decided it would be a great challenge to design and create my own device that mimics the sound while also working as a small desktop fidget toy.

I'm not a mechanical engineer, so creating a fully self-designed mechanism took quite a bit of time and I'm extremely happy with the result. One winding will get about 90 seconds of clocklike "tick-tock" sounds, and that's more than I ever expected!

The design is fully 3d printed, except for four 3D 1-1/4" smooth shank finishing nails that act as low-friction axes. It measures 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" x 2-1/2" and can easily be scaled up if you desire. (I'm not sure it can be scaled downward any further)

Printing and basic assembly instructions are listed below. Enjoy!

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PRINTING:

I print everything with 3 shell layers and 100% infill for strength and to give a nice sense of weight. The only piece that absolutely requires 100% infill is the Flywheel, but you can adjust that if you want faster movement. 0.2mm layer height works perfectly.

The Flywheel and Pallet Fork should be the only two pieces that require supports. Everything else is pre-oriented optimally.

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Post-Printing and Assembly:

You will need:
- a 1.8mm hand drill bit
- four 3D 1-1/4" smooth shank finishing nails

Step 1: Print your parts. These will require pretty tight tolerances, but minor inconsistencies can be adjusted for.

Step 2: Prep the parts. Lightly sand down any flat surfaces on moving parts to ensure they rotate freely. Use the 1.8mm hand drill to widen out the rotation axes of moving parts and the slots they fit into.

Step 3: Attach TM_Winder and TM_Main Spring by fitting the keyed tabs of TM_Main Spring slot between the four small "wings" of TM_Winder. They should lay flat atop one another. Then fit TM_Main Gear into the keyed slot of TM_Main Spring. Place this assembly down into TM_Enclosure Base, with TM_Winder at the bottom.

Step 4: Place TM_Ratchet into the squared recess of TM_Enclosure Base so that the small end interfaces with the ratcheting teeth of TM_Main Spring

Step 5: Place TM_Enclosure Cap on top of TM_Enclosure Base, ensuring the largest circular cutout aligns with the small hole corner of TM_Enclosure Base.

Step 6: Thread one finishing nail down through TM_Frame Bottom's raised flat section, and through TM_Secondary Gear with the large gear oriented nearest to TM_Frame Bottom. Place TM_Frame Bottom atop TM_Enclosure Cap so that the small end of TM_Secondary Gear interfaces with TM_Main Gear and the nail axis fits into the small hole in TM_Enclosure Base.

Step 7: Use three TM_Screw-Large to affix TM_Frame Bottom, TM_Enclosure Cap, and TM Enclosure Bottom. There will be a small amount of wiggle room, so just try to align them as close as you can before tightening the screws.

Step 8: Lay TM_Escapement Gear atop TM_Enclosure Cap so it aligns with the center hole. The smaller end of TM_Escapement Gear should be facing down. Thread another finishing nail through the top of TM_Escapement Gear, through TM_Escapement Cap, and down through the assembly we made in Step 3. The nail should push all the way through to anchor at the bottom of TM_Enclosure Base.

Step 9: Place TM_Frame-Crossbeam atop TM_Frame Bottom so that the two pegs face upward and the half-circle faces towards the tiny peg/hole of TM_Frame Bottom.

Step 10: Trim about 1/4" off of a finishing nail from the pointed end, and thread the remaining nail through TM_Frame-Middle, and through TM_Pallet Fork. The small, thin section of TM_Pallet Fork should be closest to TM_Frame-Middle.

Step 11: Place the TM_Frame Middle/TM_Pallet Fork assembly atop TM_Frame Bottom so that it is seated in the provided grooves and the nail extends downward into TM_Enclosure Cap. TM_Pallet Fork should still be able to move freely, and the nail should not extend down into the enclosure if you've trimmed it correctly. Also, TM_Pallet Fork's top fork should fit in between the two pegs of TM_Frame Crossbeam.

Step 12: These next steps are tricky. Place TM_Flywheel Spring Key into the recess of TM_Flywheel with the small end sticking out. Place the square hole of TM_Flywheel Spring onto TM_Flywheel Spring Key such that squared peg of TM_Flywheel Spring faces upwards and is on the opposite side as the little flag-like protrusion at the bottom of TM_Flywheel.

Step 13: Thread a final nail through TM_Frame Top, and down through the Flywheel assembly we made in Step 12. The square peg of TM_Flywheel Spring should fit right into the square hole of TM_Frame Top.

Step 14: Place the whole assembly from Step 13 down onto the rest of the device such that TM_Frame Top interfaces with the top pegs of TM_Frame Middle, and the nail slides into the small hole in TM_Frame Crossbeam. Ensure that TM_Flywheel Spring Key and TM_Flywheel Spring don't become dislodged.

Step 15: Use TM_Flywheel Spring Clip to secure TM_Flywheel Spring's squared peg to TM_Frame Top.

Step 16: Secure the entire Frame and Flywheel assembly together using three TM_Screw-Small by threading them downward through the top of TM_Frame Top.

You should now be done! Activate the device by gently turning the TM_Winding part clockwise (if viewed from the top), and giving the Flywheel a little spin.
If the Flywheel stops suddenly when impacting the Pallet Fork, simply rotate the Pallet Fork to its opposite locking orientation.

Also, before securing any rotating or moving parts, ensure they move freely on their axis. There should be very little friction in the system due to the smooth nails acting as bearings.

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Optional Step 1: Using a SMALL amount of superglue to hold TM_Flywheel, TM_Flywheel Spring Key, and TM_Flywheel Spring together can make assembly easier. Just ensure you have the orientations correct first.

Optional Step 2: If you notice TM_Flywheel Spring Clip rotating during operation, you can more firmly secure it to TM_Frame Top with a tiny bit of superglue. This makes the action of the device a little more uniform.