This is a prototype !
I am already working on prototype 3 so i won't put more time into this one.
But by request i uploaded the current prototype to thingiverse all files ar located there :-)
And remember its not a polished finished project..
First watch my youtube video about it.
Current status:
It works and can count from 0-9 when turning the gears.
But its is still a prototype and not elegant yet, i want to reduce complexity more and reduce friction. I have a lot of ideas in my head but hard to find time to do make them..
I am working on 10 position indexing gears so that one turn of the input changes display one number. See included file for my current idea regarding that: test_10_pos_index.stl
The reason i did this was the following:
Big led displays draws a lot of power and can be poorly visible in daylight.
The mechanical displays that exist today have one electromagnet for each segment, that requires a lot of wires and electronics.
This display can be used without any electronics att all, for goal keeping, clocks, etc.
And of course i wanted it to be as much 3D printed as possible.
My goal is that when it is finished, multiple display segment will be serially connectable so that if you connect 3 units they will be able to count to 999. That's when one segment switches from 9 to 0 it also switch the display connected to it +1 and so on all mechanically..
The main use of a display like this is that it can be run all mechanical, for goals/points keeping, mechanical clocks, counters, etc where no electronics at all is needed.
To make it electronic just a $2 stepper and driver is needed to drive multiple segments..
Like this one: 28BYJ-48 stepper motor and ULN2003 driver, witch make it very easy to control from a arduino and other controllers.
Great for temperature display and youtube subscription counters and so on, only draws power when switching numbers.
Wow. I am definitely not a mechanical engineer, so trying to fathom how things like this work baffles me! The diagrams and explanation helped a lot. I can't wait to see how version 3 works out!