Making Time: LEGO Ball Clock by Jason Allemann
Here’s a really gorgeous piece of horological gadgetry. Not satisfied with those giant LEGO minifigure digital clocks, Jason Allemann has built a mechanical timepiece worthy of any classy desk. Better yet, he’s made a video showing it in motion and given lots of details on how it works.
January 29th, 2013 at 4:17 pm
Gorgeous creation, Jason! Another great, yet simple, device!! For those who may not recognize the “JMA” on the device, this is the same guy who made the Labyrinth Marble Maze currently up for voting on the Lego Cuusoo Project. Go vote for him now!
http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/14605
January 29th, 2013 at 5:07 pm
Fabulous, but does it actually keep accurate time is the question I’m left with. I wouldn’t have thought the 9V motors were consistent enough RPM to actually keep time.
January 30th, 2013 at 12:16 pm
Fantastic creation. And so modern and sleek looking to boot!
January 30th, 2013 at 12:22 pm
That’s a good point, Jonathan. My guess is that ultimately it doesn’t keep particularly good time, but at least it’s easy to reset!
January 30th, 2013 at 12:36 pm
If you could get a motor that made the chain run at exactly 1 RPM, it would keep pretty good time. I timed your contraption and its about five seconds fast.
All in all, it is a great creation and I wish i could buy something like this to have on my desk. You did a great job and I love the concept!
January 30th, 2013 at 12:39 pm
Another thing, is there anything on the internet that is similar to this design that I can buy? Maybe a more compact, simpler version.
January 30th, 2013 at 12:45 pm
Dylan, I don’t know if you’re looking to buy a LEGO version or not. If you are, you’ll be in the same boat as the rest of us–gotta build it yourself! :) Otherwise, a quick google for “rolling ball clock” shows there are lots of different designs and styles for sale.
January 31st, 2013 at 5:14 am
You could convert the design to one that would be accurate, but you’d have to add a pendulum to do it. Or mindstorms, as long as it is by default ‘too fast’.