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Even in ancient times, it was the women who did all
the work - in this case, pointing the way south. The men
just sat around. But then, he was the Emperor.
The secret to this contraption is the differential gear.
It is said that the first differential gear was invented
in China circa 4,000 years ago.
This is a nice model to build to show off your
differential gear. Except for the mini-figs, the parts
are all in your LEGO Mindstorms set. The colors may be
different, though. You don't need the RCX.
Note the modern-day chariot to its right. |
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| The Emperor gets the chariot
ready |
and then takes his seat. |
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| Front View |
Back View |
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| The left wheel connects to the top
input axle while the right wheel connects to the bottom input
axle of the differential gear. |
The pointer is linked to the lower end
of the differential gear housing through the two 16T gears. An idler
gear is necessary to get the rotation right. |
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| The
small print |
Bibliography |
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There are a few things to note to get this chariot
to work correctly.
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South
Pointing Things Best compilation yet |
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The distance between the two wheels must be exactly equal to
the diameter of the wheels.
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Picture
that inspired my model Worth 1K words |
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It so happens that the diameter of the motorcycle wheel is about
right for the 8-stud spacing between the wheels.
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Richard's
Creations |
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You may have to
do some adjustment to get it exactly right.
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DR
Gears |
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All the gear ratios must be 1:1.
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Mechanical
Compass Notes |
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South Pointing Chariots and a serendipitous finding |
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The
Direction-master Contemporary version with an RCX |
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