@nvkv.makes

It’s finally happening! ⚙️ After more than a year of designing and sharing these mechanisms, I’m putting together a physical set of 12 that you can build yourself, no 3D printer required! Think of it as a little mechanical advent calendar, with 12 different mechanisms to assemble, play with and display. I’ll be making the first batch myself, so quantities will be very limited. Early access list is now open! * Friday 23 October: Early access orders * Saturday 24 October: Public release Sign up at nvkvmakes.com (link in bio). And while you’re there, have a play with the interactive mechanisms I’ve added to the website! #maker #mechanisms #engineering #stem

Can induction cooking do induction charging? One way to find out but definitely don’t try to repeat it #science #experiment #donttrythisathome

There’s something very satisfying about a mechanism that looks like it shouldn’t work. Non-circular gears are always quite mesmerising. Not the most useful in the usual sense but still quite widely used #3dprinting #mechanism #stem #engineering

Still working on the FPL Buddy and slowly turning it from something that works on my desk into something that’s actually nice to set up and use. This time I’ve moved all the settings out of the firmware and onto a little local setup page, plus added a QR-code setup mode for connecting it to Wi-Fi for the first time. Still a few things to tidy up, but it’s starting to feel much more like a proper standalone thing now. #esp32 #embedded #arduino #fpl

I’m back after a little break with a self reversing screw! It’s one of my favourite mechanisms to watch because of how satisfying that winding path is to look at. In my opinion it looks even more mesmerising when motorised but having manual control is great to see how it moves! #mechanism #3dprinting #engineering #stem

Tile 9 of the fully 3D printed mechanism display. I like how this one achieves reciprocating motion with such a small change to a familiar gear. Remove enough teeth and it behaves in a completely different way. #3dprinting #engineering #mechanism #STEM #dıy

Here’s the bit I didn’t fit into the video. Because a Scotch yoke traces a mathematically perfect sine wave, it gets used in vibration test rigs, the shaker tables that rattle a product for days to find out what breaks first. Perfectly repeatable motion is the whole reason it’s there. The sine wave visualization is from Angus at Maker’s Muse on YouTube. Go watch his deep dive to learn more about their uses and how to battle friction! Where else have you spotted a Scotch yoke? I keep finding them in strange places. Tile 8 is up, files are free on Patreon, and follow along for the next one. #3dprinting #mechanisms #engineering #stem #diy

Rack gears pop up in many places and is probably the easiest way of getting linear motion for anything from steering to dispensers! This is the 7th tile in my 3D printed mechanism display, and the rack gear is definitely showing up as part of some other mechanisms later on! #3dprinting #mechanism #engineering #stem

Worm gears are almost like a cheat code for getting massive torque without doing any calculations. Back in my first year of engineering, we had to design a car. We needed to calculate the gear ratios so that a small DC motor would push it along nicely. Obviously, if you connect the motor directly to the wheels, it’s not going to do much. Because we didn’t want to spend time doing the calculations, we just put a worm gear and a spur gear directly on the motor, and somehow the car ended up moving at almost the perfect speed. This is definitely not design advice - calculate your gear ratios properly! But it does show just how much torque a single worm gear reduction can provide. #mechanism #3dprinting #engineering #diy #stem

Tile 5 of my mechanical movement display. The goal is to make the whole thing almost entirely 3D printable, with each tile demonstrating a different way of transferring or transforming motion. Some of these mechanisms are useful on their own, while others are building blocks that will show up again and again in more complex designs. This week’s tile is a bevel gear pair. Simple, but one that will be doing a lot of heavy lifting as the display grows. #mechanicalengineering #mechanism #gears #3dprinting

Tile 4 of making an entirely 3D printable mechanism display. This week’s tile is a latch mechanism, the kind of thing behind push-push buttons and SD card clicks. The secret piece isn’t a rubber band or a spring. It’s opposing magnets, which act like a spring without needing one. Both the magnet version and rubber band version are on Patreon with assembly instructions. #3DPrinting #Mechanism #Engineering #3DPrinting #STEM

Planetary gears are everywhere but they’re are hidden out of sight. That’s the secret to getting lots of torque out of a small space! This 3D printed mechanism tile is a great way to see how it works yourself and experiment with how it moves. #mechanism #3dprinting #stem #engineering #tutorial

Second tile of the wall. I had a shortlist of mechanisms before I started this series and the Geneva was near the top. There's something about cranking a smooth handle and getting perfect stop-locked steps out the other side that I find very satisfying. What should tile three be? #3dprinting #mechanism #diy #maker #engineering

Day 1 of building a wall of mechanisms, one tile at a time. Every mechanism I make from now on gets its own 10cm tile that you can crank by hand. They lock together, and over the next few months these will build into a full wall on my desk. First tile: a gear chain where every gear has a different tooth count, but the two outputs spin at the same speed. What should go on the next tile? #3dprinting #mechanism #engineering #stem #maker

Oldham coupling doesn’t make the headlines because it stops bad things from happening, and no news is good news! Thanks to @Elegoo 3D Official for providing Centauri Carbon 2 for this video! #3dprinting #mechanism #engineering #elegoo #ad

4x Geneva = 4x the fun, and a super satisfying result as well for such a simple mechanism! This was printed on @Elegoo 3D Official Centauri Carbon 2, with its multicolour system making this build possible. #3dprinting #mechanism #engineering #mechanicalengineering

That’s my kind of coaster for when I finish my drink too quickly… Perfect desk accessory too #Flashforge #AD5X #3dprinting #3dprinter #mechanism @Flashforge 3D

Surprised nobody sells something like this. So I built one. Code is open source 👇 It’s a must have for fantasy football! Case printed on @flashforge_official AD5X #FlashForge #AD5X #3dprinting #3dprinter #fpl @Flashforge 3D

Excellent engineering. Confusing name. Zero almonds. #3dprinting #mechanism #engineering

Buy one get one free while you still can! Link in bio #vsauce #science #gift

Let me know if you want to see how it was made or the files! It’s not perfect but it works #3dprinting #lego #christmas #diy #train

Editable files are free on Patreon, please edit and share! #lego #christmas #3dprinting #christmasdecorations

Can’t stop fidgeting with it… #mechanism #3dprinting #fidget #magsafe #diy

Turning Alexa into a smarthome powerhouse with a cheap tablet #homeassistant #diy #smarthome #3dprinting

Wha should I call this?

I’ve actually made a planetary gear before, but this new design runs much smoother and can spin a lot faster. The magic of these systems is how much torque they can deliver in such a small space, which is why you’ll find them in everything from electric screwdrivers to car gearboxes. They’re compact, efficient, and surprisingly elegant once you see how all the parts move together. #3dprinting #mechanism #engineering #mechanicalengineering #diy

It’s a neat reminder that accurate motion control existed long before electronics. More linkages coming next week. #mechanism #mechanicalengineering #stem #3dprinting #diy

Please don’t use this for cars, you’ll be shocked ⚡️ to see the results What you can use is the code makes25 for 25% off your first Curiosity Box #science #experiment #vsauce

Linkages are much easier to design and a bit more intuitive too! This is a simple example of a useful application but it can get quite complex and do some quite unique things #mechanism #stem #engineering #3dprinting #diy

Testing out the 4D ruler from this season’s Curiosity Box and it turned out to be surprisingly accurate! Use code makes25 to get 25% off the first box, link in bio #Vsauce #curiositybox #science #experiment #stem