How to made a mistery mechanism
How to make a
Mystery Mechanism
As an example, we provide step-by-step instructions for making Mystery Mechanism C.
Here are the supplies you will need:
Lay the Strips out in their Final Positions:
Do this step after you have come up with your design.
Mark the Hole Positions:
Do this for both the fixed and floating pivots.
Make the holes at the positions you’ve marked on both the links and the base:
The hole punch will probably reach the hole positions on the links. To make the holes in the base, it will be necessary to use a ballpoint pen, push pin or similar sharp object.
Assemble the floating pivots:
Use paper fasteners to connect links to each other. This should be done away from the base.
Assemble the fixed pivots:
The fixed pivots ground the links to the base (in fact, a technical name for the base is the ground). Be careful to fix only the levers, and not the input or output tabs. Anything you attach to the base will not be able to slide back and forth!
Trim the strips to size.
At this stage, you may also need to make guides. These are intended to keep input and output tabs from rotating – in other words, forcing them to move in straight lines.
Add guides, if necessary, to make the input and/or output tabs move instraight lines
Tabs may need to be stabilized, to keep them from flopping in all directions. An easy way to make a guide is the fix a strap across the tab with paper fasteners, creating a little tunnel to keep the motion linear. Other methods involve making slots, using tape, or simply capturing the tab between two paper fasteners.
