Category Archives: Ball Clock

When I started this project, I really had no idea how long it would take.  Without a master plan or not having made one before just like this, I just took it as it came.  That and also having to … Continue reading →

One of the things I had to consider with the design of the Hour Selector mechanism was what to do with the balls that accumulated one every hour.  By the time 12 o’clock comes around the track holding these balls … Continue reading →

March was pretty much taken up with fixing some things that I had been putting off for a while. I knew it would require a fair amount of disassembly to get to the areas that needed attention and then the … Continue reading →

For the last couple of months I have been operating the Hour Ball Selector by hand to test it. The time has come to power the main shaft of the selector.  These are the things to be considered for the … Continue reading →

Not everything will go as planned in life and none truer right now than this project.  Back from Christmas vacation and back at it. My original design for the hour striker was pretty simple.  The weight of a ball would … Continue reading →

The Ball Selector needed to return to its home position at the end of the cycle. I chose to use weights rather than springs for this because springs will increase tension when expanded and weights are a constant force. The … Continue reading →

After some testing it became apparent that an Index Plate was necessary to hold the selector arm in place once it has been extended. It was important that the Index Plate was in line with the position of the balls … Continue reading →

Some progress since the last post, albeit slow.   The supports for the selector assemble have been installed complete with bearings upper and lower.  The trick was to get the angle right as the selector has to follow the slope … Continue reading →

Now that I have the jig to hold the Hour Ball Magazine, I am able to see how things fit. There are a number if parts that had/have to be made for the selector mechanism.  The first was the slides … Continue reading →

The hour balls appear to be moving through the striker mechanism smoothly now. It is time to focus on the section that will select and release the proper number of balls to the striker. Back in February I talked about … Continue reading →