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Component Guide
Animation Station Box
The red oak wooden framework that holds all the mechanisms that make your automata come alive.
Read below to find out more about all the pieces:
Extended Deck – The optional deck to extend your action area. It fits over the standard top of the frame. Holes must be added where necessary.
Shafts – These wood shafts serve as either horizontal shafts for cams, gears, spacers, etc. or vertical Rods for moving the cam followers. 7” long (12)
Hand Crank – To turn the crank shaft
Gears - To enable action items to move at different speeds. See “Gear Ratio Charts”.
Cams and their special shapes and position bring action
- Snail Cam – Makes the cam follower, “Yellow Head”, rise gently and then drop suddenly. Works in one direction only. 20mm Dia, 15mm rise (1) and 25mm Dia, 10mm rise (1)
- Triangle Cam – Creates a jerky and snappy up-and-down movement to “White Head”. 25 x 25 x 25mm (2)
- Round Cam – Used to create a smooth rotary motion to “Square Head” above deck. Offset the cam to the outside edge of the cam follower pad to vary the speed of rotation. 20mm Dia (3) and Round: 32mm Dia (2)
- Offset Round Cam – Used to smoothly raise and lower the cam follower. For a rotary motion in two directions, using two offset cams can produce a back-and-forth rotary motion to “Round Head”. 20mm Dia (2) and Offset Round: 32mm Dia (2)
- Offset Round Cam – “Shining Star” will go up and down in a singular movement. 20mm Dia (2) and Offset Round: 32mm Dia (2)
- Oval Cam – “Red Head” will be smooth, but irregular up-and-down movement. 10mm x 32mm (2) and Oval: 20mm x 32mm (2)
Spacers – Hex shaped pieces that can be used to keep the shaft locked in place or to snug up a cam or gear. Hex (12)
Cam Followers
- Cam Follower Pads – large round contact area at the end of the vertical rod where the cams will make contact. 12mm Dia (6), 20mm Dia (3) and 25mm Dia (2)
- Cam Follower Feet – Basically a hinged lever. You can extend the cam’s action to anywhere along the length. Also to ease over sharp cam edges, like the triangle cam. 34mm 2-hole (1) and 66mm: 3-hole (1)
- Pawl and Ratchet – Kind of like a gear, but could only be used in one direction. It makes sure the automata crank can only be turned one way.
Bearings – Used to help the cam follower rods move up-and-down smoother and straighter in their path. A long bearing will keep the cam follower rod from tilting and binding. 12mm Dia (6)
