Antikythera Mechanism Build.

[Mechanism Man]

As promised what seems like a life time ago, here is s film of the mechanism running before I start to cover bits of it up with the dials.
Sorry about the sound quality -  I appear to have a creaky mobile phone case!
Antikythera Mechanism MK2 run test

[Prof Marvel]

I am impressed and amazed at your skills, and your tenacity.
thanks very much for posting!

yhs
prof marvel

( ps +1 on  your signature line)

[Mechanism Man]

Believe me when I say that it's more stubbornness than skill - I just refuse to let the infernal contraption beat me!

(And yes, Calvin speaks more wisdom than most Western leaders...).

[Mechanism Man]

At last - spiral back dials ready to fit. Beginning to feel like I might finally be on the home straight.
:-)

[Banfili]

Gorgeous!

[RJBowman]

All that work, just to be lost on the bottom of the Mediterranean.

[Mechanism Man]

But mine floats - Huzzah!

[Herr Döktor]

At last - spiral back dials ready to fit. Beginning to feel like I might finally be on the home straight.
:-)

Those really need to be etched brass, you know, perhaps Dr Quack could assist?

[Banfili]

I love this build - really, really love it!

I want one!

[Mechanism Man]

At last - spiral back dials ready to fit. Beginning to feel like I might finally be on the home straight.
:-)

Those really need to be etched brass, you know, perhaps Dr Quack could assist?

That is the eventual intention - and they will be translated into English so that the machine actually works and can be used. Unfortunately it's being displayed at a festival of ancient science and technology in Oxford this Tuesday so time is against me to get it done in any way, shape or form. So, in a nutshell, I'm currently cheating!
I fully intend to produce fresh graphics for the machine myself and, as you suggest, get them etched, but for now printed fake brass plate is good enough. And I still have the planet display on the back to to create yet...
Sound of nervous gulping...

[Mechanism Man]

Evening ladies and gents,

Ok, still not finished - not quite - but I'm almost there - honestly - would I lie to you?!

So - the machine itself is done and working beautifully with the exception of building the spiral following pointers (yes, a bit like on a record player, but more complicated ...and I can't yet get them to work... grrr) a few tidying jobs, and then I just have to fit the English translated dials which I've just finished creating on my PC with a little help from Mr Adobe's finest Photoshop, and lots and lots of A4 printed sheets with numerous bits of eclipse information and astronomical tables galore.

The dials turned out to be just as complicated to create as the machine itself - it transpires that the lunar month is obviously very different from our modern Gregorian calendar (Gregorian is another word I learned, impressive huh...), so trying to make sense of the thing for our modern minds was a little more tricky than I'd hoped. Oh, and of course all the dials were in Ancient Greek...

On the plus side though, working through it did give me a much greater understanding of how the machine actually works - it really is very, very clever.

Anyhow, below are some half decent photos of it all set up, but still needing it's new dials and pointers.

More soon I hope.
:-)

[Banfili]

I'm so impressed! 

[SeVeNeVeS]

I'm so impressed! 

Same here! and those photos would look great framed and hung a wall.

[Mechanism Man]

Hi everyone,
Well since my image hosting site Photobucket suddenly started wanting $499 per year to store the photos I use on this and other forums they have all stopped working on my previous posts - sorry.
Sooo, below is a link to my Pintrest page where you will find several photos of my now FINISHED machine! Its only taken three years...
It's turned out far better than I ever could have hoped - and with the English translated dials the machine can actually be used, and it seems to be relatively accurate. I've been lucky enough to pick up a few commissions along the way so I think I'll now be tied up cutting gear wheels for the foreseeable future!
Take care all.

:-)    http://pin.it/aEVQ5q8

[Synistor 303]

Wow... Wow... Wow! Wow... A-Mazing! (repeat until you have scrolled through all pictures.)

[steve323]

Wow, absolutely amazing.  I am amazed at the complexity and the beauty of the finished project.  I really admire your perseverance.  The final result looks incredible.

Steve