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Orrery?

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Chris Crosskey14/12/2010 19:01:56
15 forum posts
Has ME ever published a design for an Orrery?... I've searched the forum and this is apparently the first mention of such a thing.
 
chrisc
c14/12/2010 19:27:02
44 forum posts
1 photos
Volume 185 pages 186, 292, 382, 496 and 604, Volume 186 page 33.
Weary14/12/2010 19:32:45
421 forum posts
1 photos
I don't think that ME has ever published a detailed 'words and music' design for an orrery.  They have however featured on a number of occasions over the years.
 
In 1940, Vo. 83, Issue 2049, page 121 in the 'Smoke Rings' editorial, when suggesting an orrery as a good project for a model engineer who wants a change:
.....drawings and full details of a very good device of this type may be found in Patent Specification No. 106,658, the date of acceptance being May 29th 1917.
 
More recently Don Unwin wrote a series of articles in 2000, Volume 185, issues 4116, 4127, 4129, 4131, 4133, 4135, and in 2001 conclusion in volume 186, issue 4137 in which he describes the design parameters and constructional methods of his orrery.
 
This index may assist you.
 
Regards, Phil
 
P.S.  xtoph beat me to it!
 

Edited By Weary on 14/12/2010 19:33:45

Chris Crosskey15/12/2010 10:27:13
15 forum posts
Many thanks for both replies. I'm surprised there's been so little published. Though equally after I'd sorted out what I wanted to put in the  one I'd like to build in terms of the eight planets plus their more interesing moons, the two most interesting asteroids (Ceres cos it's large enough to have formed itself into a sphere, Sylvia cos it's the smallest thing with two sattelites) plus Pluto and Sedna and their moons and realised I was looking at at least four if not six gears on each orbit and the same again on anything that had a rotation that wasn't tidally locked and it came to a lot of gears.... at least it will allow me to have an excuse to build a hobbing system I suppose.... also if I use anything bigger than 80DP the damn thing will be too big to get in the lounge....
Niloch15/12/2010 12:58:29
371 forum posts
I'm pretty sure that there was an all brass orrery to be seen at the recent Sandown show on one of the club stands upstairs.  It appeared to be about 300mm tall and maybe unfinished.
Perhaps David (editor) would have more precise information.
Peter Hall17/12/2010 08:40:36
115 forum posts
1 photos
Chris, it occurred to me a little while ago that if one were to build ten clocks, one would be a clockmaker. If one were to build ten orreries, one would be one of the world's leading authorities on the things. I'd go for it if I were you. Document your activities in detail, accompany this with good quality photographs, publish the results and you would have really made your mark. Don't be too long about it though. I need a few pointers to get started myself...
ady17/12/2010 09:04:56
612 forum posts
50 photos
There's plenty on the webby
 
 
 
 
 
And...(drumroll)...an orrery makers reference library
 

Edited By ady on 17/12/2010 09:07:35

ady17/12/2010 09:27:20
612 forum posts
50 photos
...not much in the reference library actually contains the word orrery tho....:O
 
however:
 
Select Mechanical Exercises
Shewing how to construct different clocks , orreries, and sundials on plain and easy principles
London, 2nd Edition
1778.
1773. Ist Edition
 
Can be had via Amazon for the princely sum of 15 quid.(presumably not an original)
 
 
NJH17/12/2010 10:03:29
avatar
2314 forum posts
139 photos
Quite right Ady
 
They have been about for a bit 
 
See how the master, Joseph Wright of Derby, depicted one. 
 
 
 
 
 

Edited By NJH on 17/12/2010 10:06:19

Edited By NJH on 17/12/2010 10:07:30

Diane Carney17/12/2010 10:49:01
419 forum posts
11 photos
Posted by Niloch on 15/12/2010 12:58:29:
I'm pretty sure that there was an all brass orrery to be seen at the recent Sandown show on one of the club stands upstairs.  It appeared to be about 300mm tall and maybe unfinished.

 I think it was on the Malden stand, if memory serves me right.
 
Diane
 
 
 
 
 

Chris Crosskey24/12/2010 12:05:48
15 forum posts
This is sort of my point.... there's a handful of professional makers, one kit that is a very good starting point but I want planetary rotations and it hasn't got it and then almost no real information outside of a handful of Meccano plans.... and they're not a huge amount of use to me as they are working with purely the meccano gear range....
 
I'm assuming I'll have to manufacture box-section skeleton arms for the outer planets, their systems will weigh a fair bit. I can use some of their gearing for things like moons as a counterbalance hung off the other side to the planet..... Indeed if I could factor in the modifications that it causes to the various ratios I'll do that with a lot of the gearing, the Saturn system by itself is about 50 gears.....
 
chrisc

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