Automata & Mechanical toys

Brief History of Automata The following buttons will lead you on to a number of topics designed to help you understand more about mechanisms, basic engineering principles as well as designing and making your own automata and mechanical toys. Craft Education have two books entitled: 'How to Design and Make Automata' and 'How to Design and Make Simple Automata' as well as aCD-ROM for more information click on the links below. Tools and Construction Techniques How to contact us If you want to know more about designing and making wooden automata and mechanical toys then the CD-ROM How to Design & Make Automata, Mechanisms & Mechanical Toys will prove invaluable. PDF Download or Book How to Design & Make Simple Automata PDF Book How to Design & Make Automata You can now download the CD-ROM as a complete file for only £17.50 and is available Worldwide.

Teaching and Learning Resources from Diane Hawkins Unit 3C - Moving Monsters (ICT Unit 3A - Combining text and graphics) About the Unit This unit helps to develop children's understanding of control through investigating simple pneumatic systems and designing and making a model of a monster that has moving parts controlled by pneumatics. This could be linked to stories or poems, or another purpose. Resources for Pupils (Each link will open in a new window) Kellogg's Monster Maker - monster design ideas Scholastic Monster Maker - monster design ideas Dinosaur Print-outs - Click on a dinosaur's name to go to a black-and-white print-out. Resources for Teachers (Each link will open in a new window) D&T Online - Information and resources related to electronics, food, mechanisms and more. Ideas for Activities Pupils combine text and graphics to record the stages of their work in a storyboard. Unit 4B - Moving Storybooks This unit develops the popular activity of making greetings cards and the moving picture made in key stage 1.

Simple Mechanics Cams The basic principle of the cam is to turn a circular motion into a linear one. This is referred to as reciprocating movement. In it's simplest form you turn a handle to make something move up and down. The cam-follower is connected to, and part off, a shaft known as the Push-Rod. They are found in many machines and toys. Concentric Cams An concentric cam is a disc with its centre of rotation positioned 'off centre'. As it rotates it pushes the flat follower upwards and then allows it to drop downwards. A mechanical toy based on a series of concentric cams is seen below. More Examples Below is a mechanical toy based on a CAM mechanism. Designing Cams In order to design a cam you need to know what you want it to do. The cam-follower has lifted by this amount. Calculating Lift It is very easy to calculate the amount of lift by simply taking the measurement from the center of the drive shaft to the lowest point of the cam and subtracting this from the measurement to the highest point.