echo
A self-sustaining meditation chime.
The Project:
Echo is an assembly of welded mild steel and walnut. From its creation, I learned prototyping skills, the importance of the order of operations in manufacturing, tolerance stacking, and basic circuitry.
When the user presses the gold button on the sculpture base, the L-shaped mallet-lifter raises the suspended mallet until it drops upon the singing bowl resounding a calming chime.
Skills:
rapid prototyping
mechanism design
TIG welding
woodworking
circuit/software design
Prototypes
Goal: Create a mechanism that will strike the singing bowl three times at equally spaced time intervals.
In order to design the striking mechanism, I started prototyping pendulums, as they are known for consistent timing. However, not enough potential energy was stored in the pendulum to strike the bowl multiple times.
I pivoted to lifting the mallet with a electric motor. Shown here is my duron and foam core prototype of my circuit (hidden in the base) and striking mechanism.
In my final prototype I tested out the processes and materials I would need for creating my final project: welding, wood, routing, and wood-turning.
The Circuit
My first experience with electronics and arduino.
Welding
Goal: Learn to TIG weld a tee joint in mild steel in order to join flat sheet metal to protruding towers.
Practicing butt joints.
Practicing tee joints.
Success at tee joints on a tube.
Final weld set-up with six grounding clamps to avoid warping.
Process Photos
Making sure all parts of my base are concentric.
Wood routing with a lasercut template.
Drilling hole for motor through internal and external tower.