Above Photo by Chris Shute
A Meccano machine to read your palm. Built in 5 months from mostly modern Meccano parts and 13 salvaged motors. All 24 electrical switches and the 32 – step Sequencer are made from Meccano. Mystic Mec will choose an almost 'random' letter to hint at your future. Working eyelids, index fingers among other things….
The video doesn't tell you the final secret of how Mystic Mec managed to 'predict' the initials of many of my Meccano friends who had their palms read at our exhibitions. You saw that the letter drum will adavance automaticaly to stop the left arm at a new letter. The selected stopping point can be seen through a small shrouded window at the left of the drum. Now the crafty bit: the drum can also be advanced by a second motor (black, bottom left at 4.15). This extra motor is part of the Meccano Infra-red control set. The remote handset will just about operate through thin trouser pockets!
Mystic Mec
Let Mystic Mec read your palm! Using her special powers, Mec will choose a letter for you. Perhaps your name, your home, a friend or a glimpse of the future. Who knows?
Mystic Mec is (almost) entirely made from Meccano parts, except for her luscious lips and curly hair. All the electrical parts are built from Meccano, including nineteen limit switches for the various motors.
Most of the motors have been salvaged from old video and cassette recorders. Each has a single belt reduction before minimal gearing or a screwed-rod ram, e.g. the fingers, head-tilt and eyelid mechanisms. Mystic Mec's head is mounted on a built-up roller bearing. Motors for her eyelids and head-tilt are fitted below the neck, working through linkages which pass through the slotted holes of the Circular Plates. A switch on the eyelids will automatically cut power to the eyes' light bulbs when closed.
Under the table, a 32 step sequencer selects each motion in turn. As each limb completes it movement, a limit switch diverts the power back towards the Sequencer, to advance it and begin the next operation. Mec's mouth is connected in parallel with the Sequencer motor. This allows her to 'chatter' between each limb movement, and so avoids any 'dead' time between operations.
The Sequencer is a stand-alone unit, which can be reprogrammed simply by re-arranging the colour-coded leads, which connect to the various motor wires via paperclips on isolated curved Meccano strips. Beneath the curved strips is a device to reverse the polarity of the supply to the motors, when required, to change the direction of travel.
Chris Shute
Wem, Shropshire
Mystec Mec, by the way, is female, inspired by the former UK lottery-predicting lady, Mystic Meg. The model has a modest, breathing bosom, a sort of homage to the 18th Century Automata.
Unfortunately, she was dismantled in 2012 to make way for other projects.
Chris Shute with "Mystic Mec"
Photos by Rob Thompson.
Images and captions from www.nzmeccano.com .
A 32 step sequencer selects each motion in turn. As each limb completes it movement, a limit switch diverts the power back towards the Sequencer, to advance it and complete the next operation. Mec's mouth is connected in parallel with the Sequencer motor. This allows her to 'chatter' between each limb movement, and so avoids any 'dead' time between operations.
The sequencer is a stand-alone unit, which can be re-programmed simply by re-arranging the colour-coded leads, which connect to the various motor wires via paperclips on isolated curved Meccano strips. Beneath the curved strips is a device to reverse the polarity of the supply to the motors, when required, to change the direction of travel.
Detail of Head by Chris Shute. Nice earings!