OF
A DROPPING-WEIGHT-MOVER;
Or Machine for lengthening the Time of going of a Clock, Jack, or other Weight-Machine.
Suppose A B ([plate 12], [fig. 4]) to be the first wheel of a Clock or other Machine required to go a long time without winding up. This wheel works into the two pinions c d, both of which are connected by ratchets with the axis E F of the wheel G H, in one direction only; insomuch that whether the wheel A B turn forward or backward, the wheel G H will always turn the same way. This process is well known in the mechanical world; and I have merely adapted it to my present invention. F and G are two tubes, or square vessels, of equal size, containing a number of balls—the tubes so balanced against each other, that one of them is always heaviest by the weight of half a ball. Suppose for example that the tube F contains six balls and the tube G five; and that the tube G is so much heavier than F as only to be outweighed by half a ball: That half will then be the moving power; and the vessel F will turn the wheel A B backward, raising the tube G at the same time. But arriving at the bottom the mechanism m will let go the lowest ball in F, and then the tube G which is at the top will preponderate and turn the clock till it also gets to the bottom; when a similar mechanism at n, will disengage one ball from it, by which subtraction the tube F will resume the ascendency and perpetuate the motion. Thus may the going of any clock, jack, &c. be protracted to a period almost indefinite. Nor need it, strictly speaking, be wound up at all. It is only taking care to drop at proper intervals, an equal number of balls into each tube, and this reciprocation of movement will become perpetual. The figure of this little Machine is unfortunately small: and the scapement is but imperfectly shewn; It has however, only one property that it is essential to notice; which is that the detent o, shall suffer the cross m to turn only one quarter round at each discharge: and this is insured by the spiral ledge of the four ratchet teeth m, which by a pin fixed to the side of the detent, draw the latter down into the succeeding tooth as soon as the tube F begins to rise, so that there is only one ball discharged at each descent of that tube.