Uploaded September 2013 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Driven by electrostatic forces, this LEGO-built mechanism uses a wheel-pendulum oscillator to advance an escape wheel.
Gray LEGO Technic axle-towball bobs slide up over one of eight propeller blades, then drop to engage and advance the propeller by one notch.
Two aluminum balls are mounted 180° apart on a LEGO Technic water wheel, rotating on a plain bearing axle. Each ball is flanked by a pair of brass-ball electrodes—one positively charged, the other negatively—powered by a 16 kV DC supply.
As each aluminum ball nears its corresponding electrode, it acquires the same polarity and is repelled, while simultaneously being attracted to the next oppositely charged electrode. This electrostatic interaction converts potential energy into torque, driving the wheel’s rotation in a repeating cycle.
Explore a playlist of LEGO clock escapements driven by electrostatic attraction and repulsion:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCbYhDNjOviFDr28b6FfLKd3jKW7fMr8j
#legoescapement #ElectrostaticMotor #SimpleHarmonicMotion #LegoClockEscapement #chargedparticles #pendulums #legoclockmechanism
Driven by electrostatic forces, this LEGO-built mechanism uses a wheel-pendulum oscillator to advance an escape wheel.
Gray LEGO Technic axle-towball bobs slide up over one of eight propeller blades, then drop to engage and advance the propeller by one notch.
Two aluminum balls are mounted 180° apart on a LEGO Technic water wheel, rotating on a plain bearing axle. Each ball is flanked by a pair of brass-ball electrodes—one positively charged, the other negatively—powered by a 16 kV DC supply.
As each aluminum ball nears its corresponding electrode, it acquires the same polarity and is repelled, while simultaneously being attracted to the next oppositely charged electrode. This electrostatic interaction converts potential energy into torque, driving the wheel’s rotation in a repeating cycle.
Explore a playlist of LEGO clock escapements driven by electrostatic attraction and repulsion:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCbYhDNjOviFDr28b6FfLKd3jKW7fMr8j
#legoescapement #ElectrostaticMotor #SimpleHarmonicMotion #LegoClockEscapement #chargedparticles #pendulums #legoclockmechanism
