A fully functional mechanical Babage Difference Engine style calculator made from LEGO Techic. It can compute tables of answers to 3 digits by turning a hand crank
About this creation
I have built a working 3 digit Babbage style Difference Engine, in effect a mechanical calculator/computer made from LEGO Technic parts. It has over 200 gears, 24 shock absorbers, and thousands of other pieces.
Details including more photographs and theory of operation at:
http://acarol.woz.org
It can evaluate any polynomial of the form aX^2 + bX + c, for x = 1, 2, 3, etc. Calculations are up to three digits. For example, the normal "test" polynomial I use is X^2. The machine will output: 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81, 100, 121, etc.
I am considering adding another digit column for four digit answers and adding another difference level so that it can evaluate cubic (X^3) equations. This would require doubling the number of rotor adders from four to eight.
It stands about 18 inches tall and is about 25 inches wide. It takes a bit over 100 turns of the hand crank to compute an answer. That's about one answer every 40 seconds.
Comments
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I like your creation and I am a big fan of Charles Babbage but is this machine not the analitycal engine? anyway I love your creation and I'm building my own lego computer as well but mine works with binary code and and-gates.it is only a lot of work I have only 4 and-gates finished and I need over 50 of them. |
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September 7, 2010 |
Spectacular. |
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I like it |
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April 23, 2009 |
i learnt this thing last year and i know i would a calculator like this to calculate the x's instead of writing it all down |
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I like it |
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February 12, 2009 |
holy moly.....that is amazing
YOU ARE GENIOUS...I WISH I WAS SMART |
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I like it |
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January 12, 2009 |
O.o AMAZING!!! |
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I like it |
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November 4, 2008 |
That is awesome. It would be neat to see a video of it in action... BTW you lost me in the middle of the formulas... no wait...can you word that formula differently? I think I got it...anyway, this is awesome, I'll add it to my favorites. |
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hmmmmmmmmmm ive seen this on google did u get it from it? |
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I like it |
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June 24, 2008 |
You guys are a bunch of NERDS 8-P!! but it is c0o0o0l! |
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I like it |
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June 24, 2008 |
You guys are a bunch of NERDS 8-P!! butt it is c0o0o0l! |
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I like it |
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May 5, 2008 |
dude you are amazing!! this is so awesome how in the world did u make this? how long did it take? have you put it on Youtube? if not u need to!! you have to be the smartest mastermind ever |
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I like it |
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May 5, 2008 |
so,its possible to build a calculator out of lego!?!?!?!? *gasp* i thought that would only happen when pigs fly!!! |
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I like it |
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May 5, 2008 |
This, my friend, is nothing but sheer mechanical genius applied. |
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I like it |
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May 5, 2008 |
I think you just won the Lego Peace Prize for genius-ness. |
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I like it |
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May 5, 2008 |
how is it possible for that to evan work, I mean the gears would have to be able to have different out comes depending on what happened before it and what makes the gears move AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH:P
Sorry about that its really great it just does not seem possible. |
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I like it |
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May 5, 2008 |
Wow! Moc of the day well deserved! I cannot beleive a mechanical machine made of Lego, can calculate sums without any electric components. Oh yeah, how's all that for gee- ahem, scientific lanuage.... |
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I like it |
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May 5, 2008 |
Do you think it can tutor me? |
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I like it |
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May 5, 2008 |
best calculator ever!!!!!!! |
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I like it |
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April 25, 2008 |
Excellent job! Superb engineering! |
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I like it |
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April 20, 2008 |
I WOULD!!!! man, this is incredible. ............ i simply cant say anything to show how impressed i am. this should moc of the YEAR!!! plz review my city and let me know what to add before i post the updated version |
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I like it |
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March 25, 2008 |
mind if I borrow it for my Algebra I quiz next week? Lets just say I never was very good at factoring to solve quadratics... |
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I like it |
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February 25, 2008 |
By Hendrix... that's awesome. I didn't even know it was possible. |
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I like it |
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September 16, 2007 |
HOLY HAND GRENADE !!!!!! AMAZING |
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I like it |
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August 12, 2007 |
you have way too much time on your hands... |
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I like it |
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June 14, 2007 |
*drools, falls on floor* "aX^2 + bX + c, for x = 1,2,3"??????? I really don't get it but it sounds cool:)
p.s. math isn't my best subject (social studies) |
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I like it |
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June 14, 2007 |
Wow. You can really work out math with that thing? Must come in handy with homework :-) |
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I like it |
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June 14, 2007 |
Put simply, you've done a very good job with this creation.
Legos aren't just for playing, they can be used as an easy means to create something that someone can use. I think you've pushed the envelope with the way these simple building blocks can be used.
I'm really, really impressed. Good job! |
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I like it |
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June 14, 2007 |
This is mad genius, like that working gatling gun. Good MOC of the day. |
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I like it |
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January 29, 2006 |
Very impressive. The amount of planning this project must have required is mind-boggling. But will the teacher let you use it during a math test? |
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