Build a Lego Spirograph

Do you remember playing with the Spirograph as a kid? You know, the funny gear cogs you used with a pen to create endless drawings of mesmerizing quality?

Well this pretty little bot accomplishes virtually the same thing, and it's really not that hard to build. If you are a Lego fan of any variety, you will probably have all the pieces you need. The one exception may be the electric motor (Power Functions) and the "Turntable" which are slightly more rare parts.

Practical Uses:
> Entertainment (both building and watching!)
> Decoration (hand-made cards, wall decor, etc

• Pen that flows easily (gel, thin felt, etc) or a pencil for sketches
• Paper
• Scissors
• Lego Components (I can't go into too much detail but here is the summary)
  • Power Functions motor and battery box
  • Technic Turntable
  • Beams, axels, and pins of various sizes
  • 6 Technic wheels for feet
  • Several Lego Technic Gears as well as toothed gears

Remove the cap from your pen, place it on the page, and start your engines!

Watch it work, and soon you will have a beautiful art piece to use as you please.

Other Ideas:

> You can change what gears you use to change the speed of the arms and base, and thus you will alter the shape of your spirographic drawing. If the arms move faster, there will be more circles drawn closer together as the base spins the same.

> You can change the size of the circles drawn by the arms by moving the point of rotation further from the axis.

The Spirographer can be modified to create more interesting designs using a pantograph for arms.

Note, I also switched the technic gears inside the gear box so the 2 axis rotate opposite directions.

Video coming soon!