Mousetrap -- Built by Les Pattison

 
 

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Diver motor

Let's take a tour underneath and at the back of the model to clarify what goes on. We'll start at the motor that causes the 'Diver' to do his gymnastics.
The attached pic shows this motor. Note the microswitch for the 'Single Rotate' device. Also note that this mechanism has no output 'Pulse' since the descending cage trap will provide for this. The pulse to start this motor is provided via a microswitch concealed under the 'See-saw' that I have mentioned before, and is activated by the marble falling down the 'Bath' 'Plughole'.
The output shaft is geared down 2:1 so that the final shaft turns just half a revolution and a cranked linkage is provided that causes the 1" gears to rotate around the toothed segments and consequently the diver does a forward flip. At the end of this movement a screwed rod, that joins the two halves of the parallel gearing, presses down on to a gang of four microswitches that activate the cage trap and will be explained further in the next picture.