Further adventure with the grumpy eagle mechanism. As I’m sure you remember, I’m designing an automata where this surly looking eagle looks back and forth whilst fluttering his wings – there’s more details here.

I already had a working first draft of the mechanism. Time to fit it into a box. Or rather, time to fit a box round it.

I put together this cover. the orange bit holds the bottom end of the vertical shaft in position.

In the next version I’ll be increasing the throw of the crank, you can just make out the crank through the vertical slot to the right of the blue piece. I’ll also add a second linkage from the bottom of the yoke, (drawn in on this picture) it should help stop vertical shaft being pushed over.

The cover wraps over the mechanism and is glued down as shown. The eagle head will fit on top of the vertical shaft. I’ll need a second hole in the box top and a cam to drive the wings, they’ll be in the next draft.

The end covers are cut away so that the mechanism is still visible from the ends of the box. Can’t keep the mechanism hidden away – that would be sacrilege!