Have you ever seen a video where a ball starts rolling down a pipe, hits a fan, which then turns a lever? Then the lever turns the pipe, and water begins to pour into a glass. This is an example of a compound machine. A compound machine is a machine that is built by joining two or more simple machines. The simple machines in the previous example are the ball, the fan, and the lever. Each of them has their own role to perform in a machine. Making complex machines is not very difficult and is a great way to spend your time on creative activity.
Designing and building a machine simply starts with your imagination. You can think of any simple task and make it the goal for your machine to accomplish. The task can be as simple as launching a paper airplane or more complicated, such as opening an automatic door. The real challenge is not how complex the target is, but how elegant the machine will be. Building and planning the machine will take up most of your time and effort. Each individual component has to be precise in measurement, timing and flow. All it takes is one little flaw to mess everything up.
The manufacture of complex machines does not require a specialized workshop. The tools needed to create your compound machines can be found around your house. The old tennis ball from your tennis days, the broken fan in the attic, junk and trash can all be used to build a compound machine. You do not need to buy any new material. It is up to your imagination how you can use these normal household items in your compound machine project.
Once you have prepared all the plans and materials, the next step is construction. You’ll start setting up the parts one by one and testing them to make sure they turn out the way you want. This part requires a lot of trial and error where you have to try each part and see how it reacts with each other. If one of the parts is not working very well, you will need to replace it or do some adjustments. Replacing a part shouldn’t stop your project! Your main goal should be to make the building process as interesting as possible. In fact, setbacks can make you find more interesting solutions.
Continue your build process step by step. When the whole machine is complete, you will be really proud of yourself. Seeing your compound machine running flawlessly is one of those feelings that is worth all the sweat and hard work you’ve put into it. Having your friends admiring your work is even more enjoyable!
If you are not sure what type of compound machines you can make, you can always check the websites for inspiration. There are users who have uploaded videos showing how their compound machines work and the materials they used. There are compound machine projects for both hobbyists and professionals with guidelines you can download and build on your own.
