This page presents a demo of a planetary gear train using current Meccano parts.
The mechanism is intended to demonstrate how planetary gear trains work. It is
not intended to be suitable for building into a model; this would require
considerable modification (at the very least shortening the 3-flat Axle Rods
to appropriate lengths) if not a complete re-design.
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Click on the images to view larger versions.
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These are the parts used for one stage. The little white rings are nylon washers
from the DIY store (Home Depot); all other parts are Meccano parts. The Axle Rods
are all of the 3-flat variety. I've chosen the colours in an effort to make the
parts visually distinguishable in the assembled mechanism. The small purple part
is a #144c. Using the layout as a guide, assemble the parts into...
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...two sub-assemblies. The input shaft is the Axle Rod through the blue wheel;
the output shaft is the centre Axle Rod of the three in the sub-assembly at the
right. All that remains to do is to bring the two sub-assemblies together by
centering the orange sun gear between the two black planet gears.
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If sufficient parts are available, a second stage can be built in the same
manner. Here the input shaft has been removed from the first stage. The grey
wheel to the left of it will be used in the final photo to support the
whole assembly.
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This is the complete two-stage gear train. To play with it, hold it in one
hand by the blue and green wheels (so that they remain stationary) and rotate
the input shaft (bottom-most Axle Rod) with the other. Experiment by varying
which shafts are held still and which are allowed to rotate (this is easier
using only one stage).
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