As I progress toward building a unique clock, it occurred to me that the "rodless" cycloid pendulum I had previously built could have supports of virtually any length. What has come of it is a very interesting inverted pendulum which I will be testing over the Thanksgiving holiday to see how isochronous it is. The bob still follows a cycloid path, and will have a (roughly) 1.2sec period. The supports however, require a different treatment to make them isochronous at that period, considered alone, without the bob. That is an upcoming experiment.
This hardware is simple breadboard stuff, using segments of a 6.75" diameter bearing race, which will eventually all be replaced by jewel shoes among other exotic materials. I plan to build 6 clocks, one for each of the artisans that contribute to the case, the faces and the machine work. I will plan on 2-3 to sell at some point. This whole project will be years in the making, as I will be designing a completely mechanical movement that I hope will be as unique as the pendulum itself.
This is a very satisfying engineering exercise!
