Leonardo designed a highly complex apparatus for regulating the energy produced by a spring used for winding a clock. The model consists of a sturdy wooden frame housing a series of mechanisms activated by a spring located inside a broad drum-like cylinder.
This cylinder has a toothed crown at its top, which meshes with a conical gear set on a vertical shaft whose ends consist of two worm screws. The continuous meshing is ensured by the worm screw at the base of the vertical shaft. This worm screw, by moving a toothed wheel that engages with the rack section, drags the horizontal axle to which the cylindrical drum with the internal spring is fixed. As the spring gradually unwinds and the cone-shaped gear descends, the axle with the cylinder moves to the right. The crown on the cylinder engages with the toothed coils of the cone, which, on account of their increasing in width in the upward direction, compensate for the decrease in speed of the crown itself. The rotation transmitted to the vertical pinion to the left of the cone gear is thus maintained at a constant speed.
Technical informations
Type of exhibit
Model
Collection
Material
Carved wood, partially turned, metal
Measures
Width: 87 cm, Length: 89 cm, Depth: 35 cm.
Storage location
Relationship with the original work
Source: Leonardo da Vinci, Madrid Codex I, f. 14 r
Inventory number
Record n. OA: 00000045
Location
Museo Leonardiano, Counts Guidi's castle, ground floor
Digital archive
Last update: 24 June 2025, 08:52