I've been thinking how to do this since Teklektik first used this avatar:
. It's already been done io moving lights using Ladyada's SpokePOV, but I wanted something really simple that would cost nothing to make with stuff I already had, so it took a while.
It'd just take a clear cover, with maybe 1/4" space between it and the actual hub sidecover, and a solid circumferential ring on it's outer circumference spacing it away from the cover and giving a resting place for the "legs" of the hamster.
It's mostly like those clear "eyes" on "pet rocks" and the like.
A really simple version just needs a hamster cutout of cardstock or plastic, and a little set of wheels or tiny ring bearings on teh two legs that are on the "ground", with the toher two just "hovering' above the "ground" (that circumferential ring). As long as the wheels/bearings are low enough friction and ti weighs enough, It'll then stay on the bottom of this setup as the wheel spns. As you accelerate it'll probably climb backwards adn braking will make it climb forwards, but generally it'll look like a hamsster running in a wheel. You can make it less steady by putting extremely tiny bumps or ridges in the "ground" surface, if it doesn't seem to move realistically.
Slightly more realistic would have the two fixed legs instead be loosely pinned to "joints" and be separate cutouts, either one or two piece. As the hamster changes movement a little with changes in inertia or with those little bumps/ridges, it'll tend to swing these two legs back and forth and it'll look more like it's running.
The size of hamster you can put int ehre is basically determined by the radius from the outside of hte axle support of the cover, and the outer rim of the sidecover, or spoke flange of the motor.
It's probably easier to make the clear part as a "tophat" that is held to the sidecover by the bolts, but if you'd rather not unbolt the motor you could make it a little larger diameter and use zipties to hold it to the spokes instead.
If the sidecover isn't smooth, it just needs an inner layer to the tophat.
If you have too much friction and it just spins around with the wheel, then to keep the hamster from getting dizzy, you can add magnets to it and a corresponding magnet to a support sticking out of the fork or stays near enough to it to attract it "downward" more.
To prevent the mtoor from overheating, I wouldn't use this on a setup that gets hot.... besides, you'd need a bigger hamster for those.
. It's already been done io moving lights using Ladyada's SpokePOV, but I wanted something really simple that would cost nothing to make with stuff I already had, so it took a while.
It'd just take a clear cover, with maybe 1/4" space between it and the actual hub sidecover, and a solid circumferential ring on it's outer circumference spacing it away from the cover and giving a resting place for the "legs" of the hamster.
It's mostly like those clear "eyes" on "pet rocks" and the like.
A really simple version just needs a hamster cutout of cardstock or plastic, and a little set of wheels or tiny ring bearings on teh two legs that are on the "ground", with the toher two just "hovering' above the "ground" (that circumferential ring). As long as the wheels/bearings are low enough friction and ti weighs enough, It'll then stay on the bottom of this setup as the wheel spns. As you accelerate it'll probably climb backwards adn braking will make it climb forwards, but generally it'll look like a hamsster running in a wheel. You can make it less steady by putting extremely tiny bumps or ridges in the "ground" surface, if it doesn't seem to move realistically.
Slightly more realistic would have the two fixed legs instead be loosely pinned to "joints" and be separate cutouts, either one or two piece. As the hamster changes movement a little with changes in inertia or with those little bumps/ridges, it'll tend to swing these two legs back and forth and it'll look more like it's running.
The size of hamster you can put int ehre is basically determined by the radius from the outside of hte axle support of the cover, and the outer rim of the sidecover, or spoke flange of the motor.
It's probably easier to make the clear part as a "tophat" that is held to the sidecover by the bolts, but if you'd rather not unbolt the motor you could make it a little larger diameter and use zipties to hold it to the spokes instead.
If the sidecover isn't smooth, it just needs an inner layer to the tophat.
If you have too much friction and it just spins around with the wheel, then to keep the hamster from getting dizzy, you can add magnets to it and a corresponding magnet to a support sticking out of the fork or stays near enough to it to attract it "downward" more.
To prevent the mtoor from overheating, I wouldn't use this on a setup that gets hot.... besides, you'd need a bigger hamster for those.
