ThinkFun Paddle Wheel

thingiverse

This is based on the large wheel from the ThinkFun construction set, in fact the only difference is that this one has 8 slots where card or plastic can be inserted (see pics). You could use one wheel to create a paddle, a water wheel or wind power a project. If you prefer to use larger bits of card you could also use two wheels in combination (see pics). If you want to use the project in water (either as propulsion or to harness water as a power source) you could use plastic (e.g. strips cut from a PET soda bottle). My test print worked well but I found that very thin card or paper was loose, this was easily fixed by folding a little bit of the card to be inserted to get a solid grip. Print Settings Rafts: Doesn't Matter Supports: Doesn't Matter Resolution: 0.35mm layer, 0.5mm nozzle Infill: 20% Post-Printing The slots were a little tight near the rim on my print but this was easily fixed by pulling some fine grain sand paper through them. How I Designed This I started with the large wheel file from one of the kits and I created a model in sketch up with paddles added so I could see how it would look/work. Originally I had planned to have 6 slots but after seeing it I decided on 8 because then there is the option to only use 4 and still have a fairly full set. After I was happy (it took 4 design iterations) I did a single test print that worked pretty much as intended first time. Well worth while playing with the model in sketch up first.