The Most Useless Machine EVER!

And yet everyone wants one!!!?

AKA:  The Ultimate Machine!

Get Your Parts Kits and Machines: FrivolousEngineering.com

Update Oct 31, 2012:

Now Available At the Maker Shed

"Weird Al" Yankovic Sez:  "I never realized till now how much I needed one of these."

AS SEEN ON TV!  Make Magazine's amiable editor-in-chief, Mark Frauenfelder demonstrated The Useless Machine on the Colbert Report!

Useless Machine Featured in Vol 23 of Make Magazine!

Thanks everyone for all the cool comments, suggestions and all the videos! Keep 'em coming.

Step 1: Background

Also known as The Ultimate Machine: Claude E. Shannon built the first one based on an idea by Marvin Minsky.

After seeing a video of such a machine I just had to have one of my own.

The only design I could find uses a PIC microcontroller but I consider this to be overkill (not knowing how to write code for micros may have had some influence on my humble opinion...).

Additionally, the microcontroller version really doesn't shut itself off. It's circuit remains powered even when the switch is in the off position.

Knowing a little bit about servos and basic electronics, I felt sure that I could build the machine using a simple analog circuit.

My main goal however was to have the machine REALLY turn itself off.

The machine in THIS instructable accomplishes that!

Comments

[lukeyj15]

I found something similar. Make sure you watch until the end.

[evilmadcow]

get the sledgehammer

[mariome101]

it's the useless-inator... i thought doofenshmirtz gave up.
ah well...

[Chimex14]

LOLOLOLOL

[eatramen]

haha saw this a couple months ago, still funny!

[NE patsrock]

dude this thing is sico!!!

[theawesomeninja]

RAGE!!!!!!

[exotictoad]

nice video

[flydogfly]

I saw this video two days ago, and made one yesterday using Lego Mindstorm, and saw this instructable today

[Funky Mcgroovy]

The exorcist meets the most useless machine ever. lol

Thanks for the nightmare :)

[alarson3]

lol

[ben_k]

Here's my third machine. I added an LED array to the circuit, so it leaks red light when it opens:



Also, I made the wiring extremely neat and tidy:

[Frivolous Engineering]

Excellent work!

[Meuryn]

Just a question about the wiring diagram, where the lead from the microswitch crosses over the lead from the the servo there's that 'bump' symbol. Is that just there to tell you the wires cross over or do I need to make a junction between the two wires or something different? Sorry, relatively new to all this.

[mrmerino]

Protip: the actual symbols for different things will vary according to who created the diagram, but basically, whenever you see that bump over the wire like up there, you can always assume that those wires don't connect.

[Frivolous Engineering]

It means the the wires are NOT connected, one just passes over-top of the other wire!

[killimaxos]

(removed by author or community request)

[Meuryn]

Good, thankfully I did wire it the right way anyhow.

[aaron.t.albright]

my microswitch is not shutting off the circuit! ive tried three of them...any suggestions?

[Frivolous Engineering]

Are you using the N and NC pins? Double check your wiring.

[venom1539]

I don't know why but I'm starting to get the feeling that this machine is useless

[koduor]

wonderful,beatiful, useless,stupendous,...lol.inventing is fun .even if its done for the sake of inventing

[AngryRedhead]

You should add a video Instructable of the dueling useless machines!  I didn't even notice it until I checked back on this Instructable for no particular reason.

[jonnyman888]

Hey, i was wondering how i modified the wiring for the servo? I'm using this servo: http://www.oomlout.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=235 Do i just need to cut the white wire or what? Thanks a lot :)

[Frivolous Engineering]

Here's how: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-modify-a-servo-motor-for-continuous-rotatio/

That servo should work, and you'll only need to mod the wiring.

[jonnyman888]

Thanks :P

[Beatle4]

Those look great. Reminds me of a bank my younger brother had back in the 60's. It was a black box with a slot on top. You put a coin in the slot and a small green hand came out of the box and took the coin. It was called "The Thing Bank". It was a gimmick built around The Addams Family tv show.

[pye2011]

Can I buy one without having to put it together (not a kit) ?
Pye

[Green Silver]

I wonder if someone will build the Most useful machine ever?

[icelandinthesun]

This is the most amazing thing i have ever seen. Thank you so much!

[Frivolous Engineering]

thanks!

[andybuda]

LOVE HOW THIS WORKS.
would it be possable to have an object spinning/sliding on a threaded bar....
leds would look cool if they did... also could think about electro magnets if it could throw a bolt on threaded bar then flicking a switch to reverse... food for thought

[nsternova]

Hi, is there a way to make a box similar to this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UmQ5LsNMXZ4
But, instead of having it run away after "annoying" it for too many times, have it whack the person on the finger?
I'm thinking of some "mouse trap" like device.
I want some surprise pain for people who won't leave the box alone :D

[Frivolous Engineering]

First, I have to say that I really liked this one.   Useless Machines are so cute when they're babies, but look at what they can grow into!

As for adding pain inflicting upgrades to the machine, I'll have to take the 5th on that one.  One of my last comments was harping about being careful and safe makers...

[Suziob1]

This may be too difficult, but is there a way that you could incorporate a small speaker attached to some device that held a soundbit, that when you flipped the switch, it would play?

(I'm thinking of something like a gruff voice yelling hey!)

[rathmiron]

i'm not really in technical stuff like this, but wouldn't the 'mousetrap' thing be possible by adding a secondary device that would only work if the first was pushed x times in an x amount of time?

[Frivolous Engineering]

One of those recordable greeting cards should do the trick.

[Suziob1]

So simple! Thanks!

[nromano2]

I wired everything just like in the diagram however when the toggle switch in one direction spins the motor and the lever switch stops it (as it should) however the toggle switch in the other direction does nothing any idea on what I am doing wrong?

[Frivolous Engineering]

Double-check your wiring. Sounds like you have the micro-switch wired wrong: are the wires going to the NC and C pins?