Adam Savage Assembles a Working 3D-Printed Mechanical Counter!

Let's wrap this week up with a fun 3D-printer project: the assembly of working mechanical segment counter. Adam is blown away by the design and elegance of this analog mechanical device, complete with printed countersunk screws and support-free parts. It's a testament to quality and tolerance of 3D printed parts you can get from modern machines as well as the ingenuity and generosity of designers who share their work for the community to print!

Shot by Adam Savage and edited by Norman Chan
Music by Jinglepunks

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Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman

Thanks for watching!

#3dprinting #adamsavage

[Flower-D]

Hey Adam! Love the video. I'm honored you liked my design and even made a video about it. It means a lot because I grew up watching you on MythBusters and then more recently, your YouTube content. Thank you!

p.s. it looks like your links are to v2, but you printed v3

[HadenMadderly]

Gotta love the cosmos for shoving every conceivable audible interruption into a video about a visual display.

[tabbek]

There's a whole generation that now has that 1-12 jingle hauled up from long tucked away childhood memories and stuck in our heads for the day.

[theangrymarmot]

I started out in the 90s running CNC machines, and CNC punch machines for a couple companies. I always wondered if in my lifetime humanity would ever see anything quite like the "replicators" in Star-Trek. It always seemed far away - like flying cars. Fast forward to around 2010/2011 - and I bought my first 3D printer (a PrintrBot kit.) I assembled it, and made my first 3D print. It felt like I was witnessing Star-Trek. Fast forward to current - I own several 3D printers (2 large FDM and 2 large Resin) and it still feels like I am living in the future when I use them. The progression of additive manufacturing from sci-fi, to industrial big dollar, to consumer machines that cost a quarter of what a cell phones in as short as time as it has is still amazing to me.

[TheToliverProject]

As a 42 year old human, who often believes I have life figured out, I find that I am often surprised with new interests from Adam Savage. I have learned to see the beauty in the mundane and to appreciate the engineering that goes into the everyday things we take for granted. Adam is truly an inspiration for those who seek a deeper understanding of the “simple” objects that we interact with. I never have expected to be fascinated with a topic such as this, but here I am, watching this late on a Friday night and I can’t wait to print my own mechanical counter!

[Freelancer]

After the first two minutes I had to pause the video because all the sounds and your reaction to them was such a level of comedy... can't remember the last time I laughed that hard. I'm crying

[mfxr]

In spite of your knowledge, you are always still willing to learn.
I love how you approach this kind of thing like a bright eyed child, seeing something for the first time.

[NthDegree]

I printed this out for my kid a few months ago when it was first released. He loves numbers and numeric displays, and he was so excited to help me put it together - "I think you need this part next!" Such a cool little gadget.

[RandomToon]

Thank you for completing the song to "11, 12". My OCD would not have been satisfied otherwise.

[ArcticWind]

I absolutely loved how he was talking being unable get realtime information and he got interrupted by his phone and the doorbell.

[valeriebrincheck]

I have a small hand counter that I use when I crochet that helps keep track of rows or stitches as I work. It works just like that does and now I have severe need to find the extra one I have and take it apart to see how it works. Thanks for stimulating my curiosity, Adam. Keep making us think.

[rickgreer]

Watching adam put together something I actually have on my desk is wild...

[Ladco]

I love the old electrical and mechanical solutions we had prior to being able to do so much electronically. I still wear a wind up mechanical watch because I love the fact that it's just a spring and gears that tell time surprisingly accurately. In addition to the mechanical display digits, I'm also a huge fan of early Nixie displays. Anything like that before LED and LCD displays were around.

[hanslain]

I feel like when you design something and Adam builds it and gets that little kid vibe that he's excited about it... That's got to be pretty damn satisfying.

[Barbasnoo]

It is incredible to me (but also not surprising), just how adept Adam has become in regards to the technical aspects of 3D printing in such a relatively short amount of time. It truly is an example of how vast experience in various fields can accelerate one’s understanding of a new field. This is so cool to see.

[Vcna.]

All the noises though out the video is perfection 😂

[ivangutowski]

I just had an amazing thought... print the outside with transparent filament !! An incredible gift for a engineering minded young kid

[pbft.j]

I'm not sure if you read comments but I really appreciate that you've covered 3D printing. I'm so glad you love it also. I have been 3D printing and designing for about 3 years now but learning through modern machines with free software and everything. I'm just happy that you showcase these inventions. I browse what to 3D print far more often than I print myself. But this has been on the top of the list for far too many weeks.

Very glad that you've really embraced the culture as well. I think many people would love these designs.

[MrDonXX]

I have to say I loved the comedy of all the interruption. Thanks for the links to the files great video

[ericstoever]

The sound of the train board at Grand Central. Such memories! Thank you Adam for bringing a favorite aural memory to me!