turnitup
No, the stereo won’t break the crystal...Oh CRAP!
I have a few 60s and 70s psychedelic Moiré spinners and lamps, and find it fascinating how they work - very basic in their design and most are designed on the basis of the Moiré principle. Typically they involve the visual interplay between two linear or circular based drawings, when one is moved over the top of the other, it creates an unexpected sense of motion or the creation of new shapes (the referenced URL below provides a good example). For the purposes of a lamp or visual spinner, they are typically drawn or printed on clear or opaque media so that the interplay is visible to the user. A number of manufacturers produced the lamps in the 60s/70s such as Synergy (based in San Francisco), and Radio Shack produced a line in the 90s, and a few defunct others. These involved two circular sleeves - with one or both rotating (one opposite of the other), with a light bulb at the center. Some were powered through convection, and a few were motorized. The spinners, two circular ‘record album’ shaped/sized discs, again opaque or transparent/translucent. The back disc is typically fixed, and the front disc rotates at a slow speed.. A company, oddly named Rabbit Tanaka, made the most recognizable versions of these, late last century.
I wanted to build my own versions for fun, with transparency (old overhead slide material) and a color laser printer. Surprisingly (to me), there don’t seem to be any (or many) downloadable file repositories for this type of an activity. With computer files and color laser printing readily available, I thought this would be a fun/easy project to experiment with. Lots of information on the Moiré principle, but just a few (very basic) files to play with. I’m really not interested in creating my own, since there already seem to be some awesome examples ‘out there’, just wanted to play with what is already available.
Anyone ever dabbled with the Moiré principle (in repetitive motion), or know of where to find printable files for the fun visual effect? While not typically desired in photography (and undesired effect that interferes with clarity), purposeful Moiré is fun to play with. Odd request, I know, but hey - this is AK (scientific minds want to know) - and what better things to play with while enjoying your favorite 60’s and 70’s music!?! Auditory AND visual entertainment!
Here’s some (no longer made) commercial examples for reference:
I wanted to build my own versions for fun, with transparency (old overhead slide material) and a color laser printer. Surprisingly (to me), there don’t seem to be any (or many) downloadable file repositories for this type of an activity. With computer files and color laser printing readily available, I thought this would be a fun/easy project to experiment with. Lots of information on the Moiré principle, but just a few (very basic) files to play with. I’m really not interested in creating my own, since there already seem to be some awesome examples ‘out there’, just wanted to play with what is already available.
Anyone ever dabbled with the Moiré principle (in repetitive motion), or know of where to find printable files for the fun visual effect? While not typically desired in photography (and undesired effect that interferes with clarity), purposeful Moiré is fun to play with. Odd request, I know, but hey - this is AK (scientific minds want to know) - and what better things to play with while enjoying your favorite 60’s and 70’s music!?! Auditory AND visual entertainment!
Here’s some (no longer made) commercial examples for reference:
Last edited:
