Wave Motion Machine (Blue, 12 Inch with Orcas)

The first time I saw one of these was on the "In Treatment" series where the Gabriel Byrne character had one in his office, that was shown in closeup during the show's credits. That one was the Smithsonian model, which isn't available anymore, but this one is the same idea and similar enough to not matter. It works with two equal amounts of liquid, one blue with a high specific gravity and a clear liquid with a much lower one, so the blue liquid will always be on the bottom of the reservoir. There is a pivot near the middle (but not exactly in the middle; it won't work if you mount it the wrong way). The base has a small motor that drives a double-ended, highly eccentric cam that raises and lowers a lever on its own pivot, and a raised portion on the end of this lever pushes the reservoir up, and when it lowers, the reservoir tilts the other way as that side is heavier due to the off-center mounting. It's a clever mechanism. However, manufacturing tolerances are not great, and I noticed a clicking or grinding sound as one cam eccentric dragged across the underside of the lever. There's no lubrication; the parts are smooth plastic, but apparently not smooth enough. I stuck a piece of scotch tape to the underside of the lever, which gave it a smoother surface and got rid of the sound, which had been caused by small irregularities on the tip of the cam eccentric or the lever. This isn't a watch; manufacturing tolerances are going to be "good enough," not perfect, but the tape did the trick as it's now silent. It's relaxing to watch as the liquid sloshes back and forth and creates the impression of waves, or the ebb and flow of human emotion, which was the point of "in Treatment."

I had an electric wave machine years ago that was limited to where I could place it. I love this smaller, yet beautiful replacement. I love and miss the ocean. This little beauty allows me to just mellow out and enjoy watching the rolling waves. Very relaxing and hypnotic. I love it!

No instructions are included. Battery compartment doesn't hold battery well, the battery pops out the bottom and is very hard to insert correctly. The tab that connects the display to the tilt was poorly glued and snapped off as I took it out of the box. Once I reglued it and put it in place, it is pretty, but it was more hassle then I was expecting.

Do not buy

Looks great, works well, as big as described (12 inches wide), overall good!

Just what I wanted!! Only deducted one star because it squeaks but otherwise it’s perfect!

Your great

Ordered 2 one of which had a defective motor. Otherwise would have rated higher.

Movido a bateria tipo C