Labels:text | letter | sketch | handwriting OCR: Volute Gear for a Barrel Spring ca. 1498-1500, pen and ink 11 34 x 8 5/8 in. (29.9 x 22 cm) Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional (Codex Madrid I, MS 8937, 45r) To remain accurate, the Renaissance clock depended on the even release of a barrel spring, but its power discharged in amounts that differed from the start of the spring's unwinding to the end. In this meticulous rendering, Leonardo demonstrates a regulating mechanism in which the spring is linked to a volute gear intended to equalize the force of the spring's release. Compact and potent, Leonardo's invention is a brilliant representation of the transmission of power.
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