One of the best things about doing a crowd sourced project is learning from the backers. Many of them have sent me links to other drawing machines and art projects. I'm including them here for easy reference.
The Cycloid Drawing Machine is very different than the art in most of these links. Its closest antecedent is the engine turning lathe which was used to defeat counterfeiters. One thing all these machines have in common though is the beautiful patterns that you can make with them.
Cybernetic Serendipity
The first show devoted to computer art and music. It was held in London and Washington, D.C. in 1969. There was a great catalog accompanying the show.
http://cyberneticserendipity.net
Alfred Hoehn
Alfred Hoehn is an artist, architect, and author from Switzerland. He has designed and built many large scale harmonograph based drawing machines. His machines excel in creating marvelously complex drawings from simple motions. They are beautiful studies in motion.
http://www.alfredhoehn.ch/index.htm
https://www.youtube.com/user/alfredhoehn/videos
Engine Turning Lathe for Security Patterns on Currency
This video features 3 machines in operation. The second machine is closest to our Cycloid Drawing Machine. This appears at 2 minutes. So many cool gears and patterns!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJv0KpuDR1g
compArt daDA: the database Digital Art
"The compArt database Digital Art (daDA) is a growing repository on digital art. It currently focusses on five top categories: people (in their roles as artists, authors, gallerists, etc.), works, events, publications, and institutions."
http://dada.compart-bremen.de/main/about
Lloyd Sumner created harmonograph-like patterns on pen plotters using computers. He explored a range of other patterns as well. He was the first computer artist to have a monograph published of his work. I have a copy and it is a wonderful little book.
http://www.historyofinformation.com/expanded.php?id=3708
http://dada.compart-bremen.de/item/agent/220
Gary Warner 3 Pendulum Harmonograph
A beautiful tool creating remarkable drawings
Wayne Schmidt's Harmonograph Page
An extensive page demonstrating a range of variations on harmonographs
http://waynesthisandthat.com/harmonographs.html
White Heat Cold Logic: British Computer Art 1960 - 1980
(Leonardo Book Series) Hardcover – January 16, 2009 by Paul Brown (Editor), Charlie Gere (Editor), Nicholas Lambert (Editor), Catherine Mason (Editor)
A bit academic, too many words and not enough pictures, but it has many great articles on early artists.
Weapons Turned to Beauty
Two artists used surplus analog computers following World War iI. These were mechanical computers developed to compensate for wind, altitude, and drift when dropping bombs. I had known about Desmond Paul Henry from his piece in "Cybernetic Serendiptiy" but I just learned of the work of John Whitney, Sr. from a backer. Both artists, one working in England and the other in California, recognized the potential of these complicated mechanical computers. The analog computer was a tool each used to go in their own direction.
http://dada.compart-bremen.de/item/agent/320
http://dada.compart-bremen.de/item/agent/403
An artist who has built a massive rotary harmonograph capable of beautiful drawings. The Iron Genie is a work of art in itself. Here is a direct link to that brilliant machine:
http://www.anitachowdry.com/iron-genie/4581902678