Vulcan Spring’s Constant Torque Spring Gives the First Talking GI Joe a Voice

Vulcan Spring, a leading producer of various types of flat steel springs, played a significant role in the history of one of America’s most iconic toys – the GI Joe. Before the widespread use of low-cost motors and batteries, children’s toys were often powered by a spring, bringing life and animation to our beloved toys. In this blog post, we delve into how Vulcan Spring’s Constant Torque Spring was instrumental in giving a voice to the first talking GI Joe action figure.

 

The Constant Torque Spring: An Overview

A Constant Torque Spring is a strip of steel that is manufactured with a natural curvature in one direction. The spring is fitted onto a storage drum, with the outer end attached to an output drum. When the output drum is rotated, the spring is pre-loaded by wrapping the spring in the opposite direction from its natural curvature. On release, the spring returns to the storage drum, imparting torque on the output drum.

 

Springs in Action: The GI Joe Example

One of Vulcan Spring’s early projects involved powering the audio recording inside a special version of GI Joe, an iconic American toy with a history as an action figure, TV show, and comic book series. To understand how an action figure can be powered by a Constant Torque Spring, we examined a toy model similar to GI Joe.

Inside the action figure’s chest, we find the storage drum and output drum. A pull cord is used to pre-load the spring. Releasing the cord releases the spring; in a functional model, this energy creates the motion required to power the audio recording.

 

The Versatility of Springs in Toys

The torque from a Constant Torque Spring or Power Spring can be converted into all kinds of motion in a toy – from spinning the wheels on a car, rotating dials, to retracting a pull cord. Other spring types can be used to achieve other types of motion, like resetting a button or a lever.

 

Conclusion

In a world dominated by batteries and motors, it’s fascinating to look back at the simple yet powerful mechanics of springs in powering our favorite childhood toys. Thanks for joining us on this journey into the mechanics of play!

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