Great wheel driving a lantern pinion with a counterweight
As wheel f turns, counterweight M stays below and pinion b keeps wheel n turning
The sheet works out a gear train centred on a large toothed wheel f meshing with a lantern-pinion b, together with flywheels, cranks and drums drawn across the page. Leonardo notes that as the great wheel f turns, the counterweight M always hangs below, so the lantern-pinion b keeps rotating and the wheel n turns upon itself. A short row of numbers (12, 24, 4, 4, 59) is set beside a lower figure, apparently tooth or ratio counts. Several further mechanisms are drawn without accompanying transcribed text.
On this page
Great wheel f, lantern-pinion b and wheel n
In the turning of the large wheel f the counterweight M always stays below, so the lantern-pinion (roca) b keeps turning around, and through it the wheel n turns upon itself. The note describes the continuous drive of the geared assembly at the left.
Numbered counts beside the lower figure
A row of figures (12, 24, 4, 4, 59) is written by a lower mechanism, evidently tooth or wheel counts for the gearing. They record the numbers governing the drive laid out above.
Further flywheel and crank mechanisms
The lower and right portions of the sheet carry additional mechanisms with flywheels, cranks and connecting rods that convert continuous rotation into other motions. These are drawn without accompanying transcribed notes.