Creating an Automated Version:
Adjustments to the physical design:
The most important feedback I received about my mechanism is that the prongs I had created had weak points in the top cross beam. This was due to the 90 degree angles that were part of my design. To get rid of these weak points I added a fillet on Fusion so that the corners have soft edges. This also allowed the mechanism to move more freely.
I also added Fillets to the cross plates as well as I found in previous iterations that hard edges would create sticking points when the mechanism moved, and I find the soft edges are more aesthetic.
Finally, in order to fit my servo into the mechanism, I redesigned the base plate after obtaining measurements of the servo. This new design had a rectangular hole for the servo to fit into.
The servo is attatched to the spinning wheel with super glue, and the servo itself is attached via small parts of command strips.
The following link is a video of the mechanism at work!