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View Full Version : Time for some fun: marble machine


Cary Swoveland
05-01-2007, 1:04 AM
Here are pics of a kinetic toy I made for grandson #2, who was three at the time.

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It was a really fun project. I literally designed it as I built it. It went together very quickly. You can see there's nothing fancy about it. I didn't even bother to hide blemishes or sand it very much--just slapped on some Watco oil when I finished.

The marbles are 3/4" ball bearings. They are lifted with a sliding magnet.

Rather than trying to explain how it works, I just uploaded a short video to YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpruzgIJovA

If the video continued, it would show that the next ball takes a different path after leaving the horizontal spinner. In the pics above you can see there is a switch that, every other time, directs the ball inward, where it eventually rolls down a chime before reaching the bottom.

I hope if any others have built kinetic toys, they might post pics to this thread.

Yes, Markus loved it. So did all his friends. So did Markus' parents. So did all their friends. So did all my friends.

Cary
Grant Wilkinson
05-01-2007, 5:46 AM
Days like yesterday, I could really use one of these at the office. It would likely be the most productive thing that I did all day.

Great fun stuff, Carey.
Kyle Kraft
05-01-2007, 7:09 AM
Cary,

That is way cool!!! I always enjoy the kinetic motion machines you some times see at the antique tractor shows too. Similar to your marble machine only they are run by a hit-and-miss engine or a small steam engine.
Jim Becker
05-01-2007, 8:54 AM
Ya got to love a project that you actually have to think about intensely to make it work! Wow! Nice job, Cary.
Larry Fox
05-01-2007, 9:07 AM
That is VERY, VERY cool. I have always loved those things. There used to be a big one in the Philadelphia airport. I used to stare at it for what seemed like hours.
Rich Torino
05-01-2007, 9:18 AM
way way cool....
Lou Morrissette
05-01-2007, 9:23 AM
Cary,
These things always facinate me. Great job. Thanks for the video.

Lou
Todd Jensen
05-01-2007, 11:30 AM
Cary, thats amazing. Very nice work and very inspiring, though I don't know if I can quite wrap my head around creating one. Neat stuff, and thanks for the video and pics.
Dan Cameron
05-01-2007, 12:15 PM
From one marblehead to another---

Dan
Cary Swoveland
05-01-2007, 12:32 PM
That's very cool, Dan. Can you explain its operation, and do you have any pics from other angles (e.g., overhead)? For example, what is the function of those gears?

Cary
Dan Cameron
05-01-2007, 6:43 PM
I have some other pics, but I am out of town for a few days.