I'm considering building this amazing piece of lego engineering, but (apart from a bunch of parts I have to buy), I don't have any lego balls.

I was wondering if anyone knows a cheap alternative to the lego balls that work with this model?

I'm considering building this amazing piece of lego engineering, but (apart from a bunch of parts I have to buy), I don't have any lego balls.

I was wondering if anyone knows a cheap alternative to the lego balls that work with this model?

You can try 14mm beads from ebay. They are cheap. I did a comparison of them: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=86686

I can't speak for the eBay plastic beads, but I bought some 14mm wooden beads from Amazom and they did not work. There is a spot on the return conveyor where the clearance is really close and they always jammed. They were slightly too large. I ended up paying the money for real Lego balls.

I can't speak for the eBay plastic beads, but I bought some 14mm wooden beads from Amazom and they did not work. There is a spot on the return conveyor where the clearance is really close and they always jammed. They were slightly too large. I ended up paying the money for real Lego balls.

That's something what I'm afraid of when buying some other kind of 14mm balls, that they don't fit or work properly somewhere in the machine.

But those Lego balls are annoyingly expensive.

I think that's a chance you'll have to take or convince someone else to try it first. I paid $5 USD plus free shipping for 100 plastic beads from China. There was a size difference:

Lego ball = 14.07 mm

beads = 13.5 to 13.7 mm

If they don't work, you could make a necklace for someone.

[...]

If they don't work, you could make a necklace for someone.

:laugh: Now that's the spirit!

Is it normal that the two chains (transporting the basket) are hanging very loose on the underside? I have counted the exact amount of links as instructed, but the chains do not fit tightly around the gears.

I'm considering building this amazing piece of lego engineering, but (apart from a bunch of parts I have to buy), I don't have any lego balls.

I was wondering if anyone knows a cheap alternative to the lego balls that work with this model?

Balls should be available from Lego soon as two sets 10686 (x45 Orange soccer ball) & Lego ideas - Tilting Ball Maze (unknown - shown with a black/white soccer ball) are in or coming to production, so the balls should be back so hold on a little longer, if you can.

Is it normal that the two chains (transporting the basket) are hanging very loose on the underside? I have counted the exact amount of links as instructed, but the chains do not fit tightly around the gears.

Thats called 'Catenary Sag' and it is required for plastic chain to work.

Balls should be available from Lego soon as two sets 10686 (x45 Orange soccer ball) & Lego ideas - Tilting Ball Maze (unknown - shown with a black/white soccer ball) are in or coming to production, so the balls should be back so hold on a little longer, if you can.

Thanks for the tip. Never thought about ordering them from Lego directly. I've never done that though (apart from a PAB once).

Do you maybe have any idea about the price for the balls at Lego?

Thanks for the tip. Never thought about ordering them from Lego directly. I've never done that though (apart from a PAB once).

Do you maybe have any idea about the price for the balls at Lego?

The balls directly from LEGO Bricks and Pieces is 94 cents Canadian which higher than average Bricklink prices. Prices may be different in the Netherlands.

Link to balls elements: https://service.lego...lBrickBuy/72824

Edited June 5, 20159 yr by dr_spock

Guys, I need some help here.

I'm having an issue with the second bucket chain. Please take a look at the attached image. I have the impression the chain is hanging really low on the underside. I've measured the chain multiple times, it has the correct length.

When I run the machine, the chain often skips on the gear, causing a stuttering motion. Sometimes the chain also gets stuck at the on the support pillar (see the arrows on the image).

I really haven't got a clue on what can be wrong here...

I've bought 100 of these balls/beads from ebay. I haven't yet tested the balls in any the Ball Factory yet (I'm still waiting for a lot of bricks, the balls arrived way earlier).

But, these beads look about exactly the same size as the Lego balls. They also weigh about the same as the Lego balls. They're not perfectly round though, they have a little ridge where the two halves are glued together or something like that.

Because of that ridge (and of course the hole) they don't roll as perfect as the lego balls (and stop rolling earlier on a flat surface). But, they still roll.

I have high hopes that these will do perfectly fine in Akiyuki's machine (and other GBC modules)

I'm having an issue with the second bucket chain. Please take a look at the attached image. I have the impression the chain is hanging really low on the underside. I've measured the chain multiple times, it has the correct length.

When I run the machine, the chain often skips on the gear, causing a stuttering motion. Sometimes the chain also gets stuck at the on the support pillar (see the arrows on the image).

I really haven't got a clue on what can be wrong here...

I can't spot anything obviously wrong from your pictures, but I can say that I've had zero problems with the conveyors. Must be friction somewhere. That sentence pretty much sums up any problems you will encounter with the ball factory. Finding the friction can be quite a challenge. Use process of elimination.

FYI.. although I haven't built my ball factory yet, I bought these beads from China last year, and you can see the size difference

They worked great in a couple of modules I build (conveyor belt + hailfire wheels), but those modules aren't overly size/weight sensitive

100 cost me AUD$5

- found the exact listing:

http://www.ebay.com....=item3f1a962875

Edited February 16, 20169 yr by RohanBeckett

FYI.. although I haven't built my ball factory yet, I bought these beads from China last year, and you can see the size difference

They worked great in a couple of modules I build (conveyor belt + hailfire wheels), but those modules aren't overly size/weight sensitive

100 cost me AUD$5

- found the exact listing:

http://www.ebay.com....=item3f1a962875

Since they are a fraction of a millimeter smaller they should fit through anything a LEGO ball will. The problem I found with those beads is they can get stuck on their hole if they aren't rolling fast enough. Most of the time another ball comes along and knocks it going again. But 100 for $5 is something I can live with.

FYI.. although I haven't built my ball factory yet, I bought these beads from China last year, and you can see the size difference

They worked great in a couple of modules I build (conveyor belt + hailfire wheels), but those modules aren't overly size/weight sensitive

[...]

Apart from the beads I linked a few posts up I also bought these beads. The exact same beads in the exact same color you have

First steps have been taken on building the ball factory :)

If you will use balls which are a fraction smaller, I can tell you there will be modules which won't like that. Like this one:

I need to change the tires. When using smaller balls the tires won't have any grip on the balls...

I built that module with 3l thin liftarms instead... (as seen in other peoples' designs)

it has 3 advantages - doesn't rely on friction of the rubber..won't leave fragments of rubber on the balls, nor dirty them

And balls don't get stuck in them, like I see so often with people who've made this spiral lift with tires..

Spacing at the rear works well - a single shaft with worm gears, and then 16t gears running off it.

Added advantage, now that I've built a feed hopper - the bottom liftarm acts as a 'stirrer', preventing balls getting jammed, and allowing it to handle a large pile of balls at the bottom

Edited August 14, 20159 yr by RohanBeckett

My "tire"-version doesn't use any worm-gears. Every tire is mounted on an axle and 36t gear. Tires are closer to each other and sometime a ball will stay. The balls don't get stuck in my opinion. If the tires wear out several balls will stay inside the module.

FYI.. although I haven't built my ball factory yet, I bought these beads from China last year, and you can see the size difference

They worked great in a couple of modules I build (conveyor belt + hailfire wheels), but those modules aren't overly size/weight sensitive

100 cost me AUD$5

- found the exact listing:

http://www.ebay.com....=item3f1a962875

Sorry to show up late to the Forums here, but those are the exact beads I started with on this project. The three problems I had with them:

1 - Slight smaller and would get jammed up in the spiral lift

2 - Smoother, the ball loader wouldn't get a consistent grip on them

3 - Due to low quality standard for these, they aren't all round and would get stuck in the hopper or would roll funny (strange, not "haha").

All in all, the frustration of trying to get this machine working with the beads was too much, coupled with the challenge of getting the machine itself working.

Guys, I need some help here.

I'm having an issue with the second bucket chain. Please take a look at the attached image. I have the impression the chain is hanging really low on the underside. I've measured the chain multiple times, it has the correct length.

When I run the machine, the chain often skips on the gear, causing a stuttering motion. Sometimes the chain also gets stuck at the on the support pillar (see the arrows on the image).

I really haven't got a clue on what can be wrong here...

I know the jumping of which you speak. Where I have seen it happen is at the front of the second conveyor, just above the initial drive assembly where the universal join that drives the first belt it located. The side wall for the first conveyor belt that extends past and to the front of the second conveyor belt has an extremely low clearance. If either the support for the second conveyor is not pressed right down, or the wall is maybe pressed down a little too far, it may rub on the underside, on top of the second belt.... whoa, that's tough to describe. Let me know if you need a picture.

does anyone know if these are 14mm? http://www.bricklink.com/store.asp?p=tcoats&itemID=62488744

does anyone know if these are 14mm? http://www.bricklink...itemID=62488744

They are. Nominally 14.2mm.

Also available from LEGO bricks & pieces, part 72824, US$0.84/ea

Edited August 15, 20159 yr by Prune Face

They are. Nominally 14.2mm.

Also available from LEGO bricks & pieces, part 72824, US$0.84/ea

Awesome! cheap GBC balls

Hello everybody!

Now that I almost have all required bricks I cannot see any of the building instructions on page 1 of this topic any more.

I just see "Posted Image" with a link leading nowhere (the IP says 54.213.90.68 which seems to be Blackbirds file storage).

Am I the only one to face this problem?

Help is appreciated!