[MOC REVIEW] Akiyuki's Ball Factory

[RohanBeckett]

Post #77 and #78 of this thread (just scroll up!) have a few listed... Hope to build the ZigZag this weekend... and have made some good progress on reverse engineering the Tilted Rotors.. almost got the balls going all the way to the top!!

[DrJB]

Is there a list of all the akiyuky modules that have cad/ ldd files?

I've got a feeling of deja vu ... as if you've answered the question already and I replied

[TechniChriS]

This is a very addictive project.

I am now about halfway the build and even went to the shop to buy another 42024 (Twin Rotor Helicopter) to get two more of these , because I didn't want to place another Bricklink order or demolish anymore of my build sets.

[Follows Closely]

I checked friction and function at each step along the way, so it ran smoothly as soon as I got it finished. I couldn't say exactly how much time I spent getting it in that condition, but I'd estimate that I spend as much time tuning it as I did building it.

Yea that is something you got to make sure and check as you build it. Many things could be happening here causing your bind I cant tell you exactly what but at least give us an idea so we can have a fix to the problem.

So far one of these slid ever so slightly and caused a great amount of friction. After fixing that it helped a little. But I still feel that the crank is too hard to turn. I need to once again turn on one function at a time and figure out where the friction is. What module did you guys find caused the most friction? Did you lubricate anything?

[Blakbird]

On 5/5/2015 at 8:29 PM, Follows Closely said:

So far one of these slid ever so slightly and caused a great amount of friction. After fixing that it helped a little. But I still feel that the crank is too hard to turn. I need to once again turn on one function at a time and figure out where the friction is. What module did you guys find caused the most friction? Did you lubricate anything?

I did not lubricate anything and my crank turns quite easily. In fact, I was able to use an M-motor to run it with no problem.

My biggest source of friction in this module.

Right in the middle of the image you can see the black lateral axle on the yellow carriage that slides through the hole on the black beam. The axle was catching in the beam because the beam was moving side to side just a little bit. This small angle made it grab the axle. On either side of the beam are a stack of 1x1 DBG bricks which are there to keep it from moving. I rotated those 1x1 bricks slightly so the corners centered the black beam a bit better and that totally solved the problem.

The chains in the first assembly also have some friction because they are quite tight, but it is not very noticeable once you gear it down 5:1 at the input.

[9v system]

Is anyone going to make a render of the sweeper attachment?

[Blakbird]

Is anyone going to make a render of the sweeper attachment?

No idea what you mean.

[Boxerlego]

So far one of these slid ever so slightly and caused a great amount of friction. After fixing that it helped a little. But I still feel that the crank is too hard to turn. I need to once again turn on one function at a time and figure out where the friction is. What module did you guys find caused the most friction? Did you lubricate anything?

If you used "used" axles in the model I would check out the moving axles connection first like those inside bricks and beams and see if the axle is spins ok and the axle looks perfect. I've had a tight Technic hole on a certain white 1x4 Technic brick where pushing an axle through the was hard and had to be done with some force and it was the Technic brick that was problem here not the axle but most of the time it the other way around because the axle is bent or twisted ever so slightly. This axle problem can plague tons of stuff especially the module Blakbird shows, that is intricate and needs special attention to both the bricks and axle to make sure everything is sliding along the axles smoothly step by step.

[9v system]

No idea what you mean.

the blue thing in this video

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS_cY2RgFoQ

[RohanBeckett]

It's just a couple of skateboard/snowboard half pipe sections, and a rotating arm.. not exactly a complex mechanism!

The video you linked was Akiyuki's first version Ball Factory.. the one that this thread is about, is the second one - which is significantly changed.

[jesuskyr]

Hello, Blackbird^^

I love your review!! Then I want to translate your review into Korean for my Korean LEGO community.

Could I use your article^^ and figures for this translation?

Best

[Blakbird]

I love your review!! Then I want to translate your review into Korean for my Korean LEGO community.

Could I use your article^^ and figures for this translation?

Sure!

[9v system]

my progress with this monster build

http://youtu.be/pwiefpUdkWI

Edited May 15, 2015 by 9v system

[RohanBeckett]

Looks good! I have 2 bricklink orders in transit from one side of the planet to the other (Europe to Australia!) then off to buy 2 baseplates, and I can get started!!

[OneMoreRobot]

Thanks Blakbird, Rebricker & Akiyuki, great work. Never thought I would build one of these contraptions - now I'm halfway complete and totally into it.

Enqueued has been my word of the week since reading the review, couldn't find it on the Urban Dictionary, however, Mabstinent is now my new word of the week!

Love your work, all the best OMR

Edited May 16, 2015 by OneMoreRobot

[Blakbird]

Having now had this built for a while, I ran into a couple of issues. Firstly, it is very hard to move around. The model is very large and the baseplates are not very stiff. If you try to pick it up, everything gets out of alignment and that's death on this model. Secondly, it will be impossible to dust. Too many small crevices. With that in mind, I decided to build a display case and base for it.

Here is a 1/2 inch thick MDF base panel with guide rails at the sides and back. These parts are all glued and screwed together.

Now I line up the base with the edge of the table and slide the model on. Perfect fit!

Next I install a rail along the front with two screws to hold everything in place. This is easily removable in case I want to take the model back out.

Finally, I made a 5 sided box from 3/16 inch acrylic panels to drop over the base.

That should keep it clean!

For public displays, I am considering keeping it in the case and running it in a continuous loop to keep kids' fingers out of it. But this would require I put a hole in the side for the input axle so I could connect a motor. The problem with this is that it would be difficult to clear jams.

[Phoxtane]

Put a notch in the bottom of the clear case that'll let a PF cable pass through. You can have a 9v transformer set up to run the motor that would be inside the case.

[Blakbird]

Put a notch in the bottom of the clear case that'll let a PF cable pass through. You can have a 9v transformer set up to run the motor that would be inside the case.

The motor hangs off the right side and protrudes past the edges so it cannot be attached inside the case ... unless I redesign the motor placement.

[TechniChriS]

The motor hangs off the right side and protrudes past the edges so it cannot be attached inside the case ... unless I redesign the motor placement.

If you remove part of the ball input on the left, you can move the whole structure 9 studs to the left, making enough room for a L-motor (7 stud deep), and a margin of 2 studs on left and right side.

You can also place a batterybox on the right side.

[Maico]

Wow. My build doesn't look that clean..:

[RohanBeckett]

great work, though! do you just have it geared down in 'slow mode', like TheRebricker does, while in testing? or are there some sources of friction in there? it looks like you've managed to get everything in sync

And now we know what it looks like in Red!!

RB

[Maico]

Everything is in sync indeed. I have noticed though that my L-motor is getting warm after running for an hour or so. And it was giving me trouble in ten minutes when running on high speed. I am not sure yet what caused the trouble. At the last few seconds of the movie you can see the bucket receiver after being emptied pushes one basket from the module. Apparently it is either getting out of sync there or there is another reason for ending too late at that position.

And I do want to let it run using an XL motor. At high speed.

I also had a couple of jams in the spiral ligt on the inbox side. As I intent to run it in the GBC circuit I must be able to rely on that part won't jam. It seems not to like a full box of ball over there. Hmm, maybe I should rotate the bottom of the spiral.

In the spiral section the balls get stuck between the vertical beams of the spiral and the plate on top of the slope 45 2x8.

I am waiting for some BL orders to be delivered and it will be more red then it is now :-)

[wimpie3]

I'm currently building this beast... it seems I have some friction on the bucket mover. It doesn't slide really smooth on the black and grey axles, which causes some tension on the big "pusher" parts on the chain.

[Blakbird]

I'm currently building this beast... it seems I have some friction on the bucket mover. It doesn't slide really smooth on the black and grey axles, which causes some tension on the big "pusher" parts on the chain.

I mention the same problem and my solution earlier in this post.

[wimpie3]

Thanks, this seems to have done the trick. Wow, what a model. Building this thing from video/photo instructions is not so hard, the timing is not too complicated either, but the fact that the whole build is so "super sensitive" makes it very difficult. A little bit of friction due to the base plate slightly bending, a bush sitting a bit too far on an axle, a 1x1 brick slightly rotated... and yep, the whole machine breaks apart... Without any doubt the most impressive but most difficult thing I've ever build!