[GBC] Akiyuki Ball Factory

[RickBobbie5]

Wow!  Just Wow.   I would love to add this to my collection but am not sharp enough to build this one without instructions.   Congrats Berthil!

[rskamen]

14 hours ago, Berthil said:

So here it is, very pleased how it turned out and feeling confident to take it to events. Pictures will follow later.
It runs comfortably on train power supply settings 4, 5 and 6 where 5 matches 1 ball per second.

 

I am in AWE at this rebuild and re-engineered Ball Machine. You have whet my appetite to rebuild my Ball Machine. Love how it is raised off the base, and all of the mechanical components are visible and accessible.. I also like how it is operating with precise movements and things seem to click into place. I assume that adding the conveyor ramp to return balls back to the elevator should not be a big problem, That would allow it to be a stand-alone Ball Factory. Hopefully someone will reverse engineer this and create a complete set of instructions. I am no where talented enough to work from a video and pictures. Maybe a model that can be imported into LDraw or Stud.io? Congratulations are in order for this outstanding piece of work. I hope you had time to enjoy the Easter Holiday with your family.

[Berthil]

Thanks all! It shouldn't be too difficult to redirect the balls to the inbox again, probably a belt isn't even needed as the basket emptier is already much higher up.

I started making a digital file in Stud.io and hope to make free instructions for everyone interested.

[tismabrick]

Wow @Berthil, that’s great news. Mine is sitting on the shelf since almost two years after being unreliable.

I’m therefore really looking forward to seing your instructions popping up :)

Edited April 22, 2019 by tismabrick

[Ankoku]

I would honestly create a new thread for the release of the final video. I think it deserves it.

So that basically, when someone clicks on the thread, boom, the final video is there first.

Either that or edit the opening comment on this thread and place the final video at the top.

Great work in record time!

[BrianGT]

@Berthil  Awesome re-engineering!   Is it reliable enough to put in a GBC loop and leave mostly unattended?

[Berthil]

17 minutes ago, BrianGT said:

@Berthil  Awesome re-engineering!   Is it reliable enough to put in a GBC loop and leave mostly unattended?

Thanks. I think it is after a lot of testing but will know after LEGO World 2019 in October where I want it to run for 7 days. Probably do a one day event before that to have it run a full day.

25 minutes ago, Ankoku said:

Either that or edit the opening comment on this thread and place the final video at the top.

I've put the video in the first post.

[Jonas]

Berthil, you have done an amazing job! I remember building my own Ball factory 3 years ago. I was so fascinated by this Akiyuki's masterpiece that I had to build it in order to learn how it worked. By building it, for me it was like passing practical lessons in mechanical engineering. (My background is IT, which is much different.)  I felt so happy when I completed it. However, frustration came later when I realized that the machine would never work reliably. 

So I really keep my fingers crossed for your modified version. If it is reliable, I may consider to rebuild it once again, even though I would have to buy many components again, since I have reused them already in other models.

Some questions:

1) Is your version modular, so that it can be easily disassembled and transported? If yes, do you plan to introduce some visual clues to allow for fast resychronisation after the assembly?

2) I remember that one of the most critical parts in the original design was the 'synchro tower' where two chain links controlled the movement of basket mover. Whenever one of the chains broke (and it happened rather frequently), it was horrible work to fix it and resychronise all the modules. Is your mod more robust to this type of fail?

I appreciate your plan to make the instructions. I can imagine that it will be a pretty tough task. I am looking forward to your next steps.

[Ankoku]

I want to see a photo of the LEGO dust created after 7 days :P

[Berthil]

@Jonas My version is not modular. For me it doesn't need to be as I designed it to be picked up grabbing it at any point of the frame as can be seen in the opening shot of the video The whole structure is really rigid.

I have ran it for 4 hours now but did not have a chain break. The original version is so close to the base plate that almost any basket or ball drop results in a jam and breaking something causing desynchronisation. For this reason I was afraid to turn on my Ball factory 3 years ago and also decided to disassemble and reuse the parts at that time.

With this one I've had drops during testing but everything until now falls through the frame on the table causing no jams. In fact, I had no need to adjust synchronisation since the first time build, also not after mishaps during testing. In the original version a lot depended on clutching power of bricks as it was based on classic bricks. In my version almost all axle components are secured with studless beams. I also placed a 24t clutch gear between motor and Ball Factory, this really helps.

For the basket mover I did several improvements to prevent basket jams. For the observant people, I run the Factory with 22 baskets, not 21. This way always one basket is ready to be moved into the queue. The entrance of the queue I have made rounder and placed something above the second basket waiting on the belt to prevent it from creeping up against the first one waiting. I expect this also works with the baseplate Ball Factory.

Edited April 22, 2019 by Berthil

[Ankoku]

I think the worst jam is where the ball unloader fails to pick up the bucket. It doesn't like that.

[Berthil]

Here the pictures ...

[Ankoku]

I feel as though you work in the Intel Chip factory. Talk about a dust free environment! Very impressive.

[HRU_Bricks]

It is a piece of art! I will be building one for Bricktober 2020....to many other build for this year 

[Ankoku]

Nice to see some of my reverse engineering corrections made it in.

[rskamen]

On 4/22/2019 at 12:50 PM, Berthil said:

Thanks all! It shouldn't be too difficult to redirect the balls to the inbox again, probably a belt isn't even needed as the basket emptier is already much higher up.

I started making a digital file in Stud.io and hope to make free instructions for everyone interested.

Probably can do the ball return much like you did the ball loader ramp on the Invisible Lift, using the 3mm x 11 tubes, or the corrugated silver tubes (the ones used in the elevator). That would simplify things and eliminate more mechanical links and possible issues. I am still pretty much a novice, but if I can help you in any way with creating instructions, of help you with funding some of the work, it would be my pleasure.

[Ankoku]

Creating a 3D model isn't as bad as I had imagined. Although I look forward to seeing how his twisted hoses look for the spiral lift.

Instructions are a task in tedium. Not fun at all.

To be honest, it would probably be best to have the instructions for the module as is and then a separate one and parts list for a return loop addition.

[turbopolofr]

Mega WOooWW Berthil !!  Your additions to the module are tremendously awesome, making it just a new masterpiece, not a simple mod from the original

I can only imagine how much time it took to re-engineer all this...

ultra great work. I'm in a hurry to find time to reproduce yours, reusing the parts from the legacy one ;-)

 

 

[t0mster]

Hi Guys, i just registred here

 

Beautifull machine Berthil!. At the moment iam building the ball factory v2 to understand the basics of the technic's used with all the enhancements in previous posts at this forum.

Iam another dutch AFOL, 2 years ago i brought back my (large) lego collection from my attic to build with my 4 years old son, but after seeing your rainbow wave i catched the GBC virus. I have build the rainbow wave (with all the correct colors) and some of akiyuki's machines (invisable lift / cup-to-cup 2 / most of the type2 train modules (with your LIPO trains) (rotary module still in progress) / lift trigger with stuck ball / hockey stick lift

 

Thank you for sharing your builds, it gives me great joy, inspiration and it costs me hours of time and large € bricklink orders ;)

I hope somehow we can see more detail of this "v3" ball factory, and maybe in the future a LDX ore instructions?

 

You where at Lego World 2018, this year iam defenitly going to be there (as a visitor). Hope to see all the machines live in action

 

[Berthil]

@t0mster Welcome and very good to read I and others contributed in creating this money pit for you :)

3 hours ago, t0mster said:

hope somehow we can see more detail of this "v3" ball factory, and maybe in the future a LDX ore instructions?

I'm busy creating the digital file (with blue pins) and after that free instructions. This will take some time, this is already a weeks work, 1096 parts and 85 building steps:

I have ideas on how to include a loop to the inbox to also make it a stand alone machine. I will convert my Factory to first test.

3 hours ago, t0mster said:

You where at Lego World 2018, this year i am definitely going to be there (as a visitor). Hope to see all the machines live in action

I definitely will be at LW2019 so looking forward to meeting you, just make yourself known so we can have chat.

Edited April 26, 2019 by Berthil

[Ankoku]

I am starting to feel as though we should use blue pins where they can't easily be seen and old-school black ones where they are obvious.

[Berthil]

I'm feeling like that for five years hence I'm not using any blue pins when in sight including the black axle pins of 1 Euro each nowadays.
For building instructions it is much clearer though, the builder can always swap for black ones when building.

[Ankoku]

Same. I only have 4 of the black axle pins.

I have a lot of grey gears and axle pins etc. instead of their tan counterparts. Whenever I am pulling together parts of a module, I end up putting in the correct amount in both colours and then make decisions as I build.

My main issue is that a good chunk of my stuff is old enough to be pre-colour change. Telling light grey from light bluish grey is annoying at times.

The other novelty is the thickness of the plastic on pins. Some incredibly thin, others are disturbingly thick. It is like a history of LEGO plastic production.

Not sure if it was the black axle pins, but I know one of the rare pieces was all the range one year, but never made it out of that year.

[HRU_Bricks]

19 hours ago, Berthil said:

@t0mster Welcome and very good to read I and others contributed in creating this money pit for you :)

I'm busy creating the digital file (with blue pins) and after that free instructions. This will take some time, this is already a weeks work, 1096 parts and 85 building steps:

I have ideas on how to include a loop to the inbox to also make it a stand alone machine. I will convert my Factory to first test.

I definitely will be at LW2019 so looking forward to meeting you, just make yourself known so we can have chat.

Hi Berthil, I am keen to build this section to start with (vertical conveyor and the pick and place mechanism), is there a chance I could get a copy of the digital file? Thanks

[rskamen]

12 hours ago, HRU_Bricks said:

I have ideas on how to include a loop to the inbox to also make it a stand alone machine. I will convert my Factory to first test.

I like that you will be working on making this a continuous loop. All of my builds are "stand-alone", so it is important to be able to feed the balls back to the beginning module. Once I finish all my "immediate" projects, I will go back and finish ordering the final parts for the Invisible Lift, and build that as a stand-alone as well. Keep up the good work. I am traveling through the Caribbean for a few weeks, so I will be looking forward to more good information when I return.