K'Nex Fruit Machine

 by Elap
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K'Nex Fruit Machine - 12th June 2011.JPG
K'Nex Fruit Machine (Front Top Left).JPG
K'Nex Fruit Machine - Rear View.JPG
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K'Nex Fruit Machine from above.JPG

This is a working fruit machine which is made almost entirely from K'Nex. It is so large that it will have to remain in the room (which has a concrete floor) for ever.

The machine pays out in balls, the size of the win being the lowest digit which appears on the three reels (so any combination which contains a zero is a loser).

During the building of it much was learned about K'Nex (Elap had discovered it at a car boot sale only a couple of months before he started) and some PDFs on K'Nex have been produced (see below).

The non-K'Nex bits of the fruit machine are the reel symbols (produced using Microsoft Word and then laminated) and the balls (meant for a child's play pit - Elap didn't have anywhere near enough K'Nex balls, and they are expensive). Also, a weight has been made from a lead-filled K'Nex cage because there were no K'Nex components which were heavy enough.

It probably took about 150 hours to build, spread over two years, and was made up as it was built - there were no plans, but Elap collects old mechanical slot machines and was familiar with the principles. There were a few areas where a redesign was necessary (for example, the handle kept falling to pieces when pulled, and the original pawl and ratchet mechanism was clunky and didn't work very well), but there wasn't a lot of reworking overall.

The return is 85.94% - quite generous for a fruit machine!

The K'Nex pieces were acquired from car boot sales (mainly) and eBay.

Here are some documents relating to the construction of the machine, and some K'Nex tips.
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lavagod13579 says: Feb 11, 2013. 12:20 PM
That is great i hope you complete the machine, because after looking at this im sure it'll be a great piece of ingenuity.
lavagod13579 says: Feb 11, 2013. 9:03 AM
Are you considering adding more instructions so someone else could build it maby using PDFs? Because this is very nice work, and took vast amounts of engineering.
Elap (author) in reply to lavagod13579Feb 11, 2013. 9:32 AM
The problem is that I made it up as I went along and hadn't come across the Instructables site then.

It would be too much work to explain what I did, and I've forgotten a lot of it!

HOWEVER, I'm experimenting with a smaller version which would use K'Nex ratchets and K'Nex rubber bands and would work with K'Nex balls.

If I succeed, I'll produce step-by-step PDFs, but to be realistic it would be the middle of the year before - and if - I completed it.
daredevil499 says: Dec 7, 2012. 6:43 PM
that must have taken forever to build.
Elap (author) in reply to daredevil499Dec 7, 2012. 10:56 PM
I made it over a period of two years, spending about an hour or two a week on it on average.
daredevil499 in reply to ElapDec 8, 2012. 8:36 PM
wow,The longest I ever spent building something with knex was about 2 1/2 months. I was building a ultra-lightweight helicopter that actually lifted into the air. It actually lifted about an inch. I started working on it again last week. I going to post when I finish
knexpert#10829476 says: Sep 16, 2012. 5:02 PM
This brings tears to my eyes, all those beautiful mechanisms working together. Maybe you can make a smaller version of this and post it on instructables:)
Elap (author) in reply to knexpert#10829476Oct 6, 2012. 6:06 AM
The problem here is one of scale. Clearly, making a machine which was say 6" high would be impossible because of the relatively chunky size of the pieces.

The larger the machine the more feasible it is. For example, If you want a combination of rods to be a certain length, there are far more combinations of rod lengths to try for a large-scale machine than with a smaller one.

It would be a big challenge to make a smaller version without modifying the pieces, which of course is not allowed!

The reason the machine is the size it is is based on constructing the smallest reels which used eight flexible rods of the same length.

Having said all this, I have an ongoing background task running in my brain on how to make a smaller version...
emilyvanleemput says: Aug 17, 2012. 12:19 AM
.........

My mouth fell open...
jameshond says: May 5, 2012. 6:45 AM
this thing is cool i like it
mrknex3000 in reply to jameshondJun 27, 2012. 9:45 AM
This is almost as cool as the amusement ball machine thing.
darkkiller545 says: May 3, 2012. 8:41 AM
Very expensive i guess :p
knexpert#10829476 says: Mar 28, 2012. 8:05 AM
GIANT!
Gr3at_Whit3_North_Guy says: Feb 16, 2012. 10:06 PM
how does the machine know how much to pay out
Elap (author) in reply to Gr3at_Whit3_North_GuyFeb 16, 2012. 11:31 PM
Have a look at Reel Construction.PDF. You'll see that each symbol has a slot associated with it; the higher the number, the deeper the slot. The payout tester falls to the depth of the shallowest of the three slots which correspond to the displayed symbols on the winning line. Depending on how far the payout tester falls, levers get lifted so that the right number of balls are released.
ihaveguitarskills! says: Jan 31, 2012. 11:16 AM
...WOW
juske3000 says: Dec 14, 2011. 6:04 AM
Im rebuilding this machine, only waaaay smaller.
But im wondering, how do you make the wheels spin?

The handle attached to the wheel?
A quick running motor?
A weight on the wheels?
Something else?

Also, how are you stopping the wheels exactly at the good spot?
Elap (author) in reply to juske3000Dec 14, 2011. 7:28 AM
The reels are spun by using weights and levers - there are no motors.

I'll reply more fully within the next week or so.

Elap (author) in reply to ElapDec 27, 2011. 4:52 AM
I've added a PDF document explaining how the reels are spun and stopped.
juske3000 in reply to ElapDec 27, 2011. 5:38 AM
O.o

That is so smart,
Thanks :D
KNEX-pert says: Dec 25, 2011. 4:59 PM
OMVG! That is the most outstanding, most incredible, machine i've ever seen! Collosal! Super job! Five star rating!
Puddock says: Dec 4, 2011. 11:29 AM
This is incredible! Great job!
rheath2 says: Nov 23, 2011. 9:13 AM
What an incredible machine! Did you use for the angle *556% or did you use angle 4775- scale triganomatry?
Elap (author) in reply to rheath2Nov 23, 2011. 10:09 AM
I used a spingleflex unit with a horizontal jigglepoker.
rheath2 in reply to ElapNov 23, 2011. 7:25 PM
You should know what triganomatry means.
rheath2 in reply to ElapNov 23, 2011. 7:23 PM
Uhh I'm talking actual words here. =)
The Cannoneer says: Oct 31, 2011. 2:24 AM
Quick question...is there any way you can post the mechanism of the machine or post instructions on a smaller one? Im askin this cause its awesome and i want one!!! :)
Elap (author) in reply to The CannoneerOct 31, 2011. 3:35 AM
Unfortunately there is no easy way!

I could show you how to make the reels, and how to install them in a frame. I could then show you the principles involved, but because I made it up as I went along I couldn't give you step-by-step instructions (I only discovered the Instructables site after I had finished it).

A smaller version would be much more difficult - there would be fewer ways to make each element of the construction because you are constrained by the number of combinations which could be experimented with.

Also, it is occasionally necessary to reach into the innards of the machine which would not be possible if it were smaller - bits of it would have to be disassembled first.

Let me know whether you want more photos so that you can see various sections in detail. Bear in mind that you will need to be an inventive kind of K'Nexer to build something like this and not just an instruction-follower!
The Cannoneer in reply to ElapOct 31, 2011. 9:24 PM
oh ok...i understand....can you post a few more pictures of the reels and the mechanism and show me how to how to make the reels, and how to install them in a frame....is that ok?
Elap (author) in reply to The CannoneerNov 1, 2011. 3:40 AM
I'll see what I can do. Give me a few days.
The Cannoneer in reply to ElapNov 1, 2011. 1:56 PM
sure
Elap (author) in reply to The CannoneerNov 21, 2011. 4:12 AM
I've added a PDF document showing how the reels were made.
jeffeb3 says: Oct 19, 2011. 2:44 PM
So a fruit machine? Is that like a slot machine? Like you would find in Las Vegas?
sfeingold in reply to jeffeb3Nov 19, 2011. 1:06 AM
yes
Elap (author) in reply to jeffeb3Oct 19, 2011. 3:13 PM
Sure thing.
knexpert#10829476 says: Nov 10, 2011. 2:48 AM
This thing is so incredible! I've never seen anything this cool!
MegaMetal8 says: Oct 29, 2011. 12:29 PM
Why can't you move it forever?
Elap (author) in reply to MegaMetal8Oct 29, 2011. 1:36 PM
Because it won't fit through the door and it would never be the same again if I dismantled it and tried to reassemble it!
MegaMetal8 in reply to ElapOct 30, 2011. 11:19 AM
It doesn't have to be rebuilt??
Elap (author) in reply to MegaMetal8Oct 30, 2011. 2:35 PM
You don't REALLY think I'm going to take to pieces after all that work, do you?!!!
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