Kinetic Marble Track Around The Top Of A Room

Step 8: Install the Lifting Devices and Add Track and Elements

Start installing the marble track by first installing the first lifting device and then add track and elements until you have worked your way around the room.

Keep looking ahead to make sure the track you are installing is not lower then the next lifting device.  You don't want to spend a bunch of time designing a lifting device and then have your marble track end up lower than what the lifting device can accept.

One thing that helps in the placement of the track supports is to mark all of the studs in the wall (if you plan on attaching to them) with blue painters tape.  This will help you figure out where you want the track and element supports.

Comments

[djsfantasi]

I get it. The picture in step 9 showed me how the wheel lifter worked. Awesome!

[papop]

THIS is TOO cool...I want one for Christmas!!! Really fun instructable....perfect project to build during winter months or when you run out of important things to do...My granddaughters would love this...have to consider building one...Thanks much for sharing, Steve.

[tulsa_jerm]

I know you're probably way busy with life and other instructables, but could you post a close-up of the marbles entering/leaving the wheel? That would help a ton for those of us who still don't completely get it. ;)

Did you use a template for the big circle and other wheel parts? Could you post a few shots of those?

Okay, I'm asking a lot, sorry about that! But this is really neat! I spent way too much money once on ebay buying SpaceWarp kits but never did get around to building the track-around-the-house! This looks good enough that my wife might actually let me do it!

Thanks for the awesome instructable!

[stevemoseley]

I'll see what I can do about getting a couple more picture of the marbles entering and leaving the wheel. With the holidays I am not sure how soon it will be.

I used a piece of wood for a template for one of the spokes of the wheel. I rotated that piece and traced it to the other spoke locations. I then cur both wheels out at the same time so they would match. Unfortunately I don't have the template piece anymore.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you in getting your wife to let you build one of these.

Thanks for the kind words.

[emehollin]

Absolutely incredible. I want to build one for my grandson. I do have a question, though. I am a little unclear how the wheel lift picks up the marble and then disgorges it later. Any hints will be appreciated. Now, if I can just get my son-in-law to let me put holes in the wall to hang the thing!

[stevemoseley]

The track behind the wheel lifter slopes towards the wheel so the marbles drop into the wheel when they find an empty hole. When the marble gets to the top of the wheel it rolls out on to the upper track from a slightly sloped surface inside the wheel. When the marble first enters the wheel from the bottom track the sloped surface is above the marble. As the wheel rotates the sloped surface works its way under the marble so it can roll out. Let me know if you need more information.

[JermsG]

This instructable (step 3) has a similar mechanism:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Miniature-USB-powered-Marble-Machine-with-USB-port/step3/The-spinning-wheel/

I've seen the same thing on youtube somewhere, with a pretty good description. Sorry I've lost the link for that one.

Basically, the holes in the wheel aren't perpendicular to the wheel itself, but instead are angled towards the outside of the wheel. This way, marbles drop sideways from the track into each hole at about the lowest point of the wheel's rotation, where due to gravity and the slight angle in the hole, the marbles can't fall out again until near the top - exactly how near the top depends on the angle you've drilled and any 'skew' you've (accidentally?) added. They drop out, the upper track catches them, and they carry on rolling.

A simple motor rotates the wheel continuously (you could use a handcrank instead, or whatever you like really). In the photo above, it looks like the wheel turns anticlockwise (based on the marbles being on the right-hand side in the wheel, and none on the left).
I'm not sure whether there's any suggested preference for wheel rotation direction vs direction of the marble flow. Anyone?

Hope this helps! Good luck!