Motorized Marble Roller Coaster

This is a roller coaster for marbles. It's made from lots of cardboard and hot glue, some stuff out of an old broken printer, and a few other odds and ends I had laying around.

I played around with cardboard, tape, glue and marbles a lot as a kid, making tracks and ramps and such just for fun.

I had been wanting to make one of these for years, just to see what I could come up with now that I'm a little older. The main thing I'd been wondering about was how I could get the marbles back to the top with some sort of mechanism made from simple, available items.

The whole thing turned out pretty well, and surprisingly, the motor/conveyor belt system I came up with works perfectly, although the initial version was really fast (see the video in step 6).

I made a few changes to slow down the conveyor, and the final painted version is shown here.

Step 1: Supplies

I gathered up quite a bit of craft cardboard for this project, along with a few old boxes from the trash.

I used lots hot glue, along with some wood glue and white glue in a few places.

Comments

[powerfool]

So you didn't actually bend the cardboard to make the track, you have created the tracks by joining two stips of cardboard. Right? Also, some other question, how do you make the cardboard so "glossy" as it appears in the video? Is it just the paint? (spray paint?) Thanks! It's wonderful, I've been dreaming for a long time to make something like that but I hadn't got to it... now it's time! :)

[seamster]

Yes--the track is made from two adjacent pieces of cardboard.

Each side of the track is about 3/4 inch tall. I would draw out each new section of track on a sheet of cardboard, cut it out, and then match it up to an existing piece to see if it would fit on the track the way I wanted. These were like "trial" pieces. If the new piece worked well, and took the ball where I wanted it to go, I'd add the new piece permanently to the track, thus extending the track little by little.

If the new trial pieces didn't fit, which was the case most of the time, at least I could see specifically what shape the new pieces needed to be. Many times I would just try something--knowing that it probably wasn't going to work--but that it would show me what would.

Certain sections (like the loop) were completely made off of the the base, and then added as a finished unit.

This project took lots of trial and error, practice, and patience!

As for the paint, I brush painted everything with basic acrylic craft paints. The paint seemed to slow down the track somewhat, so I gave it a coat of lacquer spray, which helped speed things up, and gave it that glossy look you see.

[HollyMann]

This is awesome. Great work - my son used to watch videos on youtube (from Japan) of rolling ball machines all the time. Love them all!

[osh114]

How much does it cost for all the track materials?

[john12345678910]

you should make a vid of you demonstrating the marble rollercoaster

[seamster]

See steps 6 & 8.

[john12345678910]

oh that is awesome youve got a good future ahead of you

[the poodleo]

thats a great idea,using nylon webbing for the belt. whenever I think of a chain lift that I would use for a project like thsi, I always think of something more complicated, like the ones that are in the Knex rollercoasters. but I love that this is just scratch built iwth such simple, working items. It would certainately make it easier to build.

[Musicman41]

It would be nice to know exactly how you constructed the v-shaped tracks.

[fkhalsa]

Nice job!
I agree it would be cool to see how many marbles you could load this with.

[supreme-ette]

We also have this project for our Physics, and we used cheapboard. I tried forming the V shapes, but we cant manage to form a loop out of it.

[logrithims]

hi great work .Just wondering how to make the loop

[nathanlow]

hello, great setup you have here, currently building one of my own for a project for school.... i understood that you made the loop off the board i am just wondering how you cut it out on the carboard. thank you so much

[jess.jsli]

oh my god! what a good idea!

[FrozenIce]

man that is grate is it for sale? lol

[trebornerdnoc]

is that like the strap of a school bag

[comsa42]

what is mdf?

[234nightfox]

mdf means medium density fiber. got it ?

[seamster]

MDF stand for "medium density fiberboard." It's a manufactured wood product sold in sheets of varying thicknesses similar to plywood and particle board. It's nice stuff to work with for certain types of projects.

[trebornerdnoc]

i think ill try tomake amodel of a coster i was one it shoud be cool cound you make it all with card bord ?

[flopina]

Cool I wonder if that would be a real roler coaster

[valhallas_end]

This is quite nice - reminds me of the sets we used to play with, and the sliding penguins toy that was my favorite (same principle).  I have about 50 steel bearings roughly marble-sized - I might try to make one of these someday when I get free time to put them to some good use!

[supitsgreg]

Wow, I'm amazed. I'm fascinated with projects like this. Bravo.

I have a question. So did you just make the whole track first, then add it onto the structure, or build it as you went?

Thanks, this project looks awesome, I'm going to take it on soon.

[seamster]

I built as I went, and was constantly modifying and tweaking things along the way.  I mention the process in step 5.  I'd love to see a picture of yours if you make one.  Good luck! 

[simon.leigh]

Way Cool instructable! Thanks for sharing this with us.

Brings to mind my early (pre PC) days in the computer industry, when mice were a real novelty. IBM would only ever supply replacement mouse balls in pairs. I still haven't quite figured that one out....

[LuminousObject]

Cool. I'm thinking of using a conveyor belt similar to this for a ball return for a pachinko machine. This gave me that idea, so thanks!

[blackhawk124]

Ha, I have that exact motor that you used, I got out of an old Lexmark printer. I absolutely love the coaster and have considered many times automating the small marble coasters I've made over the years. I never would of thought of cardboard as an ideal material for track, but it worked brilliantly! Great job

[daniel!]

This is awesome! Congratulations on getting first place! It would be awesome to add a circuit with IR LEDS and lights under the tracks so the light follows the ball. Or to somehow have a clear ball with a LED inside it.

[Javin007]

Sweet Jesus this is entirely too much fun. Plain and simple, I have no choice but to make one.

[cruizerdave]

Incredible!

[junkfactory886]

Gotta love the woo-woo noise. May i suggest that you add more pulleys to lower the speed of the conveyor (And add more torque). or lower the incoming volts. GReat job.

[sgt_pinky]

Yeah add a resistor between the motor and the power source - but make sure that the voltage you end up with is still within the specs of the motor - otherwise you will burn the motor out.

[Kryptonite]

Or it won't go.

[seamster]

Thanks for the ideas. It looks like I'm going to have to do my homework on gears and pulleys and such. It's all kind of foreign to me, but it sure is fun.

[xd12c]

Micro Mark sells a gear box set for motors like that
http://www.micromark.com/MOTORIZED-PLANETARY-GEARBOX,8179.html

[AznPanda]

Very nice instructable :D i would make that but i wouldn't be dertermined enough or have enough cardboard D:

[mashford]

Really cool! I hope I can make one for my kids by holiday season this winter. Where is the motor and battery pack in the final product? It appears to be on top of the base, near the main wheel, in the picture showing how you hot-glued to the base (as opposed to underneath), but I don't see it in following photos and videos? Thanks.

[seamster]

Take a look at the last couple of steps--I redid motor and drive in the "upgraded" version. The motor and batteries are now inside the little building with the red roof on top of the tower. I'm glad you like it--thanks for the comment! Good luck with your own!

[seamster]

I guess I don't have a really good photo showing the new motor assembly... But the second video shows it pretty well from the backside of the tower.

[MrMMatricks]

Hi! Amazing work! What would you think about using a garden hose as track, it's easily bendable and you only need to cut it in half, thefore doubling the distance possible with it :) M

[seamster]

Garden hose would definitely be worth trying out. Also, I imagine PVC or copper tubing seem like readily available, practical materials.

[MixMasterM]

Cool and nicely done! I'd slow that lift motor way down thought. It's kinda hectic and less enjoyable watching it crank continuously at that rate.

[seamster]

Yeah, it does go pretty fast. I'd prefer a slower lift as well, but this is what I ended up with. Any ideas on how I could slow it down (without modifying the entire mode of operation)?

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

I LIKED IT FASTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hhmmmfff....

[MixMasterM]

I'd personally go with a potentiometer in series with the motor. That way, you could adjust the speed as there will be a point at which the motor stalls or won't start. You can get pots at Radio Shack (oh, sorry, it's "The Shack" now... /gag) for under $2 last time I looked. You could also do the mechanical reduction, but that will not be easily adjustable for fine tuning.

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

wyd they name it the shack anyway... i hate those comercials...:-0 :-P

[stringstretcher]

Replace the pulley on the motor with a smaller one, gearing it down, in effect.

[Padlock]

Lower the voltage. Take out a battery from the battery pack and replace it with a similarly sized bolt.

[Padlock]

Repeat as necessary.

[budsiskos]

you can just place a cheap 25 ohm pot in series with the battery and motor for speed control

[Padlock]

You could. But, unlike a bolt, most people don't have a pot lying around.

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

if you got a wall wart it would go FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!

[marken321]

really good Instructable, I am going to build one as soon as I get some cardboard

[eyebot117]

Called "rolling ball sculptures" (yes, this is a sculpture-believe it or not), usually made of metal tracks however, rolling ball sculptures are a highly elegant form of kinetic art. I think you should investigate this art form further by checking out these links-http://www.eddiesmind.com/ and http://www.rollingballsculpture.com.

[seamster]

I was actually doing some googling right after posting this, and saw the eddiesmind page. Those metal ones are awesome. When I was in college, somebody made a giant "RBS" for bowling balls. It was about 3 or 4 stories tall inside the center atrium of one of the buildings on campus. It was amazing. That's the only thing I had seen like this, but apparently there's quite a bit more out there.

[eyebot117]

I'm actually thinking about building a couple of these from metal-similar to those on eddiesmind and rollingballsculpture.com. Only, on mine, I'm going to add other elements to make it WAY cooler-light, sound, color, magnetism, air, water, electricity and possibly even fire. I'm also going to use other materials such as wood, stained glass, and natural polished and cut stone.

[seamster]

That will be very interesting. Be sure to take lots of photos and videos so you can show everyone how you make it!

[Covo]

this is a great, uber- complicated version of something I do with my kids (I teach middle school physics). Here is a link if interested... http://www.ericksonscience.com/Fun%20Stuff/Roller%20Coastet/How%20to%20make%20a%20roller%20coaster.htm

[seamster]

Cool! That is exactly how I made marble tracks as a kid--with two sides and a flat bottom. Much easier to get simple, quick results. Those are great instructions for getting started making stuff like this. Can I put that link in the body of my instructable so others will be sure to see it?

[Covo]

Sure... I plan to show the videos in your instructable as " imspiration" to my students!!!

[godofal]

this is really fun, does it also work with multiple marbles? that would really be fun ;)

[trooperrick]

Nice, i really like the upgrades.

[seamster]

Thank you!

[5533888]

COOL!!!!!!!!

[nerd12]

it pretty good dude. only problem is that i would not be able to get the parts for this.

[Bartboy]

THIS MUST WIN!!!!!! Only 91 votes? Keep voting!

[art260]

Seamster, Very impressive. It is amazing what can be accomplished with common articles. Two issues that I would like to bring up. First, it’s not that the steel balls are too heavy for the track the track is too fast for the steel balls. I learned all the necessary coaster math in a college physics class. Now I don’t know where you are in the evolutionary scale but believe me when I say that this is all within the grasp of a high school student or even an enlighten pre high school student. You need to get and understand all the linear equations (no calculus here) that deal with mass, velocity and acceleration. You need to know the mass (the more sensitive the better) of the balls that you are using and the coefficient of friction between the track and the ball. This can be measured. With your Atari computer and a good assembler you can build a sensitive velocity meter. The rest is math. With this knowledge you could replicate any wood roller coaster hear in the sates. Art

[LOOPDOP]

hear in the sates?? wtf!

[seamster]

Huh... Thank you?

[KryptoTSD]

If these old mouse balls fly off, try Large marbles... They're heavier, and they don't bounce...

[der_fisherman]

I agree completely, great build, looks good, runs great, real fun and the slow down was a good idea, but you need more Balls!

[seamster]

There were quite a few ball jokes I considered including with this, but kept myself reasonably restrained. If you look at the top of the lift right where the balls drop, there are two little flags. At one point there was a little sign between them that said "HANG ON TO YOUR BALLS!" I thought it was hilarious, but my wife said it was too crass.

[frollard]

GREAT job on the update!!! Absolutely wonderful with the colours, and the new lift ramp! I like overkill...looks like you need about 14-20 marbles in there to have a continuous stream :D (the lift moves 7 marbles in the time it takes one to go from top to bottom, and the lift holds about 12...) MAYHEM!

[seamster]

This really was a fun project. Thanks for the feedback!

[ruler challenged]

This is so cool, I have a small roller coaster made by "Mr. Christmas" where the pulley stopped working, I'm giving my husband your Instructable and maybe he can attempt to fix it now. Thank you so much for the time you take to share your work and ideas, "ruler challenged" folks like me are lucky to have all of you.

[sleeepy2]

That is unbelievably awesome.

[russm313]

First class as usual! Good work!

[yanni50]

this is very very cool.

[joypad]

how do it handle with multiple balls?

[seamster]

Very well. The video only shows it with two balls, but it handles more just fine.

[pdub77]

Awesome!

[Patented]

Wow Amazing! what a nice project! You got my vote man!!

[I_am_Canadian]

Great work! My only suggestiong would be to add more balls to it so there are multiple balls rolling around it at once. All in all a brilliant project - You have my vote!

[seamster]

I've only got two of these steelies, otherwise I would!

[GianniMora]

love the new paint job:)

[fozzy13]

wow I was going to make one of these for the contest but made an engine instead, what was I thinking?? Great job : )

[Furball_Fidelis]

Nice instructable...sorta reminds me of the old game by Maxis...known as "Marble Drop"

[russm313]

Dude, this is top notch! Of course I wouldn't expect anything less from the man that created the Atari lamp! (still my favorite btw). Excellent work, you've got my vote, even though I've got an entry in this contest too! Awesome, just awesome!

[seamster]

Wow, I really appreciate that. You are the man! I've rebuilt parts of it, slowed the lift down, and it's in the process of being painted. Be sure to check back!

[russm313]

I can't wait to see the revision.

[paulzox]

Awesome job! I think i might try to do the same thing with flexible copper tube

[amakerguy]

This is totally Awesome!!! Voted! and Rated 5*

[seamster]

Thank you!

[SneekyPeet]

This is so awesome man, I could sit and watch it run all day long :D

[frollard]

I love marble machines! Knex made it too easy :S I used to build them out of the U channels of cardboard that gigantic tootsie rolls came in - perfect size for marbles, and could be cut into overlapping ribs to form any shape by cutting the left, right, l+bottom, r+bottom, or left+right parts of the channel. 5 from me! As others suggest - having the motor turn a larger part of the 'pulley', and having that pulley turn a SMALLER part of the drive belt, it would reduce speed - or add another pulley stage to drop the speed by 'lots' :D

[stringstretcher]

Nice job! I can watch one of these for hours...

[Mavamaarten]

Whoa VERRRY nice xD I have thesame motor laying arround. Did you break open a not THAT old HP printer ? I did xD Maybe I'll try this one day... I just haven't got that much cardboard O_o

[OverSaltedFry]

Along with a different gear ratio you could also put a switch at the bottom of the lift and one at the top. The one at the bottom would turn it on and once the marble hits the top one it turns off, I don't know how well this would work if there were more than one marble though.

[skimmo]

ha thats wonderful, its like one of those old marble works with the plastic parts that clip together

[chinchymork]

sweet i would probably look at it like once and be board though haha 5 stars

[squirt8500]

Possbily a sensor to tell if the marble is coming then turn on the motor

[quesoman]

one word........ incredible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[valamas]

Fantastic! Have you tried it with a few marbles, like 10!? lol I guess you could increase the elevator teeth distance too.

[seamster]

Thanks! I've put a handful of marbles on it, and it's pretty cool. I'm actually changing a whole bunch of stuff on it right now, so be sure to check back soon.

[PieMaster777]

OMG it goes fast!

[PieMaster777]

Awesome. No further comment.

[Yenrac102486]

Dude hardcore!

[Creativeman]

Very cool. cman

[Kiteman]

You should have entered this into the cardboard contest!

[seamster]

I did!

[Kiteman]

No logo at the top yet - have you had the "entry received" email?

[seamster]

Yes. (And I like the color suggestions too!)

[lemonie]

Makes a spooky-noise but it's good. Paint-job coming? L

[seamster]

Yes. The track gets kind of lost among all the brown of the other cardboard and base. Any suggestions for colors?

[Kiteman]

I would suggest a nice bright American-school-bus-yellow, with black or red edging. Then use a dark-coloured marble so you can see it more clearly in the track.

[baken411]

whoa that thing moves fast, i,ve always wanted to make one of these i believe i will soon now. good work