Project A.F.F: a K'nex Ball Machine

_This was my entry for the 2015 K'nex Contest_

Hello fellow Instructables viewers!

I am proud to present to you, my third K'nex ball machine, Project A.F.F.

This is my most complex ball machine, and the first of its kind.

Not only is this a standard ball machine, but it also serves a practical use compared to other ball machines that only circulate balls. This machine actually feeds fish.

Yes, indeed, this is the world's first K'nex ball machine to actually feed fish! (If there is another, please let me know).

Currently, this only uses a one-time feeding mechanism. This is meant for people who are, say, going on a trip for a day, but still need to feed their fish. All you have to do is connect the motor to a timer, set the time of feeding and Voilà! the machine takes care of the rest.

It's a simple mechanism: As the ball falls through a free-fall, it pushes out two clickers. The bottom one then pushes a tray over that holds the food, thus releasing the food into the tank below. The tray then tips back over, due to the counter weight. Watch the video to see this in action.

In order to hold the tank, I also created a sturdy table that can easily hold the tank while it's filled with rocks, water, and fish (of course). The table also includes a little theming, and is the support structure for the paths.

Oh, did I forget to mention that there are two paths? Yes, not only does this machine feed fish, but it also contains two paths for the ball to travel through once it has fed the fish. You can run this as a regular ball machine, without feeding!

So, why the name Project A.F.F? Well, "A.F.F" stands for:

Automatic

Fish

Feeder

Pretty simple, huh?

Here is some more information:

Build time: 5/3/15 - 5/25/15

Height: 3.8 feet (1.6 meters)

Length: 1.6 feet (0.5 meters)

Width: 2.6 feet (0.8 meters)

Number of lifts: 1 (Vertical Chainsaw Lift)

Number of paths: 2

A large, sturdy table it also included to hold the tank.

Special thanks to: Knextreme, for the main element in path 1 and the used design of the Vertical Chainsaw Lift.

Project A.F.F was selected as a finalist in the 2015 K'nex Contest! Thanks everyone!

Thanks for reading, watching the video, and checking out my Instructable! I hope you enjoyed this project; I know that I'm proud of it. See you all next time!

-Knex2thelimit-