Introduction: Quad Switch (Knex Path Separator)
Hello everyone!! This path separator is my own design which was featured in my ball machine Evolution. This was inspired by Thibault's separator. A ball rolls onto the wheel rotating it and three "bumpers" 90 degrees. The ball will then roll about the main path the whole route or only a certain portion depending on which bumper is hanging down on the path.
Watch the video for a better explanation...
Step 1: Piece Count
Lucky for you guys, I did a piece count which will be easier to process if you know for sure you have enough of each piece.
Pictures 2-4 show what pieces I'm talking about below in case you get confused.
Rods
Gray 9
Black 2
Red (metallic green) 23
Yellow (metallic gray) 26
Blue 46
White 55
Green 49
Connectors
One-Way Gray 30
Two-Way Light Gray 12
Orange 23
Red 45
Green 9
Yellow 40
Four-Way Gray 25
Blue 17
White 3
Miscellaneous
Gray spacer 43
Blue spacer 27
Tan clip 11
Blue clip 9
Orange clip 1
Y-connector 1
Black end clip 2
Large Gray End Wheel 1
(Knex Balls)
Step 2: Starting the Base
This small portion will be a guide to building the rest of the structure. Just build what is shown and all pictures here are different angles.
Step 3: Adding Mechanisms and Paths
There are multiple components built in this step, so pay close attention to where everything is attached.
Step 4: Building the Rest of the Base
Now it's time to build the rest of the structure that hold everything else in its place.
Step 5: Adding the Main Paths
These will be the main and "output" paths.
Step 6: Adding the Wheel Shifter and Axle
Here is the rotating wheel which will rotate the axle where the bumpers will be added in the next step.
Step 7: Adding the Bumpers
This is the hardest part of making this separator. Just pay close attention to the position and angle of each piece and where they're supposed to go.
Step 8: You're FINISHED!
