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Great Ball Contraptions

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  • greatballpitgreatballpit Member Posts: 85
    No pics at the moment, but all I did was drill a small hole into the bottom of the battery box and soldered 2 leads that attach to a female socket that my store bought 9VDC adapter can plug into.  I think I used 2.1x5.5 connectors for the female/male connections.
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,075
    Thanks -- I've ordered a panel mounted socket, the smallest diameter I could find, and a corresponding plug and intend to mount the socket on the side of the battery box, the grey bit. I'll post pics when I'm done.
  • greatballpitgreatballpit Member Posts: 85
    Here's my latest module.  Have you guys been building any GBC lately?

    https://youtu.be/waUO3REryN8

    stluxCCCDjblythe05sid3windrAstrobricksLittleLoriSeijiAmasawabandit778
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,075
    edited February 2019
    I saw that on Discord and thought the tipping tray was very clever. I might have to attempt a pure Technic version!

    I've been refining my modules for the Reading event this weekend, so haven't built anything new lately.
    Speedman29
  • PaperballparkPaperballpark Member Posts: 4,260
    edited February 2019
    That's very clever!

    I've not done any more, no. Other non-lego things have taken over at the moment (I'm selling my house), meaning virtually all my Lego is currently in storage.

    Even when I do eventually get more time, and get my Lego back out of storage, I have a different building project planned...
  • nexandernexander Member Posts: 908
    ^^^Nice. I'm planning to take a crack at a gbc module and was thinking of making it themed too.
  • Speedman29Speedman29 Member Posts: 2,293
    Huw said:
    I've been refining my modules for the Reading event this weekend, so haven't built anything new lately.
    We're going on Saturday, always one of my daughters favourite displays at Swindon.
    Huw
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,075
    See you there!
  • Speedman29Speedman29 Member Posts: 2,293
    Back from an awesome day at Reading Brick show. The GBC looked to be a massive hit with the crowds. Some friends of ours couldn't believe it was all just Lego!
    Some new modules in the layout. The Racers track circle with sweeper was brilliant.
    Also loved the tyre shooter. Firing balls up the ramp.
    And the digger bucket drop.

    CymbelineShibSirBenAstrobricksGothamConstructionCopxchrisstluxLittleLori
  • flecskiflecski Member Posts: 83
    Last saw this in Swindon, so it was great to see the new additions in Reading. I'd love to try this, but a mixture of lack of time, and lack of balls, means it will have to wait.
    Great work Huw and the other guy who I spoke to but can't remember his name.

    Flec
    Calv
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,075
    Thanks Flec, glad you like it. The other guy was Jonathan.
    flecski
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,075
    edited February 2019
    Here's my bit of the circuit at the weekend.

    https://youtu.be/SPRbPjF5kcA

    I had intended to film the whole lot but a brat got in the way at the end and I didn't get a chance to re-film. I think Jamie took one of the whole circuit.

    Ball circulation time was about 5 and a half minutes.
    playwellpxchrisCCCAstrobricksPeteMSirBenstluxGothamConstructionCoBrickster7
  • CalvCalv Member Posts: 904
    edited February 2019
    Very impressive Huw, looks like you have been busy with some new modules. Spotted the "brat" right at the the end - hopefully he's a YFOL - Young Fan of Lego!

    Think we need an update on your latest modules!
  • Speedman29Speedman29 Member Posts: 2,293
    Congratulations on the "best in show" win as well. Saw it posted on Reading Brick Show FB page
  • PaperballparkPaperballpark Member Posts: 4,260
    I'm afraid I didn't. I was on a video call with my girlfriend and her little boy (he's captivated by GBCs).
  • SnapshotSnapshot Member Posts: 22
    edited February 2019
    I blame Huw & Jamie. I helped them with their display at STEAM last year and got hooked. I've built about a dozen modules since then, albeit not much of my own design, and we used most of them at Reading at some point. Not many of them failed and it was very encouraging for a first time out. @greatballpit my copies of your Solaire and Whirligig just chugged along happily all weekend.
    Andrew Danieli has two videos in his Flickr album that cover the whole circuit but not in as much detail as would be ideal.
    Erk, Speedman29's photo shows there's not much hair left on the back of my bonce......

    Jonathan
    PaperballparkflecskiHuwstluxSpeedman29
  • AstrobricksAstrobricks Member Posts: 5,436
    “Bonce” - My new word of the day :)
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    Snapshot said:

    Erk, Speedman29's photo shows there's not much hair left on the back of my bonce......

    Jonathan
    It's OK, your noggin is a mirror image of Huw's!

    Astrobricks said:
    “Bonce” - My new word of the day :)
    ^ There's another one for you.
  • SnapshotSnapshot Member Posts: 22
    But as a bonce is a large marble it's much more appropriate in this conversation.

  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    Now you've got me thinking ... the tyres used to fire the balls up a ramp. I can imagine marbles or even ball bearings of the right diameter having a fair bit of momentum if shot from a similar device.
  • dmcc0dmcc0 Member Posts: 778
    ^ I'm pretty sure that the ball-firing Nerf Rival guns use exactly this method.  Vaguely remember seeing a YouTube vid from Adam Savage (ex Mythbusters) where he made a 1000 round mag for one.  Not sure of the diameter of the balls, but I'd imagine a even GBC ball fired from one of those would be pretty painful, never mind a marble or ball bearing.  Ouch!   
  • AstrobricksAstrobricks Member Posts: 5,436
    CCC said:
    Snapshot said:

    Erk, Speedman29's photo shows there's not much hair left on the back of my bonce......

    Jonathan
    It's OK, your noggin is a mirror image of Huw's!

    Astrobricks said:
    “Bonce” - My new word of the day :)
    ^ There's another one for you.
    I’ve used noggin my whole life :)
  • Brickster7Brickster7 Member Posts: 8
    Huw, I watched Jamie's video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U75V5Xtjveo) and really enjoyed the full set of modules. Lots of different and creative stuff, and lots of bright colors.

    A lot of your modules resemble some of Maico Arts designs, but redone in a (fully?) studless manner using Technic parts. Would you be willing to post instructions for some of your versions?
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,075
    edited March 2019
    Yes, I'm definitely from the Maico Arts school of GBC module design and I often like to re-engineer other people's designs that are usually made in System to studless Technic, rather than just built them exactly the same.

    I've not found the time to document any of them but if there are any particular you want to have a go at I'll be happy to take some more pictures to enable you to reverse engineer them.
  • Brickster7Brickster7 Member Posts: 8
    Huw, I understand about the time to document modules. Some pictures of modules from different angles would be very helpful. And If you ever take one apart, you could make a tear-down video and then play it backwards.

    I would be interested in seeing more of the steppers and pin lifter. Those are both good basic modules that beginners could get into.

    I have plenty of Technic parts from some of the big sets, but keep having to BrickLink system parts when needed.
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,075
    edited March 2019
    OK. The Pin lifter is a nice simple module that is great to watch but can be a bit slow to put in a circuit, at least it is they way I've geared it. I'll photo it in a minute for you.
    flecski
  • mout40gbcmout40gbc Member Posts: 0
    Hello

    I build a lot of GBC often from Maico and some from Aykiyuki and greatball pitt. sometime I make myself or modify existing modules.

    This time I want to build the module ALittleSlow's Serpentine module but I can not find much information.

    Thank you
  • dmcc0dmcc0 Member Posts: 778
    Asked and answered on your Eurobricks forum post from earlier in the week (assuming it was you - similar username and both from Belgium)

    Instructions here:
    http://alittleslow.wikidot.com/wiki:serpentine

  • PaperballparkPaperballpark Member Posts: 4,260
    There's also a thread about GBCs here: https://forum.brickset.com/discussion/27879/great-ball-contraptions/p1
  • PaperballparkPaperballpark Member Posts: 4,260
    In my experience you never stop having to Bricklink parts...
    JenniSirBenbandit778
  • SirBenSirBen Member Posts: 592
    Paperballpark said:
    In my experience you never stop having to Bricklink parts...
    You can join a LUG and start buying them in bulk! Especially helpful for gears.
  • SnapshotSnapshot Member Posts: 22

    SirBen said:
    Paperballpark said:
    In my experience you never stop having to Bricklink parts...
    You can join a LUG and start buying them in bulk! Especially helpful for gears.
    As Jamie is the chairman of a LUG, I suspect he knows that.

    PaperballparkSirBen
  • PaperballparkPaperballpark Member Posts: 4,260
    Even with getting parts that way, I still find there's a need to BL parts for most mocs, especially if you don't want it to be BOLOCs (Built Of Lots Of Colours) ;)
    SirBenJenni
  • SnapshotSnapshot Member Posts: 22
    Brickster7 said:
    I would be interested in seeing more of the steppers and pin lifter. Those are both good basic modules that beginners could get into.

    I have plenty of Technic parts from some of the big sets, but keep having to BrickLink system parts when needed.
    I believe Huw's lime two-stepper is pretty much as Maico's design but with the input bin stretched by six studs and with a motor on the side instead of using Maico's shared power system. I've just made my own version of this and it wasn't too difficult.
    I'm now working on my version of Huw's six-stepper and I think I've got the lift mechanism cracked. I'll try to take a photo or three later today.
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,075
    edited March 2019
    Yes, it is exactly as you say, with a nice big input basket. It's useful for regulating the flow of balls round the circuit if needed.

    I can photo the bottom of 6-stepper if you need me to.

    @brickster7 Here are pics of the pin lifter. I believe the mechanism is much the same as Maico's, but with the new worm gear. https://www.flickr.com/photos/hmillington/albums/72157707509319435

    The input basket is not much use, the sides should be raised a bit if it's to accommodate 30 balls.


  • SnapshotSnapshot Member Posts: 22
    No thanks, Huw. I think I'm there now apart from adding the motor and building the sides of the input bin. The hint I got at Reading that you were using a swinging bar to link the pairs of steps and a simple rocking action to move them was enough to get my brain cell working. The tricky bit was configuring the cam and link to the swinging bar as its throw is so short.
    What I've only just realised is that the extended input bin is pointless as the steps are much lower that a large number of balls would flood the first two steps. Asmall amoutn of rebuilding will follow.....


  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,075
    Splendid... The bin should be enough for 30 balls.
  • Brickster7Brickster7 Member Posts: 8
    Huw said:

    @brickster7 Here are pics of the pin lifter. I believe the mechanism is much the same as Maico's, but with the new worm gear. https://www.flickr.com/photos/hmillington/albums/72157707509319435
    Thank you, those pictures are very helpful! My son made an LDD file from the pictures and I'll try building it soon.
    Huw
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,075
    Cool -- perhaps he'd like to do more of my machines? :)
  • nexandernexander Member Posts: 908
    edited March 2019
    I'm know I'm dancing on the line a bit here but whats the thoughts on the PV balls?  

    I have official ones coming via lugbulk however I don't want to wait that long!

    The plan is to make one of the closed loop arocs based gbcs to learn and display (we don't have any gbc displayers up here) before several of us team up with our own for next year.  Hopefully I can persuade @dmcc0 to be involved too!  :)
  • dmcc0dmcc0 Member Posts: 778
    I've got a load of modules on my to build list, but I never seem to have time to actually build any. Still in the process of sorting and clearing out unwanted sets at the moment which seems to be taking a lot longer than I'd planned.  Would love to get involved in a display when I actually get around to it though.
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,075
    ^^ Never tried them but if you're just using with your own machines you can obviously ensure they all work with them before displaying.

  • Brickster7Brickster7 Member Posts: 8
    edited March 2019
    nexander said:
    I'm know I'm dancing on the line a bit here but whats the thoughts on the PV balls?  
    We got some a while back (with an order for some of their GBC MOC instructions). They appear to be very similar to the official Lego balls in size and weight, enough to be a good substitute for testing purposes. I've been thinking about getting a set of the new glow in the dark balls from PV.

    The Quercetti marbles also seem to be a decent substitute for GBC balls, but I would trust the PV balls more since they were supposedly made for GBC purposes.

    Edit: I should also mention that these other brand balls are good for testing during development, but I would also recommend using the real Lego balls for final testing before taking your modules to a GBC show.
  • Brickster7Brickster7 Member Posts: 8
    Huw said:
    Cool -- perhaps he'd like to do more of my machines? :)
    I asked him, and he said sure. If you provide the pictures, we can model the parts and send you the LDD file if you like.
  • nexandernexander Member Posts: 908
    ^^ I think I will get some to do me for my own modules etc.  Won't be doing joining up with others until after Lugbulk arrives so can switch to proper ones then and not have to worry about them causing others problems.
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,075
    ^^ Fantastic, thanks -- I'll photo my scissor lift, which I'm particularly proud of, and which is fairly simple and compact, soon!
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    ^ Following on from your technic history ones, is it time for some GBC articles on the frontpage?

    dmcc0stluxBumblepantsDjblythe05SirBen
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,075
    Probably not -- we don't cover MOCs as a rule...
  • playwellplaywell Member Posts: 2,280
    ^ Not really covering individual MOCs as that would take us down a new road but an introduction into the world of GBC might be good for people who have never seen one and covering the rules and conventions for people would want to make their own with examples would be good. 
    stluxdmcc0LittleLoriMynatt
  • greatballpitgreatballpit Member Posts: 85
    Here's my latest.  An EV3 ball counter.  It's not super interesting, but I think it will be fun for my upcoming show in May to keep track of the count.

    https://youtu.be/CXH0dY7x2lc

    Switchfoot55LittleLoriBrickfan50
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