Loop d' loop before and after.

Here are the two wires bent for a loop d' loop. Notice the track spacer at the start of the track. There are two spacers, but you can only see one in this photo. The spacers are to hold everything in place so it cannot twist while I am working on the curves.


See how well the loops came together after some spacers were added.

Now the loops are added to the others - for 14 in a row.

4 in the first section, 6 in the second section and 4 in the last section.

More about making track

Track is the usually ignored aspect of building RBS. But...it is surprisingly important and something you will do quite often if you build your own ball run. The most important thing about track is building the corners so the ball does not come off at any speed. That is why I think it is best when building a tall or multi-track run to start from the top and work your way down. You can let the ball go and see how fast it is going so you know how to bank the upcoming corners. The track you will need for the inside and outside track will vary depending on the amount of banking that you will need. A slow corner will not need much banking and the amount of track used on the inside of the curve is much less than the outside. But if your ball is going fast then it will just shoot off the curve if you do not bank the corner appropriately. The ball does not have to be going very fast to stay in a corner that is almost vertical. A vertical corner uses almost the same amount of wire on the inside and oustide rails.

My point is...make only a couple corners at a time. Add supports to that section and then send down the marble. Make your next curves match the speed of the ball while leading it all around your sculpture. My final advice? Keep the speed of the marble low whenever possible. A slow marble does not want to jump the track, and is less susceptible to ambient vibrations. More track...Oh no! Get a reliable way to space and hold your rails in place and it will be a snap! Well, almost... : )

Final spiral video

See the last video that will deal with just spirals...I will be working on tipping arms next, and the remaining track. Stay tuned.

Aluminum caps dress up the Drive and Idler wheels **BLING**

These caps are made out of aluminum, and mostly made on the mill. There are 36 grooves in each of the disks. The two pointy nose cones, which each have 12 sides, are polished.

Here are the parts, apart. There are two hidden set screws in the caps that go on the two idler wheels. The caps do not rotate, just the disk behind them, so you can see the disk's reflection in it's polished surface.

Here's the drive wheel. Both parts turn at the same time.

Here's the left idler wheel. And below is a quick Youtube video of the wheels in motion. Check it out!

More spirals, and a track tune-up.

I built 5 more spirals. There are three counter-clockwise and two clockwise. It's easier to make several at the same time instead of installing and making one at a time. Track tip: Don't forget to cut and face the ends of your track incoming and outgoing your spiral. It may be difficult to get a grinder in there once it is in place.

Here are those 5 spirals installed and hooked up to track. It takes a little over a minute for a marble to get from the top to the bottom of this track alone. The track is pretty close to the bottom. I will leave it where it is. I may be able to fit on one more spiral, but until I know how high the tracks will be where the they starts to merge, I want to leave myself plenty of room. I'll try and get some new video next week.

I also fixed this ugly corner I had built after the last loop d' loop. It was not smooth and very loud. In the picture above I am refering to the 90 degree corner caged in at the bottom after the last tight loop - turing away from the wall.

Here is that same corner - except it is changed into a smooth, fast, quiet corner that looks better, too. Now the exiting marble glides through that section fast, and is ready to twirl through the next set of loops . (Not yet added). Also see the left idler wheel. Ready to be idle.

Now the spirals in motion

Here are the spirals, added and functional. The track does bounce around a bit, but I don't want to add the final supports until all of the track and elements are in place. In a way, you want it to be self supporting by connecting to itself and not rely on long supports you may not have needed. Although I'm sure I could add a couple...

Spirals Online

Here are those same 4 spirals, installed, and ready to roll...

Spirals

4 spirals. Two clockwise, two counter-clockwise.

And today...a video - #73 - Take one

Here is what I built have so far...

Really, though, I still have a lot more to go...

Track day 3

Here is my progress as of today. I still have a lot more track to build. I always build the loop d' loops first because they need their space. It's much easier to build around them, than to try and fit one in.



This is the loop d' loop close up. It has 10 loops in a row. There will be more then 10 loops total, but the last section is not build and added yet. This phase of building is fun and challenging. Even though things get to go wherever I want them, that doesnt mean that it is easy to decide where everything should go...

#73 In Progress

I started building the track today. I installed the 3 switches needed to turn one path into 4 paths. The ring turns slowly so that approx 3.5 marbles per minute are released onto the tracks. It takes 1:15secs for one marble to get picked up from the bottom and get released at the top.



This is a closeup of the track. I still need to brush off the welds spots to clean them. When a sculpture has more than one track I always make and install all of the necessary track splitters and then go from there. The third switch will have fewest marbles.


Want to see how it moves so far? Watch this short movie.

10 hours later....

I ended my Thursday with an idea of how I was going to make the ball ejector for getting the marbles out of the ring at the top. I had something started, and spent that night thinking all I had to do was go ahead a finish it. Unfortunately, it did not work out that well. I worked on that particular design until about 3:00 pm, on Friday - I wanted to give up as it just did not work. In fact I remade that part 5, count them, 5 different times. All a failure. The main problem being the wire that was supposed to push out the marble didn't travel into the hole far enough. The secondary problem was I had to make it work, at any cost of time. Finally I scrapped what I had, and after something to eat, tried again. After all of the problems I had been having with the first design, I was starting to get an idea of what I needed to change to make it work.

This picture (above) shows the ejector pin fully extended into the hole. You can see that the pin coming out from the wood ring is just about to pass the lever, and let it fall back to it's resting position.

This is design that works. There is a pin sticking out under each hole. This pin pushes into an arm, that in turn pushes into the bottom of the three white bearings. Since the fulcrum is off-center, the top will move farther than the bottom is pushed. Meaning: The bottom is pushed in about 3/4", and the top will move out 1 1/4". This shot (above) shows the pin just about to push into the lever.

This photos shows the pin fully extended into the hole in the ring. The 1/4" rod that is now straight out is a counter weight. It's weight will make the arm return when the pin passes. It will work better than a spring because it will have less pressure, and gravity will never fail. The rubber is to keep it quiet when it drops back to it's resting position.

Finally, here's a view from the top. The white bearing on the right is to keep the ring in the same position at the top, and so that it cannot shift and rub on the ejector pin. Lots of testing and retesting to get to this point, but well worth it. It works flawlessly, and is a joy to watch. (now that it works!)

Now on to track, track and more track. : )

Ring lift and frame completed

For me, this is my blank canvas!

I finished with the first phase of my current project. The first phase is the frame and lift, and the second phase is the track and elements. The ring is 6ft diameter, made from walnut, and has 8 holes for picking up the marbles. The next step for me tomorrow will be to make the lever that will push the balls out at the top, and the track where the balls will be picked up from the bottom. I'll post another picture tomorrow with details of how the marbles will be pushed out.

Below is a close-up of the right idler wheel. This wheel is adjustable so the pressure of the wheel against the ring can be changed if needed. I threaded a piece of 1/4" stainless steel rod, and cut it to length. It is inserted into a nut that's welded to the idler supporting arm, and is adjusted by two more nuts on either side.

Below is the arm that is not adjustable. The blue washer is the ball cage from a thrust bearing, and will eliminate wear in the long run. Getting the idler roller the right shape took a little while to get just right. The wood ring only contacts the idler with the chamfer on it's edge.

Finally, this is how the drive roller is mounted to the frame. I have a C clamp holding it on until I get to the hardware store and purchase the 1/4-28 nuts I need. Good enough for now. To keep the steel from twisting I added the support "kicker" under the motor. Since the wheel is almost 10 inches from the wall there is quite a bit of torque applied to the 1/2" steel tubing. I'll have a movie posted soon.

Mill and Lathe

Here is the Mill and Lathe that I have been using. Each machine has it's intended use. In a Lathe the part turns, and the cutter does not. In a Mill the cutter turns and the part is secured in the vise. Not much to say here, but, wow, I could not do 10% of what I want without these two machines. The lathe is great for making the nylon bearings used in any moving part I make. The mill is great for making the square aluminun pads for mounting my motors. Of course, if you do buy one of these machines, that is only like half the cost. The other half of the cost is all of the tooling you will have to buy to make it do what you want.

It's been fascinating to learn how to use these machines properly. : )

Finshed with the machining

I have finally finished the drive wheel for the ring lift I am making for my next project. The drive wheel is powered by a 10 RPM AC motor. The motor is attached to a shaft that rotates a rubber and plastic wheel, which in turn rotates the large wooden ring that will lift the marbles to the top of the sculpture. The drive wheel will contact the ring at the outer edge. The base and bracket are made from aluminum. The coupling from the motor to the drive shaft is made from stainless steel. The drive wheel itself is made from rubber (center) and plastic end caps. The shaft is stainless steel also. The motor is from McMaster Carr. $45 - I have at least 40+ hrs into this assembly.

This was a very complicated process for the beginner machinist, like me. I won't bore you with the details of construction. This drive wheel will be mounted at the bottom of the frame to support and turn the wood ring lift that Gene built for me. I didn't build the wood ring because I don't work with wood, just metal. Besides the motor and thrust bearngs, everything you see here was made from scratch with a Lathe and Mill. I learned a lot! I wish I could say that I knew what I was doing and just did it, but the reality is that Bill helped me the whole way. I did do all of the work but Bill helped me with the process and what tools to use when, and why. I will probably get Bill's lathe, as he is 80 years old, but I would be much happier with a few more years of experience under him. Bill told me today that if I had to take this design to a machinist he would charge me $3000 to $4000 to complete everything you see in the photo above. Ouch. That wouldn't be a problem if your customer is going to pay for it, but how do you get a quote on something you are not sure of how to make yourself? My answer is to do it yourself. Piece by piece. To be fair I used several tools I had no idea existed, let alone how to use them. But now that I know....well...knowing is half the battle...

This is the wood ring that will lift the marbles to the top. The drive wheel runs clockwise, so this wood ring will rotate counter-clockwise. There is a small groove inside each of the holes to keep the marble from rolling out. I will need to make a mechanical lever that pushes the marbles out when they reach the top. The steel frame is made from 1/2" stainless steel square tubing ($80 per 20 ft) which is cut at 15 degrees. (30 degree total)
I bought a book "507 mechanical movements" very informative. With it I will be able to find just the right movement to get the marbles out. I will put a pin in the inside of the ring to actuate the arm that will push the marbles out, but first things first. This is the mock-up of what the frame will look like. Actually it is missing one more circle that will go to the left and intersect the other two rings, the last circle being smaller by at least half. This will give me framing to connect the two idler rollers to as well as the supports needed for the track and elements.

4 tracks total, should be very nice. Josh, the buyer, wants it to be elegant and quiet. I will have to pay special attention to the tipping arms, and anything else that makes noise.

I will post again soon as I get more done. Back to the shop!