My son had one of those as a kid for a marble run toy. The lift was around = 40cm. It was more of a vertical conveyor belt than a wheel though. Another = possibility: Imagine a long vertical groove in the face of the vertical surface (assumin= g there is one) of comparable but slightly smaller width to the diameter of= a marble leading from the bottom where the marbles are queued after exitin= g the ball fall system to the top of the lift. A long Archimedes screw runn= ing at constant speed lifts a marble which is partially caught in this groo= ve all the way to the top where it rolls out. You could sense the marbles a= t various points on the way up so as to allow another one into the screw li= ft at the bottom via a solenoid gate. This should space the marbles out & a= void overloading the system. A 2m long screw will be a littly wobbly, so pr= ovision for bracing it might be necessary. Something as simple as a pipe cl= amp might be OK. However given your time constraints, getting hold of such a screw could be = problematic :). I'm guessing you don't have one in your spares box...... Joe ________________________________________ From: piclist-bounces@mit.edu [piclist-bounces@mit.edu] On Behalf Of Jean-P= aul Louis [louijp@yahoo.com] Sent: 04 December 2013 17:43 To: Microcontroller discussion list - Public. Subject: Re: [OT]:: Design and make a marble lift - NOW! Russell, The answer is =93noria=94. Google is your best friend. Basically a bicycle chain and buckets, two cogs and small motor with reduce= r. Jean-Paul AC9GH On Dec 4, 2013, at 9:28 AM, RussellMc wrote: > Question: My mission, should I accept it, is to design & build a marble > lift by lunchtime. > Comments and ideas welcome. > See below. > _________ > > As part of a (stunningly impressive) Christmas related display I have bee= n > given the task of making a "marble lift" to take plastic marbles from the > exit of a ball fall system and return them to the top. > I was given this task "if I wanted it" at about 1am. > I'ts 3am Thursday . > I am about to go to sleep. > This needs to be working by midday Thursday OR at least by that stage > certain to work. > Display opens friday. > If I pass the magic set builder man will probably come up with something > that works in no time flat. > Maybe not. > > Marbles, plastic, lighter and smaller than std glass marbles. Can measure > but should not be needed. > Vertical lift ~=3D 2 metres. > > _______________ > > Have windscreen wiper motor with reciprocating action and also with rotar= y > at 45 and 60 rpm. > > Can have air from 12v COMPRESSOR OR MAINS COMPRESSOR. > cAN DO AIR SOLENOIDS BUT TIME LIMITED FOR PLAYING. > > Can do motors, solenoids, maybe flickers, blowers, lifts ... ? > > ______________ > > Balls may ascend in batches or in 1's. Rate of ball flow said not to be > very critical but I suspect having N balls in play at once is desirable s= o > ascent flow rate ~ >=3D descent probably. > > Space limited if possible. ie a wheel or sloped conveyer not desirable. > > Extra points if ascent is visible and impressive in its own right. > > > ___________ > > Note" Archimedes screw does not work as most people think it does - it mu= st > be inclined and there are always "buckets" within the screw that hold flu= id > even when stopped. > So a vertical screw is not suited to archimedes screw use. Not really > enough room here for inclined screw. Probably. COULD angle across front o= f > multi shelf ball fall on outside inside clear tube. > > - Solenoid flicker - use more energy than needed and a deflector plate at > top. > > - Motor turns and winds up then releases a spring lever to flick ball. > > - Air blow - batch or single. > > - Vacuum > > - Angled bristles against a shark tooth plate (sawtooth wave shape - > bristles move up and down and balls catch in sawtooth to give mainly > upwards flow. > Some version of this may work well and be "not to hard". > > - Buckets on endless loop. > > - Bucket with direction change. > > - Most certain: > > Length of wood (say) is reciprocated vertically. > There are 3 possible columns that balls may be in. > Channels in moving wood or in base plate can move balls between columns - > slight down slope. > > Inject ball at 1. > Column has 1->2 channel. Ball is in 2. > Ball thus cannot roll out again into 1 entry hole. > Move column vertical to 1st channel in base plate =3D 2->3. > Ball leaves column and enters base channel and rolls to 3. > Column descends and channel in column descends down to ball. > Channel is 3->1 . Ball enters column and rolls to 1. > Lift column - exist into 1->2 in base plate > ... > > Stroke >=3D vertical spacing of holes. > Determinate action. > > 3:27am. Sleep calls. > > > Russell > -- > http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive > View/change your membership options at > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist -- http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist --=20 http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .