[MOC REVIEW] Akiyuki's Ball Factory

[Theo van Vroenhoven]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder:

Thanks! Does not look bad at all! ;)

[Blakbird]

On 4/6/2015 at 0:29 PM, DrJB said:

Now I have to ask one question: We all know you can do LDraw files/renders with your eyes 'closed', but seriously, how much time did it take to recolor ALL those parts?

1 second. FIND "Color72" REPLACE "Color4". THE POV-Ray input file is just a text file so find and replace is a perfectly viable option. You will see that some parts are red that should not be like the battery box lid, L motor housing, and 24 tooth gears.

Quote

I'm thinking, now that we have many parts available in girls' colors (e.g. lavender buckets), one is tempted to build two versions: Original for him, and pink/fuschia/lavender/purple for her ...

Is this what it takes to get girls to play with GBC? A Friends Factory? I guess there is no reason one of these figs couldn't be maintaining heavy equipment .....

[DrJB]

I 'knew' there was an easy answer. Reason I asked is, I recently discovered a similar feature in LDD, where one can do multiple selection by color or part type. For example, I built the Terex excavator following exactly the colors in the PDF instructions, where there were many black 3L pins, and black 3L axles. It was then very easy to switch those to the more common 3L gray axles and 3L blue pins. All I needed was to select by part, and recolor all such parts with 2-3 clicks, all at once.

[TheRebricker]

I have finally had a chance to read through your post. WOW! Great job on the details! Personally I've been running mine at 1 ball per second, so 1 bucket every 2 seconds. That's the L motor running on the battery pack. That is also the speed of the GBC standard. Also, I've found that the upstream receiving hopper has a small issue where the spiral lift on the front side tends to block the balls coming in. I'm going to rework this to have more of an open hopper like the Akiyuki Original, or the front hopper will have to be designed to wrap around the left side of the lift and drop the balls into the back side hopper. Initial tests reveal either can be done, but I want to do them right so it maintains its look.

Again, great review! Very impressed!

TheRebricker

[aeh5040]

The best technic creation ever, reviewed by the best technic reviewer! Awesomeness overload! Many thanks to Akyuky, Rebricker and Blakbird!

[teflon]

Gosh, I really don't know what to say. This is magnificent. Thank you all - Akiyuki, TheRebricker and Blakbird! For a long time I was wondering if I'll ever build something like this.

I am not very good at building new Lego devices. I've been trying to get two GBC moduls of my own operational during the weekend but the Bricks Gods do not want me. So I just startet to build this. The videos have a nice pace and it seems like contemplating browsing through the build.

Thanks!

[2x4Studios]

Looks Amazing man! Great read

[msx80]

That Akyuky must be a freaking genius. Anyone who ever attempted to build a GBC know how hard it is. The balls seem to be alive and wanting to stuck in ever more unexpected ways, and even the simplest lifter neer carefull parts selection to work properly. Having such mechanisms as this moc, performing multiple back and forth movements, pauses, etc, is mind blowing.

This high quality review perfectly examine the functioning and was an awesome, awesome read!

(And to say nothing about reverse engineering this monster)

[TechniChriS]

That Akyuky must be a freaking genius.

Interview:

Edited April 8, 2015 by TechniChriS

[Askan]

1 second. FIND "Color72" REPLACE "Color4". THE POV-Ray input file is just a text file so find and replace is a perfectly viable option. You will see that some parts are red that should not be like the battery box lid, L motor housing, and 24 tooth gears.

Is there a simple way to find out which parts are/are not available in a particular colour? How would you do that with a minimum of effort? Let’s say you wanted to build it in the “Friends” colours in your last picture.

Sorry if this is OT.

[DrJB]

Is this what it takes to get girls to play with GBC? A Friends Factory? I guess there is no reason one of these figs couldn't be maintaining heavy equipment .....

Nice touch BlakBird ... Thank You.

It's a 'Friends' world and I better not show this to my girl or she'll insist on me building it.

Edited April 9, 2015 by DrJB

[dr_spock]

Thanks for the write up and renders. I would love to make a Friendly GBC.

Has anyone taken this to shows and events? How well does it travel and stay "in tune"?

[Boxerlego]

Wow that is a great review of Akiyuki's ball factory. Looks like a straight forward build mostly. The synchronized function of everything working from one drive unit is outstanding. That must of took some time to get right. My favorite part about this GBC is the bucket wheel. Probably the main part of the build that it was build around next to the balls. Has anybody ever consider that the GBC is an adaptation of a perpetual motion machine.

[jodawill]

Beautiful review. You make us IndyLUGers proud!

Is Akyuky a mechanical engineer by day? His stuff is so fantastic. I've wanted to build GBC modules for a long time, but I can never come up with any original ideas, except one that I think is way beyond my abilities.

[dr_spock]

Wow that is a great review of Akiyuki's ball factory. Looks like a straight forward build mostly. The synchronized function of everything working from one drive unit is outstanding. That must of took some time to get right. My favorite part about this GBC is the bucket wheel. Probably the main part of the build that it was build around next to the balls. Has anybody ever consider that the GBC is an adaptation of a perpetual motion machine.

I think they are more like Rube Goldberg type machines. You're basically moving a ball from point A to point B with a lot of extra process steps in between.

I've wanted to build GBC modules for a long time, but I can never come up with any original ideas, except one that I think is way beyond my abilities.

Just build something. It doesn't have to be complex or original. Everyone has to start somewhere on their GBC journey.

[Boxerlego]

I think they are more like Rube Goldberg type machines. You're basically moving a ball from point A to point B with a lot of extra process steps in between.

Rube gold berg machine are more like dominoes type contraptions where a several things got to happen in order to do something very simple like pouring a hot water in a coffee cup. You are right about GBC having to operating as Rube Goldberg type machines but GBS's are more along the lines of moving ball from point to point as you say and upon saying that I present to you the Ultimate GBC machine.

Edited April 9, 2015 by Boxerlego

[Nalyd997]

In the GBC that I contributed to we had a friends themed module built by one of the guys daughter. It was based on a set and looked really cool! His son built a Chima one as well

[ThiagoMaster]

This is just amazing. I would really love to build it, but I believe I still need some more experience.

Thanks for sharing!

[bjorkan]

It is like a fairy tale for olders :) please, can I see it again...

[Bob Kojima]

WOW! i have always wanted to build this MOC and now i can. thank you so much for all your work on this!

bob

[RohanBeckett]

Not sure if I will regret this (mainly the time and size involved)...

..but I have 99% of parts needed (not in correct colours)...

.....and I just placed an order for the remaining few - 20 buckets, and 50 extra track-links...

not 100% sure I will go through with it yet... but will find time to watch all the videos in the next few weeks, and maybe start getting all the parts sorted...

what have I gotten myself into!!?! :D

RB

[Blakbird]

what have I gotten myself into!!?! :D

You have gotten yourself into a world of awesomeness. You won't regret it.

[TheRebricker]

You have gotten yourself into a world of awesomeness. You won't regret it.

I will second that statement! Besides, you will need to build this as I now have the 'Invisible Lift' in the works as well as '6 Heads' and 'Lift Triggered By Stuck Ball'. Together I think they could make a complete mini circuit. Once I have them functional, more build instructions will be forthcoming and I'm pretty sure an amazingly detailed review by Blackbird will follow if they meet expectations.

TheRebricker

Edited April 10, 2015 by TheRebricker

[9v system]

what about the zig zag lift?

[jesuskyr]

I will second that statement! Besides, you will need to build this as I now have the 'Invisible Lift' in the works as well as '6 Heads' and 'Lift Triggered By Stuck Ball'. Together I think they could make a complete mini circuit. Once I have them functional, more build instructions will be forthcoming and I'm pretty sure an amazingly detailed review by Blackbird will follow if they meet expectations.

TheRebricker

Wow!! Good News. I will look forward to your great videos and Blackbird' review!!!