[GBC] Hamster Wheel

[Lasse D]

My old red GBC wheel has been repurposed as a hamster wheel. This was only natural since kids kept referring to the hamsterless wheel as a hamster wheel at LEGO World a some years ago (2011).

I really liked the module since it captured balls and mysteriously delivered them somewhere else. However. It was not very interesting for the audience because it was difficult to relate to, and hid the balls from view. Kids who were following a ball around the layout would thus lose interest when the ball came to this module. This upgrade should change this!

 

I go through the details of the module in the video, but here are some additional pictures:

Here you can see both the mechanism for pushing balls in from the side, the non-geared XL motor and the water bottle. It is quite exhausting to run, so water is necessary:

The inbox is completely standard for GBC and this module should fit into a layout just well:

A better picture of the Sarie... hamster:

She really likes to run :)

 

The old wheel can be seen in this video at 6:46:

Here is a picture of the old wheel for comparison:

 

 

[Splat]

Congratulations on getting all of the details to work, and your video explains them very well.

I'm sure kids would love seeing your hamster running around in its wheel.

[Lasse D]

Thanks. Yeah. I hope this version of the red wheel will be much better at gathering interest at events.

[Bob De Quatre]

I really like it! Any chance of having simple moving legs on the hamster? 

[Lasse D]

I have tried with some mechanisms, but it doesn't look nice in this size. I will need a good idea - and one that doesn't require too much power to run (since the hamster picks up power from the wheels)

[DaFokka]

I love it! The water feeder is my favourite detail ;).

[Lasse D]

After having tested the module at the event on Dokk1 in Århus:

We found that the Hamster wheel is leaky! It drops balls on both sides. This has been improved now:

Improvements include new "ball pusher", lower sides (possible because fewer balls are dropped), updated hamster and new exit shoot.

Now it no longer drops any balls :)

 

 

[RohanBeckett]

Good stuff!

a great GBC is never finished - there's always room for tinkering, and improvements! :)

 

[Sariel]

Haha, I love it!