[GBC] The Akiyuki Project (2010 - 2020)

[Berthil]

@Frequenzberater I found the ditch is the main problem, it’s picking up too much speed. Akiyuki’s original version does not have it. Also take one ball in your hand and slide over the entire track and see if you feel obstructions if you used modified plates to connect tubes. I’ve rebuild it into my own version which is more reliable.

[RohanBeckett]

agreed - running a ball around in your hand is the quickest way to find if the clips are interfering... you'll know straightaway when you feel a bump

My Ball Flinger - although much smaller in scale, uses the same technique... and after bracing it very strongly, to prevent vibration, and tubing movement, it became quite reliable

 

[Frequenzberater]

Ok, thanks everyone for your advice! 

I already changed some angles of the supports and added additional bracings in every gap between the rail supports. In addition I played around with different heights, but without succes. The rails itself are pneumatic tubes in one piece without any interuptions. 

But I will follow your advice and check the rails manually for bumps. 

Edited September 11, 2018 by Frequenzberater

[MajklSpajkl]

1 hour ago, RohanBeckett said:

agreed - running a ball around in your hand is the quickest way to find if the clips are interfering... you'll know straightaway when you feel a bump

My Ball Flinger - although much smaller in scale, uses the same technique... and after bracing it very strongly, to prevent vibration, and tubing movement, it became quite reliable

 

Wow, using train motor is something new to me. Very nice! Also nice touch using that small actuator to fine tune the ball grip. 

[Frequenzberater]

@Berthil

I know your version of the marble run and I love it! But as far as I know there are no instructions available, right? 

What exactly do you mean with "ditch"? 

[Frequenzberater]

Ok, back at home Ive checked for possible interferings of the clips. It seems that the used 3mm hose is slightly to small. There are minimal interferings on almost every clip. I will try to use another type of hose. Right now I am checking the web for an alternative. 

There are a lot of 4mm hoses. Does somebody know if I can use it, or is this diameter to large? 

[rskamen]

On ‎9‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 7:39 AM, RohanBeckett said:

My Ball Factory Board is:

an 810mm x 460mm sheet of 12mm ply

it is edged with pieces of dressed-pine, 11x30mm, to give rigidity and to act as a ball spill tray

I drilled 4.5mm holes to fit the 3L axles into, to lock the baseplates into place, with a bush, and 2x4 plate with holes

 

Obviously the size can be anything you want.. I had envisioned eventually buying/making a perspex box to house it.

 

Not much imperial left here in Australia... diagonal TV/LCD sizing (24", 42") is about the only mainstream remnant left

Thank you for the measurements. No worries with the metric. Sounds good. 

[Berthil]

6 hours ago, Frequenzberater said:

There are a lot of 4mm hoses. Does somebody know if I can use it, or is this diameter to large? 

That’s too large. Use the 3,2 mm hose of Modular in Germany. They also sell brass rods that fit inside so you make the bends. Otherwise making the bends is not possible as the tubes from modular are much harder that the original.

[RohanBeckett]

21 hours ago, MajklSpajkl said:

Wow, using train motor is something new to me. Very nice! Also nice touch using that small actuator to fine tune the ball grip. 

Thanks... to be honest, I mostly used it, as I have 4 train motors spare, and figured these were *designed* to run at high speed, for longer periods, than the PF/M motor, with it's planetary gears inside

And I'd be less upset if I killed it after a weekend of non-stop running, than any other motor! :)

 vs 

As it happened, I ended up running it only on 1/2 power, on a Train Controller.. so no fear of that happening

The Actuator was very much essential to fine tune the gap between the wheel and the tubing. if I altered the speed, I would sometimes have to alter the pressure..

But once everything was set just right (sometimes took a few minutes of adjusting), it was set to run for hours.

 

[Ankoku]

This doesn't seem to far different from what Akiyuki did and Sariel has done in selling his car. And this is LEGO endorsed.

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/community/newsview.page?msgid=1106293

[FernandoQ]

My video of Akiyuki Hockey Stick Lift. It works wonderfully without any problems since the first test. Greetings.

Edited September 15, 2018 by FernandoQ
Change video

[Ankoku]

Great work! I have got my sticks now, so I will be making it before long.

 

In other news, I am working on the Pinball machine currently and have come across an issue in the instructions which disturbs me:

There is nothing to stop the area highlighted from rotating, making the entire thing somewhat redundant. It can rotate 90+ degrees and the first ball will basically push it down below where it would be functional.

Since you can't see how this is achieved in the video, I suspect this isn't the solution Akiyuki would have gone for.

Are the instruction lacking some axles to push through the holes?

[Courbet]

18 minutes ago, Ankoku said:

Are the instruction lacking some axles to push through the holes?

Those axles are the two 2L present in the BOM window, but you can't see them because they are 1/2L recessed in the Technic brick.

This part was my design, not Akiyuki one and it's true I should have found a better way to show how it's made.

Edited September 15, 2018 by Courbet
Typo

[Ankoku]

It seems very strained having it pulled up high enough to get the axle in.

[Ankoku]

It is interesting, seeing his change in approach to it between the 2010 and 2012 version of the machine.

[Ankoku]

Ended up going with a couple of these:

[doug72]

11 hours ago, Courbet said:

Those axles are the two 2L present in the BOM window, but you can't see them because they are 1/2L recessed in the Technic brick.

In situations like this I normally use 3L axle with stop plus a half bush, that way you can pull the axle if when required.

[FernandoQ]

My Tester module with an elevator equal to Pinball has the 2L red axles and I have never had to remove them.

Greetings.

[Juroen]

I would like to build the Akiyuki Ball Cleaner BC-T70. I have set a goal for myself to build this in 6 months. However I can’t find any additional photo’s of this fantastic module. In other words, I’m stuck. Can anybody help me with some additional information, instructions or photo’s perhaps? I have have already mailed Akiyuki a few times, unfortunatley never received a reply. Thanks in advance. Cheers! 

[Ankoku]

You are best asking how far @9v system got with his.

This is the thread for it:

 

 

[Juroen]

Thank you. I will ask @9v system @ his thread.

[Ankoku]

Below, you can see the difference in height between the two pieces:

Now it isn't much, but if you stick an axle in one end, it makes the other worse as it tilts.

I can get both axles in, but it is tighter than I would like for my own personal preference. So since the ball rod is now locked in place via the Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Angled, I am happy to just leave it sat as is, without axles.

[rskamen]

Is it possible to use the Wheel Lift from Akiyuki's Fork-to-Fork to feed balls to his Cup-to-Cup module? I am intrigued by the wheel lift system. What I am really trying to duplicate is the wheel lift and ball moving system that Jonas did for his Ball Factory-XT. Does anyone know if a parts list or instructions exist for what Jonas did?  

 

[Jonas]

22 minutes ago, rskamen said:

 Does anyone know if a parts list or instructions exist for what Jonas did? 

Unfortunately, they do not exist.

[Ankoku]

I guess the other question is, if there aren't instructions, are there more photos? :)

 

If you look here at the start of Akiyuki's video, you see him using a wheel lift to raise balls up after they exit the ball factory:

It is even there in the preview image. The ReBricker version of the ball factory allows you to either let the balls feed back to the start, or exit out like you see in this video.

There are many different wheels out there, some with instructions. You can find some of them in the general GBC thread here:

There are also instructions for an Akiyuki wheel lift as part of his Fork to Fork machine.

It is large, so it would be separate to the ball factory itself.