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I don't quite mean like that. e.g. I use a knife to just separate a brush or gear from whatever it is pressed against. Just to reduce friction and make sure brush isn't making things too tight. I use a knife as it is a very thin bit of metal which gives a nice space between, but not too much.

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I alway press all tight on an axle and beams and then push my nail in the axle hole (or gear or bush) against the axle end to push axle slightly in, after this there is just enough clearance to rotate freely.
The hoses to the exit also need to bend the most right after the exit ramp so that the balls gain speed and the hoses are low enough to pass under the 2nd chain, so basically hoses are already flat when reaching the chain. If needed it should be possible to lower the hoses at the end with 1 hole as it is high enough for the next machine. I will check the video from @Jonas later tonight at high resolution with my nose on the screen :)

Edited by Berthil

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@Jonas The motor noise seems to be in sync with the bucket shifter so may be check that one. I see both switches push a bit through on their end when bucket moves backward and away from Bob and on both occasions I hear a higher sound of the motor. Sideways shifter is a combination of postion on 5L axle on the other end (step 251) and position on two push-pull axles moved by the tracks (step 308). Back and forward is only regulated by the two push-pull axles moved by the tracks (step 341)

For a smoother Bob at low speed the elastic band needs to be removed.
The hoses on the exit can be bend more down before they reach the underside of chain 2.

Other than that I think it runs really well.

Edited by Berthil
Edited because of bucket shifter problem

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Is the strain down to the pistons pulling? e.g. when I was doing a lot of fiddling trying to work out how that section worked in the original, it was very easy to get the plastic to bend and as it bent, you would have the strain on the motor and the slow down of the period of bending and then it would carry on as normal until the next time where the bending occurred.

With Akiyuki v2.1 of the ball factory which doesn't appear in any of the videos, he has added extra bracing to avoid the bend, but it could still cause the strain without bending. That said, it should be easy to spot, as you see a springiness in the chains which power the pistons as the tension releasees. There is basically a bounce.

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Thank you guys for your comments and advice. I tried to follow them. I disconnected all the moving parts and checked each for smooth function. Most run really smoothly. The biggest relief for the motor occurs when I disconnect the whole left section (that described in Part 1 of BI). From that section, it is the ball-picker moving mechanism that requires most power at certain moments, mainly when its lever passes its vertical position.  If you run it by hand the strain seems acceptable but when it is summed with that of the other mechanisms, the demand becomes critical. I tried to modify the positions and sizes of the levers that transfer the rotational movement to the picker but with no evident success. It looks like my machine is somehow enchanted.

By the way, during the tuning I faced many of the fails infamously known from the previous version, namely broken chains, jams at the entry point to the spiral lift, basket jams on the wheel, etc. A sort of deja vu after 3 years. If you did not face them, Berhil, you are a lucky man. But the good thing is that the new elevated constructions allows for easier repair works. Also, I appreciate very much the option of instant switching between the manual and motor drive. It makes tuning really efficient.

I will give it some rest for now and will return with fresh mind later. I may test also an XL motor instead of the L one. 

 

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@Jonas seen from the video I think the stress level seems acceptable, it's your motor that seems to be noisy making the effect more worse than it really is?

The spiral lift was and remains sensitive at ball entry and just behind ball entry. I tried to solve some of that in my design but the ribbed hoses just after ball entry must be very tight to the vertical liftarms otherwise a ball will block there.
I had some issues building the whole machine but actually very little, mostly because I redesigned and tested every component by hand for smooth running when building it. I recommend testing every component when build and not only at the end. I had no broken chains or bucket jams. Actually the 24t clutch gear does a good job there. That and the axle checker at critical points ;)

Edited by Berthil

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I also did a careful check and testing for each individual mechanisms during the build. But you know, if you put together 15 or so mechanisms that run smoothly, the result may be not that smooth.

Also, the reliability of the whole factory dramatically decreases when you approach the final state:

a) without baskets - I can run it for hours without any supervision

b) with baskets but without balls - OK, it will run rather long before a critical failure

c) with the balls - so far, my MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) value is about 1 minute, not more.

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@Berthil Random question: When you created the instructions in Stud.Io, did it auto generate the steps for you? e.g. I went into Instruction mode with my model and there is just 1 step, which is the whole model. If I click on one of the sub models, it is again 1 step.

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46 minutes ago, Ankoku said:

@Berthil Random question: When you created the instructions in Stud.Io, did it auto generate the steps for you? e.g. I went into Instruction mode with my model and there is just 1 step, which is the whole model. If I click on one of the sub models, it is again 1 step.

It's a long way of designing the instructions from beginning to end but a good start is to build in Stud.io with steps right from the start (including the creation of submodels) and finetune later with step view and design view in the instruction maker and convert submodels to callouts. There is nu such thing as auto-generation of steps in Stud.io instruction maker, you have to do it yourself. And doing it afterwards with a +4000 design is a lot of work. Hence the fact people are sharing digital builds in .lxf and .io format but without steps.

Edited by Berthil

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Yeah, sadly, my whole thing is sat in Step 1.

I really don't get why there isn't the auto-generation of steps, it is the easiest thing in the world to do programmatically. Then you just let the use merge and re-arrange said steps into viable instructions. It feels as though no thought has been put into that aspect of it.

It also doesn't help that the program forces you to build in a certain order, which is kinda opposite to how you would actually build it in real life.

I would be happy if it allowed you to create steps on a 1 piece = 1 step in the order I added them, then let me merge/reorder, but alas no.

Surprisingly disappointing in that respect and I am generally afraid to do anything in it as it tends to lock up and crash.

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It is created. In the process of building it, to make sure everything is correct. It just seems like converting my model into instructions is going to be way more of a ball ache than is actually necessary.

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Thanks @Courbet for also providing feedback on the BI, part 2 has been updated and parts list also with minor modifications.

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My little circuit with the reproduction of Berthil's Akiyuki Ball Factory next to Maico's 4 bars and Fernando's Tester.

A great job of Berthil that works wonders, only the spiral elevator gives me problems and something I have already improved.

Thanks and congratulations Berthil.

Fernando.

https://youtu.be/3ydnf2G7BzA

Edited by FernandoQ

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@FernandoQ Excellent!
I see you are running it with 20 buckets, the new bucket in the shifter arrives just in time :)
The Bucket Emptier has a little twitch just before reaching its highest point but can't see why.
What did you improve on the Spiral Lift?

Edited by Berthil

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On he ball emptier, why can you see some grey axle between the thick and thin liftarm on the left?

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12 minutes ago, Ankoku said:

@Berthil How did you do the hose in Stud.IO? The hose editing tool seems beyond crap.

I only did the ribbed hoses of the spiral lift and that was already a nightmare. I could not get the long 3mm rigid hoses right, I just added them out of sight for the parts list.

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I am only trying to to the spiral lift and it is like a demented worm, where the end of it is determined to get as far away from the other end as possible. The tool for manipulating it in any meaningful way seems pathetic.

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Clip the ends on the pin until it snaps on and the hose should slowly form itself in the most natural bend. But doesn't work all the time.

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I can snap end 1 easy, I can't end 2. End 2, the moment I click on it, tries to shoot off to some far off point on the screen. It is like trying to control a manic dog on the end of it's lead. I can't even pull the end back to the 2nd pin.

I just don't understand why they have enabled some form of physics engine to it whilst you are trying to manipulate it. That should only be done when you press a button after you are done, so it can attempt to smooth itself out.

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Not that I know of.

I've updated Part 1 and part 4 of the BI. Thanks @Courbet for pointing out the changes.

In Part 1 step 20 the 4L axles has been replaced by a 5L axle in the drive to the Ball Picker as there was a chance the yellow 3L thin liftarms would touch the 2x3 brick column there.
Part 4 in the final building step the mounting of the drive unit has been made easier so if you already have build the BFv3 this change is not for you :)

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On 6/16/2019 at 6:35 PM, Berthil said:

@FernandoQ Excellent!
I see you are running it with 20 buckets, the new bucket in the shifter arrives just in time :)
The Bucket Emptier has a little twitch just before reaching its highest point but can't see why.
What did you improve on the Spiral Lift?

Hi Berthil,

The Ball Factory is running with 21 buckets as it can be seen in the video.

The problem with the Bucket Emptier was a little twitch due to a touch between the back wall and the emptier . I solved it by eliminating the yellow plate below.

I'm still working on the Spiral lift improvement, as I still have doubts about the best solution.

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