Perpetual Marble Run.

Most marble runs just have marbles which run from the top to the bottom and then have to be reloaded.

This marble run uses a battery powered electric motor (OK, it isn't perpetual!) and some clever gearing

and levers to bring the marbles back up to the top of the run.

 

The files for this model, devised by Ubaid Mithawalla, are available from MyMiniFactory for $5.

 

This model requires 20 different parts to be 3D printed.

I printed the parts in groups of different colours.

The base and towers are green, the wells and slopes are yellow

and all the moving parts are orange.

The registration of the gears must be very exact or the moving arms will not transfer

the marble at the correct time.

Occasionally, the release arm allows a marble to "escape".

Our grandchildren love playing with it.

 

 

This is a VIDEO of the marble run in action.

No motor running to begin with to show the path taken by the marbles

Then the motor is turned on to show how the marbles are picked up and returned to the top.

 

CLICK on the thumbnail to

play the video in YouTube.

CLOSE the YouTube window to return to this page.

 

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