Omnimaga

General Discussion => Technology and Development => Other => Topic started by: Sorunome on January 18, 2012, 02:27:08 pm

Title: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Sorunome on January 18, 2012, 02:27:08 pm
Some of you may already know that I was constructing a humongous knex ball machine. For those who don't, well, it's large!
And I finally managed to finish it after more than one year of constructing.
Well, for the full description and the full picture gallery please visit http://www.sorunome.de/knex/ballmachines/catastropha/
And here's the vid!
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Scipi on January 18, 2012, 02:41:02 pm
How often do parts fail?
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Xeda112358 on January 18, 2012, 02:44:28 pm
I'll check the details at another date, but I am watching the video, now :)
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: ben_g on January 18, 2012, 02:47:02 pm
how often does balls fly out of it or does it get stuck?
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Sorunome on January 18, 2012, 02:49:33 pm
Well, it sadly doesn't work far to good, even thought I tested the tracks millennial times, but as construction took so long it suddenly didn't work anymore quite as good as it used to :(
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: ben_g on January 18, 2012, 02:56:05 pm
I always had problems with constructions with moving parts. Knex isn't really made for huge moving parts and speeds that need a high speed camera to film. But you still made am awesome construction and you used some parts in ways that I never thought of.
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Sorunome on January 18, 2012, 03:01:21 pm
Well, I have a high speed cam, you see that on some parts of the vid.
And I don't want to think of taking that apart, my boxes are WAY to small that all pieces would fit in as while building I kept buying new parts! D:
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Xeda112358 on January 18, 2012, 03:06:24 pm
Wow, holy crap that is freaking awesome! All those lifts and tracks were really cool and I cannot wait to get back home in a few months to play with my collection again! So that I can set aside a budget, around how much did this endeavor cost you?
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Sorunome on January 18, 2012, 03:08:55 pm
Well, first of all thanks a lot!
Since I grew up with knex I had already a bit, ok, I could have just built about half the ball machine.
And to costs..... like 3-400€ I think. I didn't spend money on something else than knex :D
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Xeda112358 on January 18, 2012, 03:14:53 pm
Wow, cool o.o So I should put aside about $700 dollars to buy the pieces here in the US... :D I've only gotten about 3 or 4 kits and made mini projects. For example, I made a tank/plow thing that could push a 15kg box of books across a smooth floor (otherwise, parts would fly off from the strain) :D I once made a 1:1200 gear ration and I put a piece between two gears and it snapped o.o/me ♥ k'nex

EDIT: Wow, I was really destructive, wasn't I?
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Builderboy on January 18, 2012, 03:20:14 pm
So I should put aside about $700 dollars to buy the pieces here in the US.
ALL of the pieces? O.O

This is a really awesome ball machine! :D I've only ever built 1 ball machine out of K'nex and it only had 2 paths, each with only 1 feature XD I loved all the different paths and lifts you used, it must have taken you forever! 
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on January 18, 2012, 03:24:41 pm
Woah astonishing! It must have taken so long to create this. I enjoy watching the video of it so far because it kinda reminds me Rube Goldberg Machines stuff. By the way does it tend to jam a lot? One thing I wonder is how at 7:13 the ball didn't fall O.O

I had Knex blocks for a while but I never made anything other than fans.
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Sorunome on January 18, 2012, 03:26:40 pm
Thanks a lot!

And to Xeda,
Knex is unfortunately in Germany very expencive, and I know that you can get a lot of knex in the US VERY cheep, you just have to wait for the correct moment on ebay.
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: ztrumpet on January 18, 2012, 09:52:20 pm
That is awesome, Sorunome!  It probably looks even better in person; I can't imagine standing next to that thing.
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Juju on January 18, 2012, 10:02:47 pm
Wow that's rather huge. I did something like that, but it was only 5 feet tall and had like 2 paths. Did you thought of all this by yourself or you used some plans?
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Sorunome on January 19, 2012, 08:23:37 am
Well, to some of the lifts I had instructions. They are posted back on instructables.com. But the rest I made on my own! :)
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Xeda112358 on January 19, 2012, 08:24:51 am
Awesome :D I know some folks who might want in on a project like this if I start one...
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: jsj795 on January 19, 2012, 08:46:02 am
which part was your favorite? mine was path 14 :D
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Sorunome on January 19, 2012, 08:48:41 am
Mine aswell :)
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Sorunome on January 27, 2012, 01:19:30 pm
Ok, if anyone is interested, I started taking down this ball machine, here (http://www.instructables.com/community/Guess-how-many-peices-Catastropha-has/) are some pics.
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Xeda112358 on January 27, 2012, 02:23:07 pm
I guess 3700 o.o
(for fun, I don't want to win anything XD )
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Kjelddy on January 27, 2012, 05:08:26 pm
it was huge and therefor I am speechless ...


KJ
btw I would say 75000 pecies :P
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Sorunome on January 27, 2012, 05:13:22 pm
Well, yeah, it was huge, but it was also fun putting it into that state xD
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: parserp on January 27, 2012, 05:15:28 pm
definetely >9000 pieces O.O

btw, your avatar, did it fall over? O.o

EDIT: my guess is 21,438  :D
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Sorunome on January 28, 2012, 02:06:50 am
Well, it didn't want to fall over by itself, so I helped a little...../me just ripped everything to th front
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Juju on January 28, 2012, 02:14:30 am
I would say 15,176 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colis%C3%A9e_Pepsi).
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Nick on January 31, 2012, 07:41:01 am
41540 pieces
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: jsj795 on January 31, 2012, 11:35:14 am
18,894 pieces
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Sorunome on February 04, 2012, 08:30:25 am
Well, now as the contest is over I can finally say how many peices it used, it used a hole lot of 25422 pieces! And I still had some pieces left over! :)
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Xeda112358 on February 04, 2012, 09:10:13 am
O.O Holy, crap, my guess was off by a long shot D:
That is a lot of pieces!
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Sorunome on February 04, 2012, 09:11:38 am
Hehe, my guess would have been 30,000, well, a bit to much :P
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: DJ Omnimaga on February 06, 2012, 07:43:58 pm
Darn that's a lot of pieces O.O
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Juju on February 06, 2012, 07:56:58 pm
Yeah that's a lot :o
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Sorunome on February 07, 2012, 10:01:29 am
And it took three hole days to count them.....the most frustating were the small blue rings as they are so small the pile just wanted to get smaller.....
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: Nick on February 07, 2012, 01:26:01 pm
25000? wow, i really didn't expect to get so many piecesn although i guessed 40000 xp (that was the date*time lol)

so you really counted them all, a lot of work ö
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: AaroneusTheGreat on February 07, 2012, 01:58:44 pm
Very impressive! I had to post this as my facebook status and write a short blurb telling people who you are. Awesome work on this! There were several times in that video where I laughed out loud due to the clever things you came up with, you know the kind of laugh that means "Ha! holy crap that was neato!".
Title: Re: Knex Ball Machine Catastropha
Post by: parserp on February 07, 2012, 04:27:03 pm
my guess was close, but not quite good enough. ;)

great job counting all of them! O.O