Custom Ball Lifter with worm method

[mrdummy]

Good. The ball lifter has 75% success. The 3x3 outlet in catch tray works enough to keep ball jam very low.
The liftshaft is also much better. No one ball is going wrong.

The last problem is the bridge between catch tray and lift shaft. Tomorrow i do more path tests to control better balls trough the bridge from wide to small. Yes, more guide to prevent jams.
But we are almost near 100% success!

[TilionMtl]

This will be really tough, I had a hard time and made many failing design when I made the upper tray distributor for my 5 place cabinet. There's some method involve, but you will need lot of space at the bottom somewhere to have enough length of track so the balls finally come to a single row. The best approach I found is in two step, first limit the stacking of the balls at entrance, then limit the balls to one row of balls..

You will need a container with a rectangle hole in it just large enough to accommodate two balls side by side and long enough for about 3 balls. The reason of large enough for two balls side by side is that what ever the position they will fall, there's always enough room for one of them to fall, and the one next to it will not prevent it. If you have a hole large enough for one ball and a half, you be sure that the lower one will be stuck half on the edge of the hole and half on the hole, and the other over it holding and squeezing between the top-side of the first ball and the other edge.

This hole will drop in a two track system, the two track system must be low enough so at least two and half (better 3) balls can stack on each other. the reason for such spacing is the track and hole spacing is too short, one ball will be at the bottom of the track, one other will be over it more toward the track exit, but stuck between the lower balls and the edge of the hole.

now you have two track. The bottom of the two tracks must start as a single large one a bit further away, one track start to raise slowly. it's like two handicap ramp starting side by side but at some point one of the ramp have a lesser inclination than the other one. at the point where the ramp is one ball and a half higher than the other ramp, slowly merge the side of the higher ramp toward the lower ramp. The reason for all this is allow first balls to fall in ramps mostly side by side, then when balls roll toward the exit of the ramps, the lower ramp will have a single row of balls trying to pile down in a flat line. The other ramp is use to prevent the one ball left one ball right one ball left one ball right zigzag pattern which will eventually continue like this if there's nothing to prevent it. The less inclined ramp kinda slow the movement a bit, and will dump balls over the first ramp, but just one ball over the other ram, not a stack of balls. So just after the merging of the two ramp, what you have in the lower ramp is maximum two balls high, and this balls are stack mostly in a W pattern.

a bit further away you have something over the ramp that will flat out the few balls which don't understand what they must do, flatting them to a flat row. This part flatting out must be positioned at a point where balls are stacked not more than one and half high, just enough to finish the flatting out of the line.

It's hard to describe all the process unfortunately, I can draw some picture for you if you want. The key point of all this is you need a track long enough for this process to complete. too short tracks and the balls will stack. The balls have a tendency to roll side by side or one of top of each other for a long time, and you need enough length so the gravity (with a bit of help from the ramps and flatter) will do the trick.

An other method would be a motorized one, if you have for example something that will push/release/push/release the side by side balls to flatted then to one line, you can achieve than in a far more smaller area. The goal is to force movement at the point where balls need to become a single row. So if balls get stuck, external force will break the piling and for the balls to find other position (and may by chance align correctly in a single row).

You seem to be really good at building stuff, You should go with the motorized version of the anti-piling system. Far less complicate than hoping than gravity and physic will do the work.

Hope this help. Feel free to ask any question

[mrdummy]

The motorized anti-jam system is indeed last solution i have in my head. But it needs approx. ~27 Euro extra money to get extra parts.

I try design path systems with carton boards to examine and control ball jams. Because it wont add extra money, that is why i want keep going.
The goal in path design is to prevent V / W jams and guide balls in straight lines so other ball wont block quickly another ball.

[mrdummy]

Finally, after many tries in brigde designs i see i must overcome the "magical 22 mm barrier".
This barrier, 22 mm width in bridge part, that is the place where 2 balls are exactly at same place side by side. They blocks the path if it happens.
Thus i add some carton pieces to make the path uneven. When i have done it, the ball jam risk is very low.

The lift has around 115 balls per minute with 1:50 geared motor.
Motor uses just ~80 mA in working state, that is very low energy consumption. Looks it's also energy friendly. The motor won't get hot.

We skip now some days to show quickly the main problem with photo's.

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Try #1 - no success

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Try #2 / #3 - also easy jams.
But i saw something in try #3...

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Looks almost good... but there is jam! At magical "22 mm" barrier where two balls are side by side and blocks the path.
How can i overcome the 22mm barrier? Thinking many solutions in my head, until i realized the only possible solution...

Continues in next post...

[mrdummy]

The only solution is to make path uneven. When both balls are at same height, it goes wrong. But not when the ball is at another position, thus in W pattern. One side must a bit higher.
I must use W pattern to prevent ball jams.

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This is best solution to prevent jams. Also the W pattern is keep going in long \ / path from 3 balls wide to 1 ball wide.
A youtube video is made to show the working state and is now in upload progress. I post it over one hour here. You may react now if you want, or wait for the video demo.

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Here you see low energy consumption of the motor. Just 80 mA...

[mrdummy]

Alright, here is the video.


You can now react.

Because short time, i wont make nice bridge now. I continue with electronics tomorrow.

After convention, i can make it nice with copper plates.

[Dragonfly]

Well done MrDummy,
What a smart guy you are, big applause for you
I love the worm lifter much better now, because you decreased the noise with a couple of decibels your right pachinko`s do make noise when playing, but build in our pachinko cabinets the noise decreases so much

Looking forward to your next post.

Thank you.

Regards
Dragonfly

[mrdummy]

The noise is indeed a bit lower because i have sanded down worm wheel to make it more round, so i can put guide wires more near with low collision chance. I have checked lift shaft to reduce noise as possible.
Thanks to worm wheel construction you don't need heavy motor. A small and low noise motor does the work already.

And Dragonfly, thanks for 400 balls, i have tested it much better and solved the ball jams now.

[owennewton]

Great work! Your fix for the jams works great!

[Moparformances]

would it be possable to add a second hopper and add another lift point to your worm drive..

lets say your ball lifter is curently lifting balls at the 12:00 o-clock position.. would it be possable to lift balls at the 6:00 o-clock position and double the lift capasity???

or even lift at the 3 and 9 o-clock positions and make it do 4 times the lift???

Outsading work on your lifter..

[WondersPachi]

you could have two lifted lines. Using maybe three tracks instead of two. If it were made of precise ABS plasics I'm curious if it would make much noise at all.
G R E A T J O B mrdummy... your name does not suit you. haha!

[mrdummy]

would it be possable to add a second hopper and add another lift point to your worm drive..
lets say your ball lifter is curently lifting balls at the 12:00 o-clock position.. would it be possable to lift balls at the 6:00 o-clock position and double the lift capasity???
or even lift at the 3 and 9 o-clock positions and make it do 4 times the lift???

With worm lift, it's possible to add more balls, each side, 90 degrees, 4x 115 = 460 balls per minute. Technically no problem, worm wheels are strong.
But ball distribution system is also more complex and i have not much time now to make it possible.
Also make a shaft for it is also more work. I pass it for a while, perhaps later new lift shaft.
I keep it simple with 115 balls per minute but i can make it faster with another motor with 1:30 gear, that makes 200 balls per minute for sure.

Most used is the two ball paths to each side, on youtube are some samples to find with two sides. They're made with meccano parts.

And 4-side lift shaft is good if you have cabinet with many pachinkos. The 460 balls per minute shall feed many pachinkos
With 2-side lift shaft, you can place lift in the middle, between two pachinkos, and ball paths comes from both sides. No problem if you build it right :-)
They are build examples for multi-pachinko cabinets.

Remember, thanks to some mechanical vibrations from worm wheel all balls keeps rolling in the latest youtube clip. I have no idea what happens with more sides, that makes less vibrations.
But greater angle in ball path should help with better rolling balls (> 5 degrees) but that makes the lift very long... Better one lift for 2 pachinkos to avoid some problems.
Silk lift is another idea which is many used in commercial lifts. But it needs strong motor and good wheel.

[TilionMtl]

Really well done, really good for the no jam path solution too keep note of the elevation of the track (higher point) when you made the test. you found the best elevation. because higher or lower is easily enough to start a ball jam. Two balls in W stacking seem to often reach the ball lifter, but it don't look to be a problem with your ball lifter. If it become a problem, a longer path at the end of the path would solve the problem and give time for ball to fall down to one line. congratulation on the really good work

[mrdummy]

We continue with new progress.

Day 17 (day 13-15 are skipped because it has many tests and not useful for progress) ~ 4 hours:
Making bridge more nicer with black paint.
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Cutting with tool, paint it, dry it

Now building electronics.
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Build it, cut it out, done. This is control print between light gates and time relay print.

Story continues...

[mrdummy]

Make outlet part of lift shaft ready. Fix the tube and I place there the light gate.
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Make small wood plates for it. The circuit board is hotglued because i can position it better at some height.
The tube is now fixed in place. The outlet part is done.

Continues in next post...

[mrdummy]

Now connect evertything together
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Soldering wires between boards. Set and Reset is now connected with control board.

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With some spacers on main plate, the circuit boards are now screwed and fixed.
Continues with wiring between motor and time relay board.
Also make it a bit nicer with straping wires together.

Story continues...

[mrdummy]

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Drill holes for second light gate in the painted bridge. This enables the motor lift.
Now it's done.

But...
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Something goes wrong with some new tests and the lower part of worm wheel has bent copper wire. A bad problem, but not big.
Tomorrow i fix the problem with some extra copper wires to make it stronger. Then it should not happens again.

Good news the electronic circuits works very well. The motor goes on when the ball passes the inlet light gate. And when the ball stays too long in outlet tube, the motor is turned off to protect the worm wheel damage.
The electronic part is a success. I must only fix the lower light gate in place and that is all. Tomorrow i fix the worm wheel problem and i can test it again.

You can now react at final part of the ball lifter.

[yose]

Your electronic work is very impressive , you are a true professional at what you do.Bravo

[mrdummy]

Finally ball lifter is finished. I have fixed small but important problems.
Day 18 has approx. 3 hours.

First to fix the damaged lower part...
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Damaged part is now fixed and a bit stronger with more solder and more copper pieces.
Should not bend easy.

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Upper part is also under care and extra check on weak solder points. Resoldering weak points.

Story continues...

[mrdummy]

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To prevent mistakes with wrong polarized 12V connector.

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Cut off part of 90-degrees turn tube. For upper hopper.

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Now fixing the inlet light gate. With the carton plate the board is hotglued below the bridge, it stays now on the place. Both diodes are also hotglued to keep on position.

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You can see the ball in outlet tube. The yellow led is for outlet light gate, green for inlet light gate and the red light up when yellow is too long up (which means the balls are there in outlet tube). This shall stop the motor, to prevent the damage at motor and wormwheel.

Story continues...