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Thread: Building a ball lift

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    Blind Shooter jdmorse's Avatar
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    Smile Building a ball lift

    I recently got the pachinko bug renewed by buying my third vintage machine. I always had planned on building a ball lift so now I've started making progress. I started scrounging for parts around my shop and have amazed myself.


    The gangII.jpgBall lift partsII.jpgWhat I have in mindII.jpg
    This is what I have so far.

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    Pachi Puro Card Shark's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ball Lifters/Ball Management Forum!!

    Please keep us posted as you progress, I am hoping to add a ball lifter as well.
    "Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well."
    Pachiholic and Proud!!! サメ

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    Pachi Puro Moparformances's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ball Lifters/Ball Management Forum!!

    Quote Originally Posted by jdmorse View Post
    I recently got the pachinko bug renewed by buying my third vintage machine. I always had planned on building a ball lift so now I've started making progress. I started scrounging for parts around my shop and have amazed myself.

    This is what I have so far.
    Welcome to Pachitalk

    looks like ya have a good start.. keep us posted on the lifter

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    as a friendly note

    ya might wana consider giveing your Pachinko Balls a wash and or polish.. playing with rusty balls can ans will damage your Machines..
    Never Doubt that a small group of thoughtful, .......... /........ If your not going to stand behind our troops
    ...committed people can change the world. ............. /.................Please, Please stand in front of them
    .....Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has............./
    .........................................Margaret Mead

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    Pachi Puro Moparformances's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ball Lifters/Ball Management Forum!!

    Quote Originally Posted by jdmorse View Post
    I recently got the pachinko bug renewed by buying my third vintage machine. I always had planned on building a ball lift so now I've started making progress. I started scrounging for parts around my shop and have amazed myself.


    The gangII.jpgBall lift partsII.jpgWhat I have in mindII.jpg
    This is what I have so far.
    can ya start a new thread.. it will make it easier to fallow your progress
    Never Doubt that a small group of thoughtful, .......... /........ If your not going to stand behind our troops
    ...committed people can change the world. ............. /.................Please, Please stand in front of them
    .....Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has............./
    .........................................Margaret Mead

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    Pachi Puro Card Shark's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ball Lifters/Ball Management Forum!!

    ​Welcome to Pachitalk!
    "Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well."
    Pachiholic and Proud!!! サメ

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    Blind Shooter jdmorse's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ball Lifters/Ball Management Forum!!

    as a friendly note

    ya might wana consider giveing your Pachinko Balls a wash and or polish.. playing with rusty balls can ans will damage your Machines..
    This is the handful I sorted out of my recent acquisition after a couple hours in the corncob. Good for demonstration, but not in the machine

    Starting a new thread implies that there will be measurable progress, but we will see.
    Last edited by MrGneiss; 06-09-2012 at 06:35 AM.

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    Stuey - The RADministrator MrGneiss's Avatar
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    Default Re: Building a ball lift

    Well its its own thread now, so you better get working!!

    If you want the thread to have a different title, just say!!

    "Blowing smoke rings at the moon."

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    Pachi Puro Moparformances's Avatar
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    Default Re: Building a ball lift

    Quote Originally Posted by MrGneiss View Post
    Well its its own thread now, so you better get working!!

    If you want the thread to have a different title, just say!!
    I thought i was going crazy until i read this... i was sure this was not its own thread... you got me good
    Never Doubt that a small group of thoughtful, .......... /........ If your not going to stand behind our troops
    ...committed people can change the world. ............. /.................Please, Please stand in front of them
    .....Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has............./
    .........................................Margaret Mead

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    Pachi Puro Moparformances's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ball Lifters/Ball Management Forum!!

    Quote Originally Posted by jdmorse View Post
    This is the handful I sorted out of my recent acquisition after a couple hours in the corncob. Good for demonstration, but not in the machine
    ya might consider walnut shell for cleaning... works allot better
    Never Doubt that a small group of thoughtful, .......... /........ If your not going to stand behind our troops
    ...committed people can change the world. ............. /.................Please, Please stand in front of them
    .....Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has............./
    .........................................Margaret Mead

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    Blind Shooter jdmorse's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ball Lifters/Ball Management Forum!!

    Good Idea! I'll try to find some. Corncob is what I had and puts a nice shine on things, but yeah, doesn't clean all that well. I have a variety of media for my tumbler, but I think it's all too aggressive for balls.

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    Blind Shooter jdmorse's Avatar
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    Default Re: Building a ball lift

    Arrrg...Now I've stuck my foot in it!
    A new thread...
    Last edited by jdmorse; 06-09-2012 at 10:26 AM.

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    Blind Shooter jdmorse's Avatar
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    Default Re: Building a ball lift

    Quote Originally Posted by Moparformances View Post
    I thought i was going crazy until i read this... i was sure this was not its own thread... you got me good
    It wasn't me! Really! Ah, the performance anxiety!

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    Pachi Puro Card Shark's Avatar
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    Default Re: Building a ball lift

    Do you have it finished yet???
    "Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well."
    Pachiholic and Proud!!! サメ

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    Blind Shooter jdmorse's Avatar
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    Default Re: Building a ball lift

    Quote Originally Posted by Card Shark View Post
    Do you have it finished yet???
    Why yes, yes I do! But I'm not going to show it for a few weeks/months.

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    Default Re: Building a ball lift

    Good answer
    "Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well."
    Pachiholic and Proud!!! サメ

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    Blind Shooter jdmorse's Avatar
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    Default Re: Building a ball lift

    I think I will add a little to the progress report.
    Projects begat more projects. I started rooting around for stuff to build a ball lift with a came up with this long spring that had a conveniently sized diameter and pitch. The next thing was a round thing to add rigidity to the spring. Finally, I need something that would keep the balls against the screw; a piece of angle aluminum! So I'm thinking that I'm home free when it occurs to me that I need something to attach all these wonderful parts to. Project phase II begins. A couple of weeks go by. I have a little slack time at the shop so I'm doing some cleaning/organizing and come across the big piece of 8020 . The little wheels start turning and now I have this chunk o' beam mounted to a piece of wood. Project phase III begins; I have no suitable hardware. 8020 doesn't sell online. Buying from my local distributor has become a cluster***k! Wait, I own a machine shop! ...and so it goes.
    Ball lift partsII.jpg
    Last edited by compirate; 06-10-2012 at 12:14 AM.

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    Sandwich Shooter SteveFury's Avatar
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    Default Re: Building a ball lift

    I was thinking of a ball lifting project as well, but I was going to try a different approach... and in the far future (I have too many uncompleted projects now).

    I was thinking of using a belt with permanent magnets attached, lifting the balls and be removed (scraped off) at the top. The typical problem with that approach is the balls get magnetized.

    The way I was going to solve that problem was to use and old synchronous motor as a means to degauss each ball as it passes. To magnetize a ferrous material such as a pachinko ball, it needs to move within a permanent magnetic field. A permanent magnetic field does not change its N-S polarity. To degauss a ferrous material it must be in an alternating polarity magnetic field, that constantly switches N-S-N-S-N-S etc etc etc.

    It makes sense that a ball reaching the top would become slightly magnetized. The idea is to have it run through the poles of an old synchronous motor. The motor would be something similar to what is pictured below with the gearbox painted red removed, leaving an open hole for each of the balls to pass through. These motors can be easily found in old record players, old clocks etc.

    The balls may tend to stick to the poles instead of passing through so the coil may need to be pulsed just enough to let them pass.
    motor.jpg
    This idea may be overly complicated to build to service a single pachinko machine, but if someone uses a central ball collection system feeding several machines it may be worth it.

    I think it's an intriguing thought that I want to try someday.
    If you enjoy my pachinko, pinball and pachislo YouTube videos, please "like" them at:
    http://www.youtube.com/user/SirSteveFury

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    Pachi Puro Card Shark's Avatar
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    Default Re: Building a ball lift

    Sounds interesting. I want to come up with a ball lifting design myself. I am toying with a few ideas. My goal is to keep it as simple and cost effective as possible. I am hoping in the near future to be able to visit my Dad and his machine shop. Then I should be able to try out a few ideas.
    "Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well."
    Pachiholic and Proud!!! サメ

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  35. #19
    Blind Shooter jdmorse's Avatar
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    Default Re: Building a ball lift

    One of the things about pachinkos that I think is so cool is the low tech simplicity and cleverness in how they operate. The tolerances on vintage machines is VERY loose! This is a major factor in why something this old still works. When I was starting out in the machining trade, KISS was what I was taught most often. Keep It Simple Stupid, meant that whatever it was you were attempting had a better chance of success. Vintage pachinko epitomize this concept, IMHO. I think a magnetic lift would be a very elegant solution. Degaussing the balls might be a deal breaker. For more inspiration, try searching "magnetic conveyers".

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    Pachi Puro Moparformances's Avatar
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    Default Re: Building a ball lift

    Quote Originally Posted by jdmorse View Post
    Why yes, yes I do! But I'm not going to show it for a few weeks/months.
    every one gets there first some time im happy to be your first
    Never Doubt that a small group of thoughtful, .......... /........ If your not going to stand behind our troops
    ...committed people can change the world. ............. /.................Please, Please stand in front of them
    .....Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has............./
    .........................................Margaret Mead

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