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Modular Marble Run


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Nifty.

I'm liking these more and more and more. I can almost see myself making one. And then I see some of the trickier pieces -- like the one which rotated a little each time and routed the marbles in different ways -- and the thought about how much thought it takes to come up with something like that is sort of intimidating.

But the modularity has a very nice feel to it.

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Oh how marbelous ;) !

Especially this green distributor with its simple rotary action is a creative thing.

What about Velcro tape (NL = klittenband)? Precision is less important there. Maybe the small wooden handles of iced-lollies (NL = Americium???) can give the proper height offset compensation when glued aside the Velcro, without milling. The smooth part of the tape to the topside and the rough part to the bottom side, for example. Maybe this is the simplest way to fix the parts without any machining. At least modules can be stacked this way.

A variation could be to prepare the interfaces (the sides directly lying next together) between the modules with Velcro so you can just "plug" them together as you like. On each interface there should be the same arrangement of the two tape parts next to each other. For example the left side with the smooth part and the right side with the rough part. It is like with model railroad tracks and their end connections (just check your Lego contact rails). Define a setup and use it on every interface / side. I think this will provide the most flexible way to rearrange the modules. Maybe some milling needs to be done here to get the tape sunken so that there is no extended gap between the modules. Looking at your track modules I think that milling is not a problem for you, is it?

Just try it out. I would be glad if you post some feedback here.

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Then you need to get a trial with your idea of studs and holes. It needs precision anyway. Maybe a template for drilling could be an aid?

Just an idea for the studs or replacement for wood dowels: pins with pinheads like this one here:

400_F_47429536_W9GOLANUaVDB6ZhoWpzlLVQo7

You need just to drill the holes for the pinhead in one part and the other part takes the pins. Pressing the parts together will force the pins into the opposite part and unplugging then just lifts off the drilled part from the pinheads.

The tolerances of the plastic pinheads might get a problem, of course.

Or do you plan to glue Lego bricks to your modules just pugging them together this way?

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I definitely need one of those.

My first username on this forum was modularforms. :)

And that one looks like even cats could play with it without hurting anything.

I can see getting some of those too. For my desk . . . switch around to a different version every so often . . .

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  • 5 months later...

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