Motorised Marble Machine
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About this print
A motorised marble run that uses a small electric motor to cycle marbles continuously through a track-based mechanism. The machine functions as a kinetic desk display, demonstrating gear-driven motion combined with gravity. It is designed around a Pololu micro metal gearmotor running on 5V, with the motor and power supply purchased separately. PLA is well suited to this build, as the gears and load-bearing structural components benefit from the material's stiffness and reliable print tolerances.
From the original design page
Original maker's notes
By Alzibiff on Thingiverse · CC-BY
Having built the Printable Marble Machine #1 which is hand operated, I wanted to add a motor ..... which led to the redesign of quite a number of parts.
The motor which I settled on is a Pololu 298:1 Micro Metal Gearmotor which attaches onto my plastic mount using the Pololu Micro Metal Gearmotor Bracket. This motor runs off 5V and rotates at 45rpm - just about as fast as I think the design will cope with. It is powered using a 5V DC mains power supply which came with a mobile phone - I replaced the original power connector on the power supply as I wanted to use a 2.1mm DC power jack plug and socket set.
I have uploaded my rather poor video attempt here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOaXsGhuKLQ
Thanks also go to gzumwalt - he has made some cracking motorised models which motivated me to have a go at this one.
Formatting may have been simplified. These are the independent maker's instructions and fitment claims; Hark Tech has not independently verified them.
Printing Motorised Marble Machine
For Motorised Marble Machine we would normally reach for PLA — it is the easy, economical default and suits the majority of models. We set the layer height, wall count, infill and supports to suit the model and how you will use it, and those choices are already priced into your instant quote. Want a specific colour or material? Tell us and we will match it where we can.
Model details
| Downloads at source | 22,005 |
|---|---|
| Likes at source | 2,862 |
| Original model | View on Thingiverse |
| Designer | Alzibiff |
| Licence | CC-BY |
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