Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Wind-Powered K'nex Ball Machine

My friend Sam and I built this ball machine over the past few days using the pieces left over from Blue Fox. This is, to my knowledge, the first 100% wind powered K'nex ball machine ever constructed. The 6 foot tall lift hill is powered entirely by a 3.5 foot diameter wind turbine made only with K'nex pieces. It has over 4,000 pieces, stands 8 feet tall and has 50 feet of track. It is equipped with an automatic transmission which ensures that no matter what direction the blades turn, the lift hill always goes the same way, doubling its overall efficiency.
We call it Don Quixote.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Blue Fox - LED ball prototype




Using 3 button cell batteries and 2 ultra-bright blue LEDs, I created an illuminated K'nex ball, with light shining out both of the holes. The ball is extremely bright, and has a switch on the inside so it can be turned off. The two small blocks of foam keep the electronics centered in the ball so it does not get unbalanced and shield them from impacts.