Blog #1

10/12/20

Brainstorming Stage

After being placed into my group with Sammy Arshadi, Andy Yang, James Anderson, and Andrew Qin, we began brainstorming ideas for our Senior Year project.

Our first couple of ideas included a Sound Wave demonstration, a Laser Maze, and a Brachistochrone Curve interactive wall exhibit. Unfortunately for us, each of these ideas had a significant shortcoming.

The Sound Wave demonstration required a plethera of coding and real time input, both of which were difficult to implement and were not modeling focused as the DPEA had hoped.

The Laser Maze required a lot of protyping due to the need of a fog machine or medium for the laser to be seen. Previous projects attempted to achieve a similar effect of a visible laser path, but were not successful.

Lastly, the Brachistochrone Curve exhibit was good in theory, but was not difficult enough for the whole school year that we had to work on our project, and left more to be desired despite its interesting concept.

Brachistochrone Gif

Our next idea was to create a Pinball Machine. We wanted to create a fun and interactive machine that could also teach. Our spin on the machine was to implement some type of magnets or moving components that could alter the path of the ball. While the idea was fun and would attract visitors, the projects turned out to be relatively shallow, and didn't teach any significant physics or math concepts. Thus we dropped the idea.

Our final idea came from Andrew Q, who suggested we create a marble music machine. The concept was that users could use a digital device to input notes, and corresponding marbles would drop onto a xylophone or drumset, creating their music. The machine was closely based off a YouTube video. The project fit both requirements of being fun, but also a learning experience. We could demonstrate gears and complex mechanisms by creating a transparent shell.

This idea was interesting to all of us, and we decided to proceed and seek the mentors' approval, which we got. Our next goal was to start prototyping.


Blog #2

12/16/20

Prototyping Phase #1

The project was to be comprised of 4 physical subsystems. The Drop Mechanism, the Base and Instruments, the Bottom and Top Funnels, and the Ball Lifting Mechanism.

One of the first things we worked on was the mechanism to lift marbles up after they were used on the instruments. Fortunately, we didn't have to come up with an entirely new idea, and were able to modify an already established assembly from a past DPEA project. The mechanism (Figure 1), works by having wheels made of similar layers with progressively smaller holes as you get to the inside. The smaller radius forces the marble to be pulled inside by gravity, and is able to slip into the second wheel once the openings line up.

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3

The base of the project was determined to be a table, with a parparallelepiped that would collect the used marbles in two opposing corners (Figure 2). From there the balls would file into a funnel below, which would lead to the previously mentioned Ball Lift Mechanism (Figure 1).


The final subsystem of the project consits of the top funnel (Figure 3), and the bottom funnel. When balls get to the top of the Ball Lift they file into the top funnel. Due to the slope of the funnel, the marbles will roll down, and fill in each slot. Every slot corresponds to a note on the xylophone and the other instruments. The bottom funnel conencts the parparallelepiped to the bottom of the Ball Lift, sending used balls to the Ball Lift.


Our next goal is to complete the Ball Drop Mechanism, which would drop the balls from the top funnels onto the isntruments in a controlled manner. Furthermore, we need to make the CAD more precise, using 80/20 and screws. The last step is to think of how to integrate a tablet into the machine for the user control.

Blog #3

02/18/21

Finalizing Phase #1

After determining the four subsystems of our project we each began to start turning our rough draft versions into more polished and functioning CAD models.

One of the four tasks was the completion of a table for the assembly to be mounted on. Like most projects at the DPEA, we constructed the table using 80/20 alluminum bars (Figure 1). These bars are easily customized with dozens of specialized screws and mounts, allowing for any desired shape or configuration.

The table (Figure 2) was constructed to have a long rectangular hole in the wooden top, to which the previously mentioned parparallelepiped would be connected. Two more shorter cut outs were made approx. a foot behind the first cut out. These holes are meant for the ball carriers (Figure 4) to sit in, while resting on a horizontal bar of 80/20. Finally, a specialized cut out was made to hold the control/display screen, which would be used to control the machine.

Figure 1
Figure 2

The ball carrier (Figure 4), was made shorter than before, as we discovered that a marble can produce a loud sound when dropped from shorter heights than we previously thought. Reducing the height allowed us to lower the other components, reducing the height from which the marble is released. In order to finish the mechanism we began to add small gears in between the two back walls of the ball lift (Figure 3). Pulleys would be put onto the gears, creating the spin of the discs that would make the ball lift work.

Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5

The last two subsystems (Ball Drop Mechanism and Top Funnel) came together (Figure 5). A ball drop mechanism was attached to every slot of the top funnel, which would facilitate the dropping of individual marbles.


Our next goals are to:

Finalize the table (Figure 2), by adding all the necessary horizontal bars on which the other subsystems would rest.

Add all the necessary spaces and gears to the Ball Lift (Figures 3 & 4).

Implement a bottom funnel, as well as polish the top funnel to be more slick and less clunky (Figure 5).

Blog #4

05/17/21

Conclusion

As my group was coming into the last stretch, we began filling in the gaps withint our assembly.

One of the firs things we did, was add a 80/20 stand in order to support our ball release mechanism. We went through multiple iterations of the stand, and in the end settled on the one pictures in (Figure 1), which has an additional top sheet to support the ball funnels coming from the gear system.

We then made ball funnels (Figure 2) that delivered marbles from the gear system to the ball release machanism, and funnels that connected the parparallelepiped to the bottom of the gear system, completing the recycling chain of the marbles.

Figure 1
Figure 2

Next we worked on a stable base for the gear system. We created the base (Figure 3) by adding horizontal bars of 80/20, and placed large sheets on top, which then supported the full area of the gear system.

The gear system needed something to securely keep it in place, for which we used the brackets shown in (Figure 4). The screws would be drilled into the flat base mentioned previously.

Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5

We also added a motor (Figure 4) for the gear system. It was made to be holstered the same way as the entirety of the gear system, with the cylnder and semi circle brackets.

Finally, we added a xylophone placeholder (Figure 5) supported by two beams of 80/20. Unfortunately we were not able to finish our completed xylophone due to time constraints, which will be left up to the the future seniors that take interest in our project.

Blogs

Blog #1 (Brainstorming)

Blog #2 (Prototyping)

Blog #3 (Finalizing)

Blog #4 (Conclusion)