Ideation

As grown-up kids, many of us have enjoyed playing with marble runs. During my studies, I had the opportunity to design and manufacture two marble runs. However, at that time, I didn't have the knowledge and experience that I have now. Therefore, I am planning to design my third marble run and compare it with the previous two.

The marble run should include an elevator to lift the marbles up, and tracks for moving the marbles from top to bottom, left to right, and so on.

Machine modules breakdown:

• CAD and Fabrication

1. Design a marbles elevator

2. Design tracks & the base

3. Mounting all mechanical components

• Electronics

1. Design a stepper motor PCB driver

2. Design and fabricate output &I input devices board

• Programming

1. Control the motor ( output device ) by LDR sensors (Input devices )

Project Timeline

CAD and Fabrication :

• Design the marbles elevator and tracks using CAD Fusion 360,

  I used the coil feature to generate both the elevator& the track. the dimension of the coil is 1.5 times the size of a marble

  

  

  

  

  

• Fabricate the mechanical components, including the base and the elevator I had problems at my first try:

1. We need to connect the track and the elevator to create a closed-pass game

2. Electronics housing for sensors, motor, and other electric components (stepper motor)

• Assemble the mechanical components and test their functionality

  

  

  

Electronics

• Design a PCB driver for the stepper motor

  

• Design and fabricate the input and output devices board

  

  

  

• Soldering the SMD components

• Assemble the electronics and test their functionality

  

Programming

• Write the code to control the stepper motor and the input and output devices

I

• Test the code and debug any issues that arise

• Integrate the code with the mechanical and electronic components

Outcomes - First run

As shown in the video the LDR sensors control the movement of the motor

Challenges and improvements:

• The marble diameter needed to be considered in the coil elevator and the track measurements

• Sometimes marble jumps off the track

• You can only play with one marble per round

To figure out

I need to test my game with kids and get feedback from them

What I have learned so far?

Time project management involves the planning, scheduling, monitoring, and controlling of time spent on a project. It is a crucial aspect of project management as it helps ensure that the project is completed on time and within budget. This process includes identifying the tasks that need to be completed, estimating the amount of time it will take to complete each task, and creating a schedule that outlines when each task will be done. Additionally, time project management involves monitoring the progress of the project and making adjustments as needed to keep it on track. It requires strong organizational and time-management skills, as well as effective communication and collaboration with team members.

Future Work:

• Adding LEDs light for the track.

• Adding marble counter

• try different materials of the marbles ( metal, rubber, … )