30 - A LEGO GBC Module to test Compliance with the Standard

[@diegoyotta]

Beautiful. A cut above, worthy of becoming a LEGO set

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

Thank you. An official GBC set would be nice. Should include a new type of PoweredUp motor that is wall powered and can is made for heavy long time use (which current LEGO motors aren't, unfortunately).

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

Awesome! I love the idea of "test modules" to use in conjunction for other modules. The color schemes on your modules look great as well! That must take a lot of time and effort to get the right pieces, but it certainly pays off in the end!

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

Thank you. Getting the pieces in the correct colors is kind of made easier by designing digitally. I can usually get the necessary pieces before even starting with physical building (aside from some prototypes of single components sometimes). If you design physically you don't as easily order parts when you've an already built and finished module, I guess.

[@UnionParkPlumbing]

I've never built a GBC module before nor seen one in real life. However I do enjoy you're truely testing ALL parts of the standard

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

Thanks! (It's what you gotta do if you don't want to be able to run a number of modules at a show without too many issues. *lol*)

[@hassenplug]

I built a few tester modules, more focused on 1/sec, and regulating to that speed. This is a great module, and your others look very nice. Well done.

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

Thanks, Steve, also for creating a standard that was accepted and implemented around the world and allows us all to do what we do. :-) (Not too many other standards achieved that. *lol* )

[@ALittleSlowest]

Elegant and visually interesting solution! Added to my best of 2022 playlist.

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

Nice. Happy to be on there. 🙂

[@freekmol7484]

absolutely great video. hope to see more videos on some of your previous builds! they look amazing

[@MindStork]

Very clever with the two tippers!

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

Thank you! Two also make it easier to keep the right direction for the output. 🙂

[@brixbuildz]

This is awesome! I love the colour scheme too!

[@Pystro]

The problem with the 31st ball could be solved by putting an arm onto the small tipper that blocks the balls from falling onto it as soon as it has started its movement.

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

That might be an idea, actually. Such gates closing from above aren't without issues, though. A ball can get caught underneath and jam the whole module. Adding a more sophisticated gate would be possible, of course, but it would be kind of a workaround. I'd prefer to fix the initial problem and space out balls evenly. The problem occurs quite rarely but we'll see with what fixes I (or others) might come up. :-)

[@charleslambert3368]

Maybe try to bounce balls smoothly from one direction to another e.g. with a piece presenting a 45° angle if you want to change the trajectory by 90° instead of stopping them head-on before they roll down a ramp. Taking a 0.2s timelapse of the module from above and stacking all the corresponding images might show you where the variation appears.

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

@@charleslambert3368 That might be an idea, actually. Video analysis is certainly useful in GBC (if I'll find the time for it *lol*).

[@charleslambert3368]

@@coastropolisbrick-built I mean you could just record and upload the audio and video to see if the internet at large can figure it out where the variation is coming from.

[@darthgbc363]

Excellent. I think I'll try to make a 5 lane into 30 batch. I can see how this module would be handy in a GBC setup.

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

A shorter design would be interesting. This would be 10 studs wide, though, and you would have to narrow the output to fit the 8x8 input bin of the next module, which is always challenging to keep from jamming.

[@Skwisgar2322]

Perhaps a flag on the first tipper that will block the exit ramp as soon as it begins to tip?

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

This is an idea but might also introduce new issues (which is basically the case with all GBC "improvements" *lol*). (See also my answer to Pystro's comment.)

[@zfrrogers7747]

Beautifully made nice job

[@originalllap]

Dieses Deiner Module war eines der stabilsten und coolsten Module die ich mit Dir zusammen betreuen durfte. Eigentlich war kaum was daran zu tun, es lief wie am Schnürchen :-)

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

Danke! Ja, Förderbänder sind ein sicherer Mechanismus. :-) Die Wippen funktionieren in der Tat auch ganz gut, wenn der Tisch einigermaßen gerade ist. War schön auf der Phaeno Bricks. Freue mich schon auf das nächste mal.

[@quilikx6414]

Drinking game: take a sip every time he says balls.

[@xmoex6393]

What about adding a passing window to the small tipper to allow balls only to enter in the up position. When the tipper tips, the window opening slides down and blocks entry...

[@96Assassine]

Could the smaller tipper be fitted out with a small hook part on top of its input to stop an incoming 31st ball as soon as it moves down?

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

Yes, that might work. But such a gate can also cause jams. (See also my answer to Pystro's comment.)

[@SOULsick0]

I genuinely believe if Lego made ball contraptions it would sell

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

Might be. They'd have to include motors made for long-time running then, though (which the GBC community would highly appreciate :-) ).

[@phatphil55]

Excellent video, great explanation, very interesting. Looking forward to more videos being uploaded from you. Gonna hit the notification bell 🔔👍🏻

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

Thank you very much. Unfortunately, finding time for work, LEGO, LEGO KZbin and the rest of lift is always a challenge. 🙂I have a show coming in two weeks and hope to find time to do more videos after that, though. I've even shot another video I still need the time to edit. So something will be there, eventually.

[@Ground15]

As much as I enjoy watching short bits of these or even following the balls around one of these contraptions, I do wish I never end up with my MOCs next to a GBC again. The noise was getting really annoying after a couple hours, yet alone after 2 days.

[@GoatZilla]

Seems like that first tipper needs a gate to block the chute once it starts tipping. Solves the 31s ball problem I think.

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

Yes, that might work. Such a gate could also cause jams, though. (See also my answer to Pystro's comment.)

[@jdbrickcreation]

Very cool build, Nice

[@Notdecoded_]

love the colour scheme!

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

Thanks. Trying to use as many different accent colors as possible in different modules.

[@1spiceatatime]

Maybe the issue with the tipper overflow could be mitigated somewhat if the first tipper was set up to hold balls in batches of six (2 by 3 rather than 1 by 3)? If you half the tippings then I imagine that the 31 overflow will occur less often. Of course, the triggering weight is 1/6, but the lower tipper's 1/10 triggering weight seems like it might work. Also, the lower tipper will have considerably more time to empty itself.

[@bluerendar2194]

1/6 tipping will be slower than 1/3 tipping though, and his current issue is exactly with 1/3 occasionally not keeping up due to inconsistencies with the ramp. The lower tipper he said worked fine so that's not really an issue.

[@PinwheelGBC]

I need a module like this. 🙂

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

I did make instructions for it, as always. 😉

[@WilliBadenhorst]

@@coastropolisbrick-built spectacular build. Where can we download the instructions please?

[@danriehl4244]

@@coastropolisbrick-built Seconding the request for a link to instructions. I'd suggest including them in the description. That's the first place I usually check. 😄

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

@@WilliBadenhorst @Dan Riehl I was replying to Pinwheel since he knows where to reach out to me for the instructions. They aren't publicly available yet but I'm planning to have a website and link the instructions in every video. If you're interesting in instructions for "30", though, I'll figure out an interim solution for it and post a link here soon.

[@danriehl4244]

@@coastropolisbrick-built yes please! Heck, if you have some way of getting a kick-back for me buying the bricks to make it, let me know so I can do that.

[@lightdark00]

Sadly that one after you in the GBC lineup you showed, looked like it couldn't keep up with the standard set.

[@CosmoMomen]

Lego has just gone full circle back to Rokenbox at this point

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

@BrickBuild_de just released a video on his version of my module. Check it out and let us know what you think about the differences. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHTCc5Zjr9ZnpLc

[@LegoQueenLego]

Amazing subscribe for you 👍

[@mickthebricker]

simply nice!

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

Thanks! 🙂

[@oinkymomo]

would it be more consistent if the top tipper worked in batches of 5 perhaps?

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

Unfortunately not, I think. It would still have only one second to empty and the issue with a ball coming too early getting through would be the same, still. (Mind the lower tipper doesn't have any problem.) Also, the issue doesn't happen often, currently. Tables not being level are a much bigger issue in practice.

[@blave549]

Fabulous. Question: you have a sort of diverter to the right of the "Ferris wheel" in the red section of the build, such that balls are occasionally returned to the ball pile in front of the wheel. What is that for? Is it a sort of regulator to keep the number of balls at the base of the green/white section's conveyor from overflowing the bin?

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

The red one is a reservoir module. We use these in bigger GBC layouts to even out the ball flow when there is fluctuation, e.g., due to jams or other dynamics. It can be useful to be able to adjust the output rate of such a reservoir. 1 balls per second is the minimal rate each module must be able to process and therefore the theoretical maximum throughput of a loop. This could only be reached of everything works perfectly all the time, which is not realistic. Therefore being able to set an average ball flow somewhere below 1 bps is useful. This can be done by adjusting the gray ball joint plate and have more or less balls recirculate.

[@blave549]

@@coastropolisbrick-built thank you for the detailed response! It didn't occur to me that the "diverter" could be adjusted -- now it totally makes sense.

[@glowytheglowbug]

very nice

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

Thanks!

[@CBetancourtYT]

Is it possible to get instructions and part list to build this set?

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

Unfortunately, I still didn't get to set up my instructions page and it will probably still be a while. I believe someone from Australia made instructions for another version based on mine linked in the pinned comment. I don't currently have a link, though.

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

Found it. rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-122115/Jude%20The%20Lego%20Dude/30-dunes-variant

[@poucxs9246]

Cool build :-) btw, how did you make the animation @ 30 seconds?

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

Thank you! I created the models in BrickLink Stud.io, exported them to Blender and did the animation there.

[@poucxs9246]

@@coastropolisbrick-built Thank you for sharing !

[@sosomhm86]

nice module, but I don't agree that the input bin should not have moving parts. Which rule do you refer to?

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

Well, as I said, it's debatable. I'm simply referring to the rule of having an input bin that is at least 10x10 studs wide and at most 10 bricks high. If you have something inside that 10x10 area that moves above that 10 bricks, even temporarily, you could consider it in conflict with that rule. Of course the standard doesn't go into such detail. I've also seen discussions in the GBC community of whether anything is allowed high above (like bridges having something on top of the input bin in 1.5 m height). :-) Saying that, certainly none of this is as big of an issue as not properly accepting 30 balls, if it is at all.

[@sosomhm86]

@@coastropolisbrick-built i see, 10x10x10 is the outer dimensions, the opening is defined by 8x8, so inside just 30 balls have ti fit

[@railcarfan89]

Is there anyway I could get the instructions to add your module to my layout?

[@coastropolisbrick-built]

Yes, I didn't get to this, yet, unfortunately. (Work got in the way. 🙂) Hope to be able to post a link here soon.

[@walmart6029]

5:07 what did he sayyy💀💀💀

[@oracle7552]

I don't understand the craze over this stuff. like its not doin much, I haven't seen any of ball contraptions do more than this one. Why not make something more complicated or cool? its just a lift. make it shoot the balls in the air or something and then catch them in a tube or a cone that swirls them around like those coin machines. make one that does a waterfall of balls. I'm no technic expert but a wheel with shovel bits on the end and a high rpm would fling them like a catapult.

[@jarskil8862]

To someone who is about to have interview as project engineer at a company that provides conveyor and mass transport systems for all kind of industries, I appericiate the simplicity.