Gravity powered machine

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Do you remember the time Colin Furze pulled a string and it made a cup of tea in another room? I'm building a marble machine which uses the force of gravity from the marble to make a cup of tea! A ball runs through the marble machine and its force is used to activate elements of the team making machine.
CAD & Code: github.com/XRobots/MarbleTea/
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Music for your KZbin videos: share.epidemicsound.com/xrobots
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CAD and Code for my projects: github.com/XRobots
Huge thanks to my Patrons, without whom my standard of living would drastically decline. Like, inside out-Farm Foods bag decline. Plus a very special shoutout to Lulzbot, Inc who keep me in LulzBot 3D printers and support me via Patreon.
HARDWARE/SOFTWARE
Below you can also find a lot of the typical tools, equipment and supplies used in my projects:
Filament from: www.3dfuel.com/
Lulzbot 3D Printers: bit.ly/2Sj6nil
Bearings from: simplybearings.co.uk/
Lincoln Electric Welder: bit.ly/2Rqhqos
CNC Router: bit.ly/2QdsNjt
Ryobi Tools: bit.ly/2RhArcD
3D Printer Filament: bit.ly/2PdcdUu
Soldering Iron: bit.ly/2DrNWDR
Vectric CNC Software: bit.ly/2zxpZqv

[@dfgaJK]

The thing I'm increasingly appreciative of with your vides isn't the quality or perfection it's the way you just get shit done and call it finished. You are consistently producing rounded and complete projects at an astounding rate, great job 👍

[@graealex]

He is quite underrated as an engineer, as most of his contraptions look pretty wacky, but the "Giant Robot Furby" really showed fast and precise engineering.

[@JustGoAndFly]

I feel like he goes straight from CAD/Solidworks to relatively functional designs. It would be interesting to see some of them refined.

[@dfgaJK]

@@JustGoAndFly I'm sure there is lots of tweaking that occurs and, as typical with youtube videos, goes unshown. We need a 2nd channel! 😁 He does sometimes revisit projects. 🤔Maybe that is key... he reserves refinement for a mk2 rather that parasitic scope creep of mk1.

[@robertschnobert9090]

He could make twice as much money from stretching the content over multiple videos with some cliffhangers at the end haha 🌈 capitalism is the best system available and this is not a joke. @@JustGoAndFly

[@priyankaaggarwal9651]

I didn't like that you used electronic parts in this project. A marble machine should be pure marble machine. You could have put a counter weight on the elevator with just enough weight to make it go down slowly. Don't get this in the wrong tone, I am also your fan 😅

[@ThumpertTheFascistCottontail]

It took massive balls to make this project.

[@jamescollier3]

I liked the "Jugs Action"

[@dark_mode001]

D:

[@LordDragox412]

Especially considering what Brits will do to him for calling that a "the perfect cup of tea" >:P

[@jameswalker199]

@jamescollier3 Two massive ones, and all

[@DrWhom]

he lost all his marbles

[@fernandozenomiranda9470]

He cut the video right at the end because the tea wasn't right and wanted to avoid showing himself being disgusted by it 😂

[@screwuk]

11:22 - That's my mate when I ask for a strong builder's tea

[@andrewschroeder9502]

🤣

[@yakacm]

The 1970's here, we used to have a thing called a Teas Made, which woke you up with a cup of tea in the morning. The way they did it was very simple and very clever. The kettle and tea pot were next to each other, the spout of the kettle took the form of a small diameter pipe bent 180° and feeding in to the tea pot. When the kettle boiled the pressure would force the water out of the kettle and in to the tea pot. The thing had a clock which you set the time you wanted to get up, 5 minutes prior to that the kettle would turn on, there was a pressure switch underneath the kettle, when the kettle emptied the switch would open and an alarm would go off and a light would turn on, I guess so you weren't trying to pour scolding hot tea in the dark. The alarm was a bit redundant as the hot water rushing out of the kettle was pretty noisy.

[@SprocketN]

I remember my parents having one of those Teas Maids. 🫖 They never let me have it in my room 🙁 I had to go downstairs, make my tea then take it back upstairs.

[@althejazzman]

My grandparents used them well into the 90's. The Goblin Teasmade!

[@raspberrypi]

Maybe I LIKE the misery.

[@nigelfenlon9035]

Ah the 70's what a time to be alive! 😅

[@althejazzman]

I'm so relieved that you made proper tea and implemented the timer. I'm appalled at how weak Colin Furze drinks his tea!

[@segment932]

Don't forget about Marble machine X by Martin at Wintergatan. In the latest episode he used both a fly governor and a gravity governor to adjust the speed of the marble machine. Perhaps you could do something equal to slow down the decent of the bal through out the marble track. For example the seesaw tipping could be slowed down with a air governor while gravity governor could be used in combination with the elevator to so that when the ball enters the elevator the tea drops and the slow elevator starts to descend. When the elevator comes down to the bottom it lifts the tea bag out of the cup.

[@JesusWasAPunk31]

Governor doesn't adjust the speed, it make it constant.

[@segment932]

@@JesusWasAPunk31 Yea. I had to think about that. But i think you are correct, but I do not fully know why. Care to explain?

[@vell0cet517]

You should recreate the breakfast machine in Chitty Chatty Bang Bang, but with your own panache, of course.

[@finndriver1063]

I don't know why but the phone gag gets me every time! ❤

[@theFrizzleFry]

That cut at 3:21 had me laugh out loud

[@theyxaj]

I love waking up in the morning, boiling water, setting my cup on a plate, adding a tea bag, milk, and water to seperate containers, and then dropping a ball bearing at the top of a slide :P My cat loves to lick up the extra water and milk at the end and run off with the ball!

[@G36934]

Aww dang. You need a mechanical timer. Like a spring mass gear thing

[@einglis]

It seems you're having some kind of breakdown, and I love it!

[@no_time1691]

man who has never brewed tea, brews a cup of tea

[@green64]

you should start a 2nd marble in a parallel helix track, when this marble has reached the bottom it lands in a basket which releases the flap on the lift for the large marble via a cable pull. In this way, you can also release the tea time in a mechnical way, and depending on where in the helix the second ball starts, you can also regulate the length of the brewing!

[@brentgoeller8257]

You heathen! That is way too much milk. lol! Seriously, that is epic. I love it.

[@Dysiode]

I'm digging the phone mic! The marble machine is really great too! I was NOT expecting a giant fist sized ball bearing though!

[@Armadous]

It felt like he was on hold, and figured he might as well knock out a project while he waited.

[@phizicks]

4:58 you could use do a simple syringe as a piston shock absorber to slow the pour. the dunking could be a wheel with a high ratio so the ball goes down but the wheel dunks many times before the ball reaches the bottom to the next stage.

[@gaius_enceladus]

After the milk is added, you could add a stirring mechanism. Tea and coffee are better when they've been stirred!

[@StevenPreedy]

A very cool modification to this design would be to use small ball bearing instead of a single large one. At each stage there is a buffer where it fills with multiple ball bearings, once the stage is complete the machine would slowly release the ball bearings to the next stage

[@gn0st1c]

TEA-800 is the best product name ever :)

[@mszargiki]

Wallace’s inspiring engineering lives on!

[@lumotroph]

I like this more chilled presentation style 😊

[@lawlawlo]

You can really feel the time limit induced by the weekly upload schedule in this one.

[@jameswalker199]

Need to get yourself sponsored by Turing Tumble and do some more robots powered by marble run processors.

[@mikesilluzio9399]

Brilliant work, James!

[@RealAndySkibba]

A sand timer would be neat for the brewing time. Funnel opened by ball. Sand goes unto bin on a lever that moves lift door up when times done. Adjustable too.

[@Frozenkoldfury]

Tea-800 is such a perfect pun, have a subscription sir

[@p838sfan]

Amazing work again.

[@ellisfletcher3491]

Love it. Would love to see another video on improving the air engine again i really enjoyed them

[@ZOMBIEHEADSHOTKILLER]

if youre gonna mention various marble machines, there is one that is a REQUIERMENT... Wintergatan's Marble Machine X, and the upgraded versions of it..... it plays whole songs. Nothing beats it, not even the clock. ........ and hes been doing it long before it became trendy.

[@jamesbruton]

Yes I subscribe to Wintergatan. Vintage.

[@metern]

You could try using a Magnet ball through a copper tube (Lenz's Law) too slow the ball to have longer time on the parts that take the longest time 😉

[@Volamek]

Another great video, James. Turns out my son really likes your channel as well, so now you're helping me teach him robotics. Thanks!

[@jasonl800]

Reminded me of watching an old episode of the fantastic “The Great Egg Race” as a kid. Just googled and it’s available to watch on the bbc archive in an episode called “Time for Tea”. RIP Professor Hieinz Wolff.

[@sentinelaenow4576]

Magnificently adorable, you are awesome!

[@Minty1337]

the phone mic is hilarious lmao

[@matthagersr]

James talking on a telephone handset is peak 80's romanticism

[@TheKnightsShield]

He must have been well bored with this project, as he was literally phoning in his lines. 🤣🤣

[@Dolmeca_the_Knight]

even in 2:52 when the phone cable is clearly disconnected 🤣

[@PKMartin]

The vibe of the intro is "James didn't have an idea this week so drank the leftover Christmas booze and ad-libbed it into a disconnected phone handset" ... I enjoyed this video a lot :)

[@joshuaraia1470]

I love this project, it’s so creative! I could tell James was having lots of fun making it. I feel like the electronic bits are like cheating a bit, but I totally understand the need to publish content.

[@arnobaert8339]

he is becoming crazy, i love this

[@radiance8940]

really liked this one james!!

[@jamesbruton]

thanks

[@PhaTs00p]

Have you thought about building a filament extruder and shredder? So you could recycle failed parts which I assume you've got a few.

[@TheRealMozes]

That phone throughout the video made my chuckle

[@racingfortheson]

You forgot the ice cubes. How can tea be good without ice? Don’t think it’s a good idea for Texans. 😂😂

[@LimabeanStudios]

Electronic gate is a bit sad, tough problem to solve and get the video out in time though. Feels like a fairly simple escapement coulda worked

[@andrestricker4118]

11:33 I was soooo disappointed because I was hoping for a fully mechanical thing. Other than that: Wow!

[@jamesrcrypto]

perfect. lots of laughs

[@mkoldewijn]

The phone gag was amazing

[@tumblodryay1189]

Haha! The 8 stages of tea-making

[@loganhollows]

The phone mic is a welcome addition lol

[@coltonm8623]

I think using tea cup with a flat bottom on the inside instead of rounded would solve half of the splashing problems. A mechanical solution for the bag dipping timer could be water being slowly poured from one jug to another on a weight triggered mechanism or scale.

[@Jett-n-gin]

You had me rolling in the first 15 seconds. Instant like and sub

[@ethanlynch3639]

the phone mic is very reminiscent of juliana chahayed's videos. i love it

[@Alkatross]

Yorkshire tea is what colin used. And his milk goes in first

[@aussiegarbo752]

This was soooo cool!

[@tontowmerlin5240]

What have you done! You just started the tea making wars.... Now the other makers have to make tea makers.

[@AdamsLab]

The phone gag was on point

[@homieboi5352]

Just a suggestion for making stuff wait a while: the pendulum mechanism in a mechanical clock is fit for this task, as the marble could provide a torque to the mechanism while a pendulum swings back and forth to slowly increment a dial, eventually triggering something to occur later in the machine

[@danielleohallisey4218]

I watch these videos to hear you say, “Bahh-rings”!

[@davidvwilliamson]

if you could find a way to add even just a small alphanumeric display to your machine it would be able to explain to us all how it is the transmigrated soul of a GWR broad-guage locomotive long-since relegated to the scrapyard. Now recalled to life & given a purpose, a mission if you will to make cups of tea

[@pyramidsinegypt]

I have that same 'phone' :D Great for pranks by whipping out that thing when your mobile rings :P

[@sirsplintfastthepungent1373]

Cracking toast, Grommet.

[@bikerdave1274]

If its quieter than a 1970's Goblin Tea's'Maid, then congratulations.

[@solomonpbyer6319]

Amazing definitly could be in some store for effects would need to load the hot water and milk via tubes and water pump and stuff for the next run.

[@ArtOfficialIntelligence1]

This video cured my fear of clowns, but now I'm scared of unicycles. The unexpected side effects of internet therapy.

[@eFeXuy]

It could been electronic-less with a clock style pendulum to time the opening of the gate. It wouldn't even need weights because you can use the weight of the ball.

[@mvadu]

It's the most English thing I think.. Not marble music, not kinetic art.. A machine to make a cup of tea ☕

[@martylawson1638]

Really "phoned in" the video this week lol. Great build and an excellent demo of sequential logic. For a simple mechanical timer, how about use a second ball to drive an fan governor before releasing the gate to raise the tea.

[@olestampevestergaard4746]

You could have used a weighted sand timer for the timing, but I get that you chose electronics to get finished

[@benharri]

I love the handset mic

[@NOLAfugee]

Can you set it up with an electric kettle? Maybe have the trigger on the kettle and the ball bearing begins when the water boils. Idk if shelf stable and/or non-dairy creamer is common over there.

[@alvaro4186]

I was watching anothing channel and I think a project James would excel with is if he tried to make his own version of a gaming chair, a la the Cluvens Scorpion Gaming Cockpit. He could fix all the issues mentioned in reviews and at the end of the day, he'd have an excelent chair for him to model in. And knowing James, he'd casually make the chair actually walk.

[@DanilloCabrera]

Tea 800 is the perfect name!

[@tlcshoub]

Wow that's amazing

[@PhillipGHodgson]

Do you know the channel Joseph’s Machines? He makes some amazing Rube Goldberg machines that are in the same vein as this contraption. He specifically avoids using strings to transfer motion because it makes it harder for the viewer to follow the action.

[@beni446]

That's some GOOD Gravi-TEA on show here

[@bigutubefan2738]

Amazing fantastic work as usual James. I wondered why didn't you just set the cup up with the tea bag in it, but your dunker removes the tea bag once the cuppa's brewed (preventing unpleasant stewing).

[@azinfidel6461]

Epicly well done.....

[@olestampevestergaard4746]

I so want to make a candy dispensing machine for my kids weekend treats 😂

[@el_es]

You could 3d print a new housing for the contents of that mic/receiver :) shape it to your heart's content ;)

[@Austinn72]

Yes I did see those aforementioned videos 😊

[@Francois_Dupont]

instead of Walace and Gromit weve got James Bruton.

[@Aura-Of-Syrinx]

Love the phone mic!

[@GRXVESTONE]

3D print a giant Screwball Scramble machine!

[@lincolnsiebelink6628]

I feel like he is talking to someone else and i’m eavesdropping on his phone call.

[@hed420]

You should make a meat powered mech suit.

[@robjchristopher]

Heath Robinson would be very proud of you James!

[@peter360adventures9]

Awesome.

[@eos_the_goenner6198]

I really like the new mic

[@CDRaff]

I just recently discovered JBB Creative and wowza that dude can engineer some amazingly beautiful motion.

[@JCWren]

Should that be JBV Creative?

[@FIRE_STORMFOX-3692]

Make a electromagnetic tank, that floats on its tracks like a maglev and uses magnetic fields to turn the tracks

[@ETG168]

If you added some sorta airbrake governor on the elevator, could you have gotten it to work without any electronics?

[@feelincrispy7053]

You forgot to mention the OG KZbin marble machine man, wintergatan

[@tomholroyd7519]

... I haven't really planned this ... just phoning it in

[@AndyCallaway]

Lol. "A perfect cup of tea" 🤢 At least you didn't put the teabag in first. 👍

[@Diemermakes]

a 3d printed pendulum clock could be a cool analog replacement for the arduino timer

[@borisov1024]

Very cool and funny video.The arduino part it cheating though. You could use a spring or a rope and a weight with a speed governor to time the tea bag.

[@voxar3206]

I really missed the use of some sort of spinning governor for timings! For example a gate before the elevator could drop the teabag and the bottom of the elevator raises it up. A governor with a long string around an axle limits the elevators descent.

[@raineylights]

This is far superior to colins Mainly because the tea is made in the right order

[@ThisRandomGuyYouDidntNotice]

when the voice in your head is like "I could knot multiple hooks into the string to try different lengths" and you don't wanna do all that knotting and just 3d print a bigger hooking pice to try different lengths xD

[@PKMartin]

I don't think it's about different lengths of string, it's about different distances from the pivot to change the leverage

[@JessWLStuart]

Awesome!