Perpetual Looping GIF in Real Life

[@travisSimon365]

If you are considering a v2, I would love to see a version where a ball is moved by rocking the entire frame (thus removing the lever to lift the ball). It would be difficult, but the software could employ a PID controller to get smooth motion.

[@Engineezy]

Ooh thats a very cool idea! Might have to use that in a future project

[@lizekamtombe2223]

Attach the camera to the tilting frame and a smooth background so you don't see the motion.

[@covati]

YES! That's what I thought he was going to do from the beginning. I love the idea of a PID controller, but I think with a given known weight it could probably use pre-calculated settings.

[@CodeNameDoug]

@@Engineezy I would also remove the sensor, and use a variable speed gear set. Like the ones shown here.

[@suodrazah6015]

No need for PID control on a system with no variables.

[@ZenBeepBop]

honestly the sound itself sent me into hypnosis

[@Engineezy]

Agreed!

[@BlckAria]

Honestly, I feel like the little drop before the ball gets picked up adds to the illusion. It looks like even that has been animated. I love it!

[@Engineezy]

Thank you!!

[@dan_m320]

Challenge: Can you do an almost perpetual motion design, that uses just a small solar panel to work? In order to work durring day without a battery.

[@Engineezy]

Oooh good challenge! I'm going to think about it!

[@vylbird8014]

i.ebayimg.com/images/g/DfgAAOSwSHpimBzz/s-l1600.jpg

[@ianbelletti6241]

Add a rechargeable battery to the mix and a solar panel strong enough to charge the battery at the same time the panel powers the mechanism. Then you don't need to worry about it stopping even in temporary darkness.

[@totally_not_a_bot]

​@@ianbelletti6241A capacitor fits that description perfectly, and is cheaper, simpler, faster, safer and more efficient than a battery with a charge controller.

[@ianbelletti6241]

@@totally_not_a_bot you don't always need a charge controller. It depends on battery type. On top of that, some lithium batteries come with built in charge controllers. Just look at the AA rechargeable lithium batteries.

[@JKBrickworks]

Very nice! Another fantastic little contraption.

[@Engineezy]

Appreciate it 😀

[@ianbelletti6241]

​@@Engineezythe whole timing issue may just be motor speed. It would be a little more mesmerizing if you could perfect the motor speed instead of varying it. The first attempt appears that you have the rotation set too low.

[@carmin.e]

i didnt know you were here!

[@jif23alt]

hi jkbrickworks

[@mrsquid_]

yooooo jk

[@barakrl]

I had my perpetual doubts until I saw that the ball is lifted back up, and boy did you deliver. It’s mesmerizing. Great video.

[@Engineezy]

Thank you 🙏

[@lanceanthony198]

Great video, and the end result is mesmerizing. I would love to see an episode 2 on this “real life satisfying GIF” idea at some point in the future where you try to get everything perfectly smooth and synchronized, with a new unique design

[@Engineezy]

Definitely going to be making more of these! And they will be perfect 🙌

[@jason3898]

The way it moves looks sooo much like a crazy contraption in a Tim Burton claymation film, like Nightmare Before Christmas.

[@ElectroBOOM]

Cool, man!

[@Engineezy]

Thank you sir!

[@riffhammeron]

A very easy change that would be cool would be to change the cam shape a bit so that the bridge arrives at the lower track at the exact time the ball does.

[@skeveharvey]

can you make one to make my dad come home ?

[@jorenminer8817]

Awesome project, absolutely love desk display things like this. And that beat. Now needs a few other similar machines with other sounds, to make a mesmerizing orchestra

[@Engineezy]

Ooh the machine orchestra is an amazing concept

[@TundraTheBlueQuaker]

We need a long form video of just this thing running... it's so mesmerizing!

[@Engineezy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHSwp3-dibllmKcsi=_RK2VmOFvHfihfsT 🙌🙌

[@SayonR]

Quick, interesting and calming build! Great work again by industrial designer Jay!

[@Engineezy]

Appreciate it 🙏🙏 ID Jay says thanks ☺️

[@lorrainemackey4851]

Your ability to make things that don’t look real is really impressive

[@vladmunteanu5864]

Love the rythme to it, sounds very satisfying on top of the visuals!

[@Engineezy]

Glad you like it!

[@TheAstronomyDude]

I like it. It has a good beat. All mechanical systems should have a good beat to let you know they're working right.

[@Engineezy]

Very true!

[@slice-the-pi]

i love that you seem to have accidentally learned to do clap syncs via osmosis from watching other creators' youtube videos without realizing what their purpose was

[@Engineezy]

🤣🤣

[@MrEdwardhartmann]

In 1968 I went to the World's Fair (Hemisphere '68) in San Antonio, TX. In one of the display areas, they had a machine that just fascinated me. It was a very simple machine consisting of a box mounted in a wall with a glass front. On the base of the box toward the front were two polished metal pads about 3" in diameter. Directly between the two pads was a shaft about 4" tall with a rotating hoop on top of it. Directly behind the two metal pads and about 6" above the base of the box were two holes in the back wall. About every second or two, a metal ball just big enough to fit through the hole would fall out of the hole on the right, drop down and land on the metal pad on the right. The surface of the metal pad had a compound angle that would bounce the ball and change its direction toward the spinning hoop. As the ball reached the hoop, its rotation would just align with the ball to allow it to pass through, ark down and hit the second pad where the direction was again changed and the ball bounced up and through the hole in the back on the left side of the box. Repeat indefinitely. A bunch of us probably watched this display for over an hour. Since that was 55 years ago, my recollection of the sizes might be off, but I will never forget how much fun it was watching this thing. We may have gentled "tapped" on the glass a few times to see if we could make the ball miss the hoop, but I think it was engineered with that possibility in mind because we did not break anything and it never "dropped the ball".

[@Engineezy]

That sounds really cool! Definitely sparks some ideas!

[@jameschristiansson3137]

@@Engineezy The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago had that same thing in the 1960s. I can't find a video of it, maybe you'll have to make one. 😎

[@williamdowling7718]

Way cool. The jitteriness of it makes it seem more like an animation than most of the animations. Love it.

[@justinbanks2380]

3:15 Jay goes heavy metal!!! Yeah, look at those sparks!

[@justinbanks2380]

6:09 noooo! You let out the ghost in the circuits! You never want to let out the ghosts!

[@jesusflores3070]

It felt unreal, exactly why you made it. Congratulations!!!

[@Engineezy]

Mission accomplished!

[@joepie221]

I enjoy watching the creative process. Well done. Comment, is the center elevator bridge/lift just for mechanical pizzazz or does it really serve a purpose? 2nd...What type of 3-D printer are you using? The parts look great. Stay well.

[@Engineezy]

Mainly for some pizzazz and ‘suspense’

[@joepie221]

@@Engineezy What 3D printer do you use?

[@Engineezy]

@@joepie221 the x1 carbon has been my go to these days!

[@MBPaperPlanes]

Cool! I love those satisfying 3D animations too! This may be just part of your process that you leave out, but do you ever run a physics simulation on your machines before you build/print them? I'm a 3D animator myself and use Maxon Cinema 4D which has a physics engine that's pretty easy to use. I'm sure Blender does too. It made me think on this one that if you simulated it accurately enough, you could tweak the dimensions, slopes, etc until the ball lined up with the paddle arm at the end without the sensor and motor speed change.

[@Engineezy]

I definitely need to spend more time with physics engines! Generally speaking my computer is not powerful enough to hand them haha, gonna need to fix that and improve in this area

[@crystalgaming12]

7:52 sick beat

[@levifzephyr]

Oooooh ! So nice and cool project! Good job ! I am happy that you're able to waste your time a way I can't so I can still enjoy your creative creations without having to / being able to build them. 👍👌🏻

[@slimebud]

Bro, you are an inspiration. And seeing how you have gone through almost every comment and given a reply is so cool, I have a lot of respect for you. It would be cool If for a future project you can make a cool contraption that your subs make with you. Like you make a simple template and they design a unique mechanism off of it, build it, test it, and send it to you to add to the others.

[@Engineezy]

Love that idea! Definitely going to have to slot that in to a future project. Appreciate it 👊

[@diamabolo]

great work! these balltrack animations are always an inspiration....also works with rollercoaster tracks

[@Engineezy]

Thank you! It would be cool with roller coaster tracks as well!

[@clamcambamcam9718]

Wow. I think the sound of it makes it 10x better

[@thamires.magalhaes]

Love your attention to detail there, the speed change in the rotation made a huge difference in the smoothness

[@Engineezy]

Thanks for appreciating! Definitely a big part of my process

[@thamires.magalhaes]

@@Engineezy yeah, I noticed from the other projects, the perfectionism in me appreciates your extra effort haha

[@dvjvbv]

Beautiful! Rather than an arm, could you use a friction wheel to move the ball to the top track? Like in a ball throwing machine?

[@Engineezy]

Yes! That would work well actually

[@andreyrumming6842]

You might be able to get rid of the arduino entirely. If you use a pair of cogs where half of the cog is one radius, and the other half of the cog is a different radius, you can get 2 different speeds as the first cog rotates out of the second cog. That way you just use a single little motor to power the artwork with no extra complexity. An example of something similar is shown in "Art of rendering"s channel under Mechanical principles part 5 timestamp 0:42.

[@Engineezy]

Thats a cool idea, definitely worth exploring in future projects

[@HardBud]

Dude that's DAMN creative! Amazing content as always 👍

[@Engineezy]

Thank you!! Appreciate it 🙏

[@jacobnefsky1478]

Always clapping is good, it helps editor Jake on the sound sync

[@polychoron]

I like the clapping, embrace it! Each KZbinr has their signature quirks that fans come to love.

[@Engineezy]

🙏🙏👏👏

[@D-S-9]

I’m a little late, but I just discovered this awesome video. I’m gonna say you clap because you saw other KZbinrs doing it and they did it to make editing easier.

[@Engineezy]

Haha that is very possible

[@Jr_2132oo]

Could the action of the middle be timed such that you could include a ramp to give the ball a push?

[@make.anything]

Hah! Nailed the satisfying gif aesthetic. Awesome work

[@Engineezy]

Thank you!! Mission accomplished 🙌

[@brett8090]

Would a bowling ball return or escalator handrail style center hub fix the rollback issue? Make a center drive wheel that has o-rings for grip. Oversize it a touch so you get 3 points of contact on the ball and it might just climb with no asymmetric arm. Thanks for the video

[@jaxsel806]

Really cool! I had some sort of art block in blender but not anymore lol

[@Engineezy]

Let's go!!

[@EliMorJP]

WOOOOWWW we want more like this...❤❤❤❤

[@Engineezy]

More to come 😀

[@ultidaguy]

Do you have a video edit of the finished product so it can be looped? It truly is peaceful and calming to watch.

[@Engineezy]

I do! kzbin.info9isbgJz3E-s?feature=share

[@ianbelletti6241]

Jay: "Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?" Hannibal: "I love it when a plan comes together."

[@Engineezy]

😈😈

[@ianbelletti6241]

@@Engineezy 🪖🪖🪖🪖

[@john7027]

Jay, 👏 You know what I am going to say. You never cease to amaze!

[@Engineezy]

Thanks John!!!

[@PossiblyAxolotl]

It’d be so cool to see a bunch of these satisfying renders turned real at some kind of event like maker faire or open sauce

[@BitSmythe]

1:43 I would have had the cam rotate in the opposite direction. Intuitively, less friction or pressure or something on the scissor lifting arm?

[@katherinebruegel6349]

I really appreciated your observation about the build up and release of tension relating to the satisfaction of this art, do you think that is something you will continue to apply to your kinetic sculptures in the future?

[@Engineezy]

Maybe! Depends on the sculpture but definitely worth keeping it in mind!

[@d00dieb0x]

Yes, mechanics meet the emotional quirks of us humans. However, I think the up/down movement could have been smoother and tighter to actually achieve this 'will he make it'.

[@Tekila0]

I respect the ten hun shirt! Love to see creators supporting creators!

[@Tekila0]

Also are the cinematic shots of the completed machine in low fps? The effect it gave was sick!

[@Engineezy]

It was a little lower fps! Happy you think its cool, wasnt too sure about it

[@Engineezy]

Also TenHun is a legend

[@danielmccann2979]

Just wondering about the varying speed of the ball pusher, could you use elíptica gears to do the varying speeds instead

[@Engineezy]

That could definitely work!

[@silversilk8438]

Mesmerized and satisfied viewer. The scissors and cam work do well!!

[@Engineezy]

Appreciate it!!

[@TheRealStructurer]

Very nice. Almost perfect. From the top it looks great but from the side there is a tiny bit adjustment needed. Thanks for sharing 👍🏼

[@davinlaroche3029]

Super well done! And you clap out of excitement! Many people do.

[@Engineezy]

Thank you 👏🤭

[@Creative_Electronics]

Nice video and the results looks great! Very satisfying to watch it in action!

[@Engineezy]

Thank you!! Agreed :)

[@HomeWithDrew]

That was super satisfying and really therapeutic hearing it tick along

[@tryingblender3556]

I love the design, would like to become an engineer when I finished school, and your very inspiering. I was wondering if you could make the speed of the ball pusher variabel by using a shell gear. I think it would make the design that mutch more satisfying. Really hope you read this.

[@Engineezy]

Thank you! That’s an interesting thought, might have to put it to use on a future project!

[@Abolidge]

I think it makes it more mesmerizing that doesn’t go smoothly

[@zzubra]

The gap in the upper track is not visually pronounced because that track is transparent. Making an opaque rail on top with a more obvious beak in it could heighten the visual impact.

[@Engineezy]

Thats a great idea!

[@whatsonchannelB]

Great engineering. Try filming in 60 or 120fps and playing it back at 0.5x or 0.25x speed, and remove all sound. Bet it will be more .GIF like.

[@Engineezy]

Definitely worth a shot

[@AWDTurboPOWAH]

Really cool! Great concept, and I can't wait to see you do more of these! 👍

[@Engineezy]

Lots of concepts in the works!

[@Frank-Y]

I love the sound even more! Mesmerizing!

[@Engineezy]

Happy accident 🙌

[@PunakiviAddikti]

Here's a couple of improvement ideas. First, you could make the acceleration and deceleration of the arm smooth instead of instant. Second, by changing the shape of the cam you can directly change how the scissor mechanism moves. Why not try some new shapes and see what happens? Third, the sensor does not have to be where the arm is. Since the cam and arm are connected by a chain, you can make the cam trigger the sensor. Not a huge improvement but it would make the frame look cleaner. Finally, consider hiding the motor and electronics in the base. You would have to make the base deeper and add extra gears, but using a pancake stepper would save some space and a custom ordered circuit board with SMD components would save space.

[@PastaLuke]

Very relaxing! I love it! 👏

[@Engineezy]

Agreed! Thanks 😀

[@RealFancyFrog]

This is actually really mesmerizing lol

[@Thefirstqwerty]

the mechanical sound is sooooooooooooooooooooooo satisfying

[@MakeForOthers]

Delightful! Nice job sticking with it and putting in the work to get to awesome!

[@Engineezy]

Appreciate it!!

[@sirgaming1556]

I am building an inverted pendulum at the moment and I would love to see a fully built version made by you. Also its kinda challenging I would say. Maybe a interesting challenge for you?

[@Engineezy]

I’ve actually always wanted to do it but haven’t gotten around to it yet, may have to put it on the project list!

[@bryandraughn9830]

I've been trying to figure out how to build a mechanical tesseract. I have to run a rail right through the center though so it can revolve through itself. If you've ever seen one of those animations you can see that it just a bunch of expanding and contracting tubes. Im thinking magnetic,ball corners.

[@wiredweird]

how do you not have 1 million subscribers already?? your videos are amazing!!

[@Engineezy]

Thank you!! Step by step

[@TommyRaines]

Nice NB You can't expect something to tke longer than expected !!

[@ALL_that_ENDS]

You should be apart of every engineering and artist repertoire, genius

[@Engineezy]

🙏🙏🙏

[@feelfree.1]

Wow, it looks very good 7:40, well done 😀👍🏼

[@Engineezy]

Thank you!!

[@autotactic]

can you make it tilt so it doesnt requieres the arm?

[@richardsousa4585]

Looks great, awesome job😎👍

[@Engineezy]

Thanks Richard!

[@justinbanks2380]

Does it still work with a billiard ball? Or did you switch to white printed one, not just because of aesthetics but also weight?

[@Engineezy]

Weight mainly, but the billiard balk still works!

[@Jett-n-gin]

Thank you for making the music have the same BPM as the machine. Itched my musical brain

[@Engineezy]

👊👊🙏🙏🙏

[@RinSyuveil]

The clap is a “let’s do that” along with helping to keep track of audio with the video

[@legojochiev]

Hello, I have a question about whether you also white with 3D printing, that your model gets dirty very quickly. If so, how do you resolve this?

[@Engineezy]

They don’t seem to get too dirty! But rubbing alcohol would clean it well

[@TheBlueMuzzy]

LOVED this video. I have one wish, though; when you said you needed to reprint new parts because it didn't work, I would have liked to see a little more engineering talk about what failed and why, and how you made the right decision on the next iteration! Keep it up, my dude. I bet if you changed the shape of the cam, you could get the platform to move into place JUST in time for both the top and bottom.

[@Engineezy]

I was testing a hypothesis that speeding up the motor (running at constant speed) could sync the arm better with the ball without coming down too soon. Didn’t work, but next video I’ll try to give more context! Thank you!

[@TheBlueMuzzy]

@@Engineezy You rock man. Maybe it's just that I'm a nerd for engineering (as a non-engineer, but a 3d modeler and game designer) that I yearn for creative professionals like yourself to share more deeply! I know it's a balance between entertainment and info to get the best engagement, but I really appreciate when creators buck that a little and don't take their knowledge for granted and share more with their community. Some content creators make a second channel with more detailed videos (or jump on Brilliant with that kind of content). You're giving a ton and the effort is noticed, though, so take in everything I say through that filter.

[@Engineezy]

@@TheBlueMuzzy appreciate it! Definitely a balance but I’m learning

[@mattw7949]

I'm never disappointed when I stop in here. Absolutely love what you do. Your prints always look awesome... way better than mine. Could you make a video just on your printing / post processing?

[@Engineezy]

Thanks Matt! Theres not much process to my prints, the machines do a great job and the cameras dont pick up the imperfections on the white filament that well. Thanks for stopping in 🙏

[@GalliumHoneyBadger]

I was wondering if thats some magic fillament. You cant even see the wall lines.

[@KrazyKaiser]

Your machine has something those GIFs can't have: Satisfying mechanical noises.

[@Engineezy]

*Natural ones too! 🙏🙏

[@dadmitri4259]

The sound it makes only adds to the experience

[@Engineezy]

Happy accidents 🙌

[@j.v.9936]

Damn, that’s nice. the sound of the ball when it hits the lower rails is really sharp, reminds me of ice skates.

[@Engineezy]

Ooh yess! I can totally hear that

[@3DPrinterAcademy]

lol the different characters at the beginning😂😂😂

[@Engineezy]

🙈🙈🙈

[@3DPrinterAcademy]

@@Engineezy was great, loved the editing on this vid

[@Sawboyjr]

Do you have a specific brand you like to use for the stepper motors? Not talking about sizing the motor for the project but just in general a brand you tend to gravitate towards.

[@Engineezy]

So far I’ve just been getting what’s most available, but generally the moons or ldo motors have been pretty solid

[@BentleyThomas]

Totally mesmerising!

[@Engineezy]

😵‍💫😵‍💫

[@scratchinjack608]

SMH. Nothing short than amazing! Lots of fun to see what's mechanically in your head and the process coming out into the ether. Keep these videos coming. (clap) They're inspirational in a weird sort of way!

[@Engineezy]

Appreciate it Jack!

[@maxdystopia674]

you should adjust the timing of that “lift arm” forward a smidge to smooth out the lift as there seemed to be a few degrees/seconds on the approach to spare thusly a smooth meet up with the ball and seamless transfer throughout the arch

[@ChemicalArts]

Nice. I like how you showed the iterative process of tweaking things to get it to work. As always, i enjoy your work. Decided to subscribe to your Patreon.

[@Engineezy]

Thank you! Really appreciate the sub!

[@MicrobyteAlan]

Nicely imagined, designed, and engineered.

[@Engineezy]

Thank you!!

[@MarkArmour]

U should film a loop in slow-mo, which is a staple of those satisfying gifs.

[@dingdove1]

6:09 Noooo! You let out the magic smoke! Electronics need that smoke inside to work!

[@Engineezy]

I knowwwww 🤬🤬🤬

[@usmcculp]

Why aren't any of these bigger project plans for sale? I've already built the clock and it is running great. Now I need MORE, and the simple stuff of your site is ....well..... to simple for what I'm looking for. Great work on these contraptions!

[@ThunderSmell]

Shoutout to Morley for interviewing you. I love your videos!!

[@Engineezy]

Seriously! Shout out to Morley 🙌

[@NickCombs]

I think it could be improved by having the scissor lift go back down slower so that it gets in position just as the ball meets the gap. That should be possible with just a different shape of cam.

[@swilson42]

Very cool! Couple things to really bring it home would be to adjust the timing of the bridge piece so it arrives in both places JUST as it is needed instead of being in place a moment before it is needed, and then eliminating that stutter entirely for the ball lift. Maybe make that part a continuous rubber belt that uses friction to grab the ball instead of a hard swinging arm? Really great regardless though, keep it up! Would love to see other types of these satisfying machines made in real life.

[@brogaming1681]

That’s so mesmerizing

[@Engineezy]

🚗🚙🚌🚐🚕

[@DWF_GRIND]

Cool project, one thing stood out to me though what if instead of detecting the arm; you use a stepper motor (for acurate adjustable speed) and detect where the ball is in two areas to detect the velocity and then adjust the motor speed accordingly? it could possibly be smoother. Love the your videos bty!

[@Engineezy]

You’re definitely on the right line of thought, I was thinking a sensor for the arm and a sensor for the ball, either could probably work

[@DWF_GRIND]

@@Engineezy ​ Oh! yeah that's a good idea. Also, there's an arduino library named Ramp that helps to smooth out animations. You could also use something like an exponential equation for the voltage that gives you an even more organic movement.

[@MrAnimination]

Why do you clap? Because you're excited and clapping primally satisfying.

[@letsdosomething6691]

You can use spiral shaped linear gears to vary the speed of the push arm. Then you wouldn’t have that clicking sound and it would be more fluid looking. Oval gears do the same thing but they have two speed up points instead of the one you need. You can use all kinds of shaped gears but spiral gears would be perfect for this.