Solarbotics have partnered up with Mr Raynsford to create a rendition of his Marble Machine with the classic Solarbotics touch, solar power!
This laser cut kit is bound to capture the imagination of minds everywhere, as it is powered by the sun. It stores the power from the solar cell and uses it to pulse the mechanics of the wheel. These pulses cause marbles to fall down into the contraption and bring the wonder of inventing to life. Solarbotics estimate that in direct sunlight the motor pulses every couple of seconds, which cause a marble to drop approximately once a minute. However, away from direct sunlight, such as an indoor environment, the motor will only pulse every couple of minutes which cause the marbles to fall much slower.
If you're not the patient type, then you can always speed things up with the hand crank.
See it in Action:
In this kit, you'll have everything you need to get your very own solar-powered Marble Machine up and running. You will need a couple of tools though; a soldering iron, a Philips #1 screwdriver, and a small amount of glue. High detail instructions are included.
What's in the Box:
Here are some troubleshooting tips straight from Solarbotics:
"The marble doesn’t consistently run the entire length of the spiral: find the ledge where the marble jumps off and shift the spiral forwards or backwards slightly to make that section of ledge a bit larger. Also, make sure the surface that the machine is sitting on is completely even and horizontal.
The motor is not moving: make sure your circuit is soldered correctly. This includes the orientation of all polarity-sensitive components and their placement on the circuit. Check the wire connections too."
This is what it looks like when it's all put together:
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Our physical address (here's a PDF which includes other key business details):
Unit 18, 132 Garden Grove Parade
Adamstown
NSW, 2289
Australia
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