This tutorial is about making a little shape that creates a lot of reflections inside. With holes on every angle for light and a little window to see through, you can watch this infinity proces in your hand! The idea came from watching infinity mirror video’s and trying to think of any variation on them. Hope you like it! 🙂
Step 1: Make or Order the 3mm Lasercut Acrylic Mirror Parts
i made a vector drawing and made an order online to lasercut these shapes from 3mm acrylic sheet mirror. Once received, we can start! :)Add TipAsk QuestionCommentDownload
Step 2: Make a Simple Paper Strip With Double Sided Tape to Construct the Infinity Polygon Shape
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the assembling is pretty easy this way. I made a 2cm strip of thick paper and scored this strip. A path of 2mm wide needed to be scored in the middle. apply double sided tape on the other side and make the folds.Add TipAsk QuestionCommentDownload
Step 3: Assembling Time!
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cut the paper strip to lengths of the pentagon side and work your way trough. Keep the 3 with the viewing hole side for last. It’s fun to see the reflections increasing with every element you assemble 🙂
Marble Clock is a 3D printed rolling ball clock that tells the time by the location of marbles/balls. It consists of 3 main rails, where,
The 5-minute rail with 1-minute intervals
The 60-minute rail with 5-minute intervals
The 12-hour rail with 1-hour intervals
add up and tell the time.
Outline
In the first step, I will give you a little bit of history of rolling ball clocks and ball clocks in general. Next, I will explain the Idea behind this project. Then I will give you an insight into the design process of this clock, so you’ll be able to design your own clock. I’ll give you a 3d print guide so you can easily print the required pieces and arrange them. After giving you a step by step assembly guide and show you how to sync your clock, I’ll end the instructable with a troubleshooting guide. So, if you encounter any problems during your build you can solve them easily.
The purpose of this instructable is not just to give you a cookbook. I’ll show you the way I built this project and provide you with open-ended questions, so you can add your own ideas, and take this project even further. Many parts I’ve designed are not connected. This way you can change the design to your own liking and then glue them together.
I strongly encourage you to share your build when it’s done!
Let’s get started.
This instructable is based on the design called “rolling ball clock” that was invented by Harley Mayenschein in the 1970s. He patented his invention and started a company which began to manufacture these clocks from solid hardwoods in the 1980s.[1]
The original rolling ball clock had 3 main rails, 2 for minutes and 1 for the hour. by adding the two rails one can get the total minute. This way the time was shown.[1]
There were many varieties of these clocks … for example the kineticlock (more info: kineticlock.ca)which had 10 minutes intervals instead of 4, or the Chronomeans Clock which was built with anodized aluminium.
I’ve been a long time fan of ball clocks. I’ve seen one when I was a kid in a novelty store. And I just stood there watching it endlessly. The movement of the balls with time was magic to me. After I heard about the clock contest on Instructables. It gave me the Idea to try to design and build a ball clock from scratch. So I started to sketch on paper.
What I wanted to do was to design a different lifting mechanism instead of the traditional rotating scoop type design. So then it hit me. I was going to use a rotary to linear motion mechanism so while the mechanism was rotated by a motor the ball would be moving in a line, up and down. Creating a little illusion.
The rails were mostly inspired from other ball clocks but I had an idea to create a bell mechanism so everytime one hour passes there would be a sound. Unfortunately, I could not build this into the project.
Step 3: Tools & Parts
Note: these are the Tools&Parts I had available. You can use any other part for your needs.
1 x Arduino uno (or any other microcontroller to drive the stepper motor)
100 x 11mm Steel Ball (you only need 30 but they get lost quite easy)
290x130x3mm wood plate
3D Printed Parts :
all parts are on step 5 I recommend you to read read step5 before printing them.
Step 4: Design Process
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You can skip this step if you just want to print the project. This step is for people who want to design their own ball clocks or want to add new features to this project. It gives an insight on how the ball rails were designed in Fusion 360.
I suggest you to read this step after you’ve seen the tutorials.
Details on the design process are noted on the images.
Base Structure & Rails
The base structure is basically 6 rails holding 4 rods. The rods(8mmx8mm) were designed to be sturdy. They are held by bolts to a wood plate. The rails were inspired by the original rolling ball clock. But the dimensions are different due to different ball sizes and weight distribution.
Elevator
The elevator design was inspired by this mechanism. User mgg942 used this design and created a rotary to linear drive on Thingiverse . I tweaked and re-designed this to create an elevator mechanism.
Step 5: 3D Print
There are two seperate .zip files you can download.
The 3d parts.zip folder contains all the parts for the clock separately.
The 3d_parts_sets.zip contains 5 sets. each set is designed for a 25x25cm print area.
If you have a large print area you can print these like I arranged them in sets. Or you can print them separately.
I suggest you to finish printing before the assembly of any pieces. It’s much easier if you lay them on a table in an arrangement. Like a LEGO set.
Each part is given a number and a letter. these will be useful while following the building instructions next step.
you can use the pdf template to drill holes on the wood.
Parts used in this step:
[3d printed] 1a-3f (28 parts)
5 x 40mm M3 bolts & nuts
6 x 30mm M3 bolts & nuts
3 x 15mm M3 bolts & nuts
6 x 10mm M3 bolts & nuts
10 x 6mm M3 bolts & nuts
4 x (3mm*6mm*2.5mm) ball bearing
Tools used:
Tack-it
philips head screwdriver
pliers
Estimated Time:
15-20 minutes
Note: Assembly instructions are noted on the images.
Step 7: Center of Gravity
This is the most important part of this project. I did not design the rail pieces connected to the joints. This way everyone can adjust them to their needs. The rails and the connectors under them are not attached. You have to figure out the center of gravity and glue it when you are certain. Let’s begin,
The 5min rail:
Slowly put 4 balls on the minute rail. And position the connector piece accordingly so it doesn’t tip over. It should tip over when the 5th ball comes. This takes a bit of time to adjust. When you’re satisfied go to the 15min rail.
The 15min rail:
Slowly put 11 balls on the rail. again it shouldn’t tip over while 11 balls are on it. When the 12th ball arrives it should tip over.
The Hour rail:
This is the same as the 15min rail. wherever you glued the connector on the 15min rail you can glue it on the same place on the hour rail.
Lastly, to test them all at once put 11 balls on the hour and 15min rails and 4 balls on the 5 min rail. then drop one ball to the 5 min rail. They all should go smoothly and leave the rails
Step 8: Elevator Assembly
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Parts used in this step:
[3d printed] 4a-5d (9 parts)
1 x 25byj-48 Stepper
4 x (3mm*6mm*2.5mm) ball bearing
1 x (F6-14M 6mm x 14mm x 5mm) Thrust Bearing
2 x 10mm M3 Bolts & Nuts
2 x 25mm M3 Bolts & Nuts
2 x 6mm M3 Bolts & Nuts
4 x 40mm M3 Bolts & Nuts
Tools used:
Tack-it
philips head screwdriver
pliers
Estimated Time:
5-10 minutes
Note: Assembly instructions are noted on the images.
Step 9: Driving the Motor & Timing
How to drive the motor
To drive the 28byj-48 stepper motor with a constant speed I’ve used an Arduino Uno with the AccelStepper library. you can download the library here . If you don’t have experience with Arduino or don’t know how to install libraries you can check this site.
Connect the pins on the stepper motor to the Arduino like this:
Stepper—Arduino
IN1 —-> 2
IN2 —-> 3
IN3 —-> 4
IN4 —-> 5
After uploading the code you are good to go!
Timing
The most important thing about a clock is precision. We want this clock to be as precise as any other wall clock/ watch so it works without any error. To do this we have to change the speed of the motor so the elevator completes 1 revolution in 60 seconds precisely.
Now get a stopwatch in your hand and run the motor. Start the stopwatch when the elevator gear crosses a specified point. And stop your watch when it crosses the point again. Take a note at the time. now let’s calculate the required speed
T = time on your stopwatch
t = 60s (time you want it to complete 1 revolution)
M = old motor speed(“stepper.setSpeed()” in code)
m = new motor speed(“stepper.setSpeed()” in code)
new motor speed(m) =(T*M) / t
Insert this into the code and check your stopwatch again, repeat this until you are satisfied with the result
You’re done with the build now it’s time to test this clock!
Check your watch and put the balls according to the time. And start the motor when you are ready. It’s really fun to watch time go by with this clock. Go and put yourself some tea and enjoy the sound off balls clicking. Now while doing that you should check a few things to be sure that this clock can run for 7/24 straight.
Things to look for:
Can the elevator bring a ball without dropping it each minute?
Are balls not getting stuck on the rails after 2-3 hours?
Is the clock on time after several hours?
If your answer is no for at least one of those questions, you can check the Troubleshooting step!
If your answer is yes, then congratulations you’ve built a precise ball clock!
In this Instructable I will show you step by step how to make a water filter that can filter out things like dust but if you want to use it to make pond water clean you’s need to boil the water to kill any minuscule creatures that live in the water.
Step 1: Obtaining Your Materials
The materials that I used in the filter were pretty easy to find and most of them relatively cheap. The most expensive material that I used was the activated carbon but it’s also a key part of the filter.
Fine/Play Sand: I found this at my local Home Depot but it can be found in other places, the first place you should look is your local home improvement store. I paid $3.98 for a 50 lb bag
Gravel/Pebbles: I also found this at my local Home Depot and it can be found at any home improvement store. It can be obtained from outside but you will have to make sure that they’re cleaned very well in order for them to work and not just taint the water you’re trying to filter. I paid $4.38 for the pebbles.
Activated Carbon: I obtained this at my local pet store in the fish area. this was the most expensive material on the list costing $15
Step 2: Cutting the Bottle
You will need to cut open the end of the bottle that is opposite of the cap. You need a hole in the bottom so you can put your materials into your bottle, and so you can pour the water you are trying to filter into it
Step 3: Coffee Filter
Before you begin to fill your bottle you should put a coffee filter over where the cap should be to keep everything in and for a bit of extra filtration
Step 4: Filling Your Bottle
You’re now going to begin filling your bottle with your materials
1st the cotton balls
2nd the activated carbon
3rd the sand
4th the gravel/pebbles
Step 5: Cotton Balls
The first layer of your filter is your cotton balls.
I advise putting a 1 inch layer of cotton balls
Step 6: Activated Carbon
Next you will add the activated carbon.
I would advise to put an at least half an inch layer, but for my filter I put an inch.
Step 7: Sand
Next you will add your sand, make sure it is fine sand in order for the fiter to work properly.
I advise, again, to make your layer at least half an inch, I made a 1 inch layer.
Step 8: Gravel/Pebbles
Finally, you will add your gravel/pebbles.
I suggest a layer that is at least half an inch but for this project I made a 1 inch layer
Step 9: All Done
You’re all done now and it should filter water
The bigger the bottle the more you can repeat this process
Make sure there is about 1-2 inches of free space at the top for the water.
The bigger the filter, the better it filters the water, but you need more water to push through the filter
Hello! We’re the Nerdforge couple Martina & Hansi! Our channel is about making all kinds of things! If you’re wondering what to expect we really couldn’t tell you, as our inspiration is largely random, unplanned and chaotic. One day you get a soda dispenser, another day you get an epic castle! But, some common denominators are: leds, arduino, foam, leather and epicness! See you in the comments ! 🙂
Roberts House is an important example of the middle class British Colonial Style villa built in the late nineteenth century. It is a National Monument and an exotic immigrant to the Last Outpost of the British Empire nestled in a green oasis of indigenous trees.
The Roberts family’s daughter Esther was born here and grew up to be the first female social anthropologists of the then Colony of Natal. She was well known as a librarian, author of research papers and books dealing with the indigenous population, and as a confidant and friend of Killie Campbell one of the doyens of Africana collectors in the country. Her large collection and library is now linked to the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Most importantly Esther stood many-a-day silently outside the city hall with her solidarity group called the Black Sash,lamenting injustices endured by the non-white population.
She died here more than ten years before South Africa was liberated. In the new democratic South Africa, the road was named after her.
THE YARD
On the perimeter of the property are the offices of Architects and Planners who all subscribe and contribute to the museum. Shared spaces are used for talks, lectures and exhibitions.
