No, it’s not titled “Thrown Together,” that’s just a description of how I started it. As you can see in the video, the base is the working-platform for a previous sculpture (now sitting on a sheet of acrylic) and the motor mounts are just wood bits.

First Full Test

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Solid State Track Switch

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Solid State Track Switch

This machine has a solid-state track switch. It is “solid-state” because it has no moving parts. The momentum of the ball keeps it moving along the outer upper track until after the two tracks are merged into one. But when the ball travels back through the switch, it does not have the momentum to stay against the outer upper track and it follows the lower path. There is no noise because the tracks meet gradually and the ball never falls from one track to the other – it is simply on both tracks at the same time for a moment. Any clunking noise in the video is coming from the motorized lift picking up a ball and a new ball falling into place at the start of the track. it is unfortunate that the clunking sound happens at about the same time as the ball going through the switch.

After taking the video and pictures, I removed the sticker form the motor and blackened the casing. I also blackened the track. Once the sheet of clear acrylic is ready at the plastic shop, I’ll be one motor-mount and on-off switch away from being done.