homemade “automatic” grain silo

A push solenoid, spring return/"fast action actuator"😯...😜 (pinball, appliances, robotics, etc.).  You've likely got enough space between the ramp and ...bucket arm?🤔  You might even be able to hack a turnout coil.

Pulling would likely need a disconnect to allow the same inertias/momentums of the  design to work the same; so "push" down, spring back.

Then you need to make a car dump, elevator, and loading funnel

An increased ramp load?

A vertical "magazine"; box of stacked "ammo". Maybe magnets to hold onto the ramp top ,over last marble in the ramp... Or inside.... Can the roof be removed and a "magazine" be added there? 

Every rime I see one these marble toys I think about Mousetrap and Kerplunk. I was actually playing with a kerplunk car bash idea, but the plastic was too small and it became a lotto cars lotto ball machine

But you'll find some cool marble sets in Chinese Checker games too. All usually solid colors and/or semi-clear/solid tints.  A few sets gives a lot of marbles and some variation; "red" tomatoes, yellow corn, tan grain, white hominy, green beans, etc  

.....Is it sensitive to marble size? (I think they are smaller today... oh and weight of new vs old.....???)

@Adriatic posted:

A push solenoid, spring return/"fast action actuator"😯...😜 (pinball, appliances, robotics, etc.).  You've likely got enough space between the ramp and ...bucket arm?🤔  You might even be able to hack a turnout coil.

Pulling would likely need a disconnect to allow the same inertias/momentums of the  design to work the same; so "push" down, spring back.

Then you need to make a car dump, elevator, and loading funnel

An increased ramp load?

A vertical "magazine"; box of stacked "ammo". Maybe magnets to hold onto the ramp top ,over last marble in the ramp... Or inside.... Can the roof be removed and a "magazine" be added there? 

Every rime I see one these marble toys I think about Mousetrap and Kerplunk. I was actually playing with a kerplunk car bash idea, but the plastic was too small and it became a lotto cars lotto ball machine

But you'll find some cool marble sets in Chinese Checker games too. All usually solid colors and/or semi-clear/solid tints.  A few sets gives a lot of marbles and some variation; "red" tomatoes, yellow corn, tan grain, white hominy, green beans, etc  

.....Is it sensitive to marble size? (I think they are smaller today... oh and weight of new vs old.....???)

yeah, i’m thinking push solenoid. the loading arm extends well into the silo, all i would really have to do is mount it.

id like to find a marx 1614 dump station to complement it. it would match up well i think.

im planning on increasing the load size, i’m thinking of putting a funnel above the loading ramp that i could pile high with marbles but there definitely will be some trial and error. the roof does come off.

i have the original marbles, and even the box they came in, but the ones i used in this video are modern. i’ll probably get some dull yellow/brown marbles eventually.

it is sensitive to marble weight, but is adjustable to compensate, there is a sliding weight at the rear of the loading arm, it is a bit of a balancing act however. the weight helps with the loading arm, there can be issue with marbles pushing each other over the ramp if they heavy or oversized. 

size is a bigger issue, the marbles sort of “hop” into the loader, so they need to be within a relative tolerance in terms of size. 

That's so cute, and seems perfectly fine to be hand activated. If you did a solenoid, would you have to activate it for every marble or just once?

@Will posted:

That's so cute, and seems perfectly fine to be hand activated. If you did a solenoid, would you have to activate it for every marble or just once?

aw, thank you! the solenoid would just be to start it moving. i wouldn’t want to interfere with its action, i find it rather satisfying to watch.

I think you'd need a "swirl" track on the "floor" of a round funnel to keep from clogging. Walls just over half a ball to a ball high. Any more "spheres" stacked on top will fall inline when and where any gap in the swirl  opens up. Circle walls and slot from o.d. to center hole might work too. 

 If the actuator is too long for "under"; next to the ramp, with a cantilever on the slug would work, but will wear the guide sleeve faster. (look for replacement sleeves/ guides/ inserts for the slug to slide in, make some linear motors rebuildable)

Is an under the table operation with a vertical rod and cant. arm(finger) better? (now your motor can pull and support the rod true; lowering any cantelever side thrust impact and drag via of adding distance between rod supports. Kinda like a good rod ratio makes for less cylinder wear.

Use a soft enough spring between rod mech and coil and you can use a 120v washing machine solenoid and not break things. (It's the same satisfying CLACK at the beginning a coin op Skeeball game )

I think its cool just the way it is.

A bash with something for a Tomy Big Loader? "Spiral Loader" looked interesting, but hiding it is another story.

Does the farm need a "twister" ....and a little dog too!! 😲

@Adriatic posted:

A bash with something for a Tomy Big Loader? "Spiral Loader" looked interesting, but hiding it is another story.

Does the farm need a "twister" ....and a little dog too!! 😲

actually there’s probably enough room in the silo if i cut the spiral down slightly, that’s not a bad idea really.

really the farm needs a lot of things, but i don’t know how i’d make a “twister” out of tin lol.

@Adriatic posted:

I think you'd need a "swirl" track on the "floor" of a round funnel to keep from clogging. Walls just over half a ball to a ball high. Any more "spheres" stacked on top will fall inline when and where any gap in the swirl  opens up. Circle walls and slot from o.d. to center hole might work too. 

 If the actuator is too long for "under"; next to the ramp, with a cantilever on the slug would work, but will wear the guide sleeve faster. (look for replacement sleeves/ guides/ inserts for the slug to slide in, make some linear motors rebuildable)

Is an under the table operation with a vertical rod and cant. arm(finger) better? (now your motor can pull and support the rod true; lowering any cantelever side thrust impact and drag via of adding distance between rod supports. Kinda like a good rod ratio makes for less cylinder wear.

Use a soft enough spring between rod mech and coil and you can use a 120v washing machine solenoid and not break things. (It's the same satisfying CLACK at the beginning a coin op Skeeball game ) 

i was thinking a funnel with one end cut into an inverted “U” shape. whatever i do, there will be lots of fiddling to make it work i’m sure.

there is tons of room in the bottom of the silo to mount a solenoid, facing straight up at the rear of the arm. that’s probably the method i’ll use, the only real trouble is finding a suitable solenoid. unfortunately i need the one in my washing machine to continue being in my washing machine. ideally i’d like to find something i can run from my transformer, i don’t like extra wires.