New Lego GBC Workshop Module - Worm Mill

Today I'm presenting the newest module in my "workshop" series.  The Worm Mill (WM02).  This module uses a compact double vertical sweeper to lift the balls from the input area to the output ramp.  The drive unit is connected to the module with a pivot point at the rear so that it won't "snap or pop" if balls get caught under the lifting arms while it's in operation.

The throughput of this module is what I would call "very high" which is common for most vertical sweepers.  It's powered by a lego Power Functions medium motor because it has the anti-studs on the bottom which allows it to connect to the system built drive unit / worm gearbox.  A Powered Up medium motor should work as well since it also has anti-studs.

The gear train is built using the system gearbox, which contains a 2L worm and 24T gear.  You can rig it up for shared power between duplicate modules, but I have not included instructions for that.  There is a bit of trial and error into getting the output to work with the motor removed.  The motor in the regular build is actually part of the output ramp, guiding the balls out.

Free instructions have been added to the Lego GBC Instructions page.

Lego EV3 Program for a Lego GBC Ball Counter

Some people have asked if I could share the programming for my EV3 based GBC counter.  So I've cleaned it up a bit and added comments where I could.  It is now available for free download at my GitHub repository HERE.

Functionality includes the ability to save and restore your count, as well as reset the current BPS if you have a breakdown or stoppage in the layout that you want to ignore.

You will need a Lego EV3 Brick and a Lego EV3/NXT Touch Sensor.

You can see my original Lego GBC Ball Counter video here.



If you have any questions or comments on this you can email me @ matt@greatballpit.com or ask on the GBC chat on Discord which you can join by clicking HERE.

The Better Ball Bin

Not content with my smaller 30 ball bin, I went back to the drawing board and came up with something that is much more then just a ball bin.  I present to you the Better Ball Bin.

Features

• Holds 95 Balls Securely.
• Double Hinged Lid stays out of the way when opened.
• Easy Pour Slot provides a controlled flow of balls when emptying the bin.
• Flip up 10 brick tall measure for GBC Standard I/O compliance testing.
• Extra Parts and Tool Storage (25L Unjammer included).

Instructions can be found here on github, or linked from my instructions page.

GBC Instructions - Emmet's Red Crane

GBC Community Chat Member Pinwheel has released instructions for his Emmet Red Crane Module.  I really like this module and look forward to building it sometime soon!

They can be found here: https://bricksafe.com/pages/pinwheel/emmets-red-crane

You can see this module in action below at this recent TwinLUG GBC display.