[Madison]

Originally Posted by alekat

One question, how do you go from the wide collecting base to the shooter wheels?

I'm not so certain it'll work. In fact, I know it won't work as shown because the two center rails are missing an endpiece that would keep balls from falling into the gap. I suspect we'll need some larger funnel walls on the sides to coax the balls over to where they need to be.

We're also considering running the conveyor belting on one side on a slightly different pulley size so as to make its speed a bit different. We hope that will aid in relieving any congestion between balls on the way up.

Originally Posted by GaryV1188

How are you aiming the shooter?

I have some ideas for physically altering the trajectory of the ball but haven't given their implementation anything more than a cursory glance. Essentially, the rails would end at what would be our highest angle of attack -- about 45*. A cowling or shield would rotate about the same shaft as the shooter wheels and extend beyond the rails. By rotating that shield, we'll be able to adjust the exit angle. Of course, we'll also be able to vary the wheel speed -- with some precision, we hope -- so as to vary the trajectory that way. In combination, those two capabilities will probably allow more control over the ball path than is practical, so I doubt we'd use them in tandem.

Thanks, everyone, for the continued compliments. I've grown tired of teasers that aren't that engaging, interesting or revolutionary and am trying to encourage full disclosure in its place. We've had enough trouble trying to design and build in isolation in just six weeks, so I too can't imagine that many teams have the resources or desire to alter their own plans to either copy or make obsolete a strategy or design they see here.