pic: Top Gun Team 1294 Teaser

[robotaddict]

Well, what this thing is used for is feeding balls from the bottom of the hopper up to the shooting wheel. Sorta like this:

./..........<---adjustable angle firing thingy
|....O_....<---firing wheel
.\.......\
..\__....|
......O...|..<---feeder roller (made out of 3/4" hollow aluminum tube and pool noodles)

Ya, sorta like that. I had planned to have a continuous ramp thingy, but my dad decided to try it without the plywood over the dowels and it worked great. I had also originally intended just one feeder roller, but that didn't get enough height past the base of the hopper so my dad suggested another S bend with 2 more rollers, and it works well. It maintains about an inch of compression on the ball all the way up. The reason it feeds from the bottom is to allow the angle adjuster to rotate around the firing axle without being limited by a gravity feed-tube coming from above or the side. Anyway, I hope this helps your design or gives you a few good chuckles.