World's Best Father Builds Marble Track in Son's Room

Greg Tito

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Sep 29, 2005
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World's Best Father Builds Marble Track in Son's Room

Man, I wish my dad would make a track for a series of 1" marbles to zoom around my room and I'm 32.

A father recorded video of his marble track in action. The wooden track is not quite a perpetual motion machine, instead it uses two battery-powered DC motors to help push along the 1" marbles. But that doesn't diminish the fact that this man has designed and created possibly the coolest decoration that he could for his youngest son's bedroom. And it all cost him less than hundred bucks, most of which went towards the wooden materials. If you had any doubt whether the marble track was well-received, all you need to do is look at the first few frames of the young kid smiling from ear to ear as he starts up the machine. For those of you interested in how he made the track, check out the full article at Instructables [http://www.instructables.com/id/Kinetic-Marble-Track-Around-The-Top-Of-A-Room/].


I have a thing with motion. I love it. From watching flowing water jump and leap around rocks in a mountain stream to spending hours watching videos of dominoes falling down, it just soothes me. I also derive a strange sense of joy from witnessing the mechanical genius needed to craft a working Rube Goldberg machine [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/98783-The-Greatest-Rube-Goldberg-Chain-Reaction-Rock-Video-Ever-Made], a series of chain reactions that have no purpose other than to look cool.

So when I saw that a father built a track that encompasses both of these fascinations, I just just had to share it with all of you.

Source: Instructables [http://www.instructables.com/id/Kinetic-Marble-Track-Around-The-Top-Of-A-Room/]

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Shycte

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Holy shit that's awesome.

It could only be better if it made him breakfest, and not shot you in the head.
 

IamQ

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I just hope there is a way to pause it. Otherwise, that kid ain't gonna get any sleep whatsoever.
 

The Rogue Wolf

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Now THAT is friggin' spiffy. Can't say I liked the "V" portion; I felt it slowed things down too much... but, you know- folks, strokes, different for each, etc. And I know just what you mean, Greg- I could watch some of these marble tracks for HOURS.

I wonder how long it took him to build this?
 

cairocat

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Meh, IMO motorized marble tracks are sort of cheap. Crafting something with the mechanical precision to bring a marble down a slope and then back up again with simple physics is one of the best parts.
 

Mr Thin

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The Rogue Wolf said:
Can't say I liked the "V" portion; I felt it slowed things down too much...
I know what you mean, that was the only part of the video where I felt slightly impatient.

Also; those stairs, were, AWESOME.
 

cerebus23

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with all the motors and gears and wooden tracks i bet mom is gonna find that whole setup rather annoying as hell in short order.
 

Buizel91

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O_O

DO WANT!

Most awesome thing i have seen in my life! O_O


I also think this video explains how i feel about this, perfectly.
 

Gruchul

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cairocat said:
Meh, IMO motorized marble tracks are sort of cheap. Crafting something with the mechanical precision to bring a marble down a slope and then back up again with simple physics is one of the best parts.
Yeah, but simple physics tells us that we won't be able continue perpetually without an external energy source. The motorisation will have to do until a truly frictionless and practical (enough) material is created.
 

Shale_Dirk

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This dad is going to regret being so awesome when he has to put up with the rolling and clacking sounds at 3 in the morning.

He's still awesome though.
 

Exort

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IamQ said:
I just hope there is a way to pause it. Otherwise, that kid ain't gonna get any sleep whatsoever.
it is power by battery.
"it uses two battery-powered DC motors to help push along the 1" marbles."
 

dagens24

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That's neat for like 5 min and then you shut it off and never turn it on again because of how annoying it is.
 

WilliamRLBaker

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cairocat said:
Meh, IMO motorized marble tracks are sort of cheap. Crafting something with the mechanical precision to bring a marble down a slope and then back up again with simple physics is one of the best parts.
eventually that would fail it would be a one trick pony it would likely only be able to bring the marble to the end or near the end it wouldn't be able to start it all over again.
 

ark123

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WilliamRLBaker said:
cairocat said:
Meh, IMO motorized marble tracks are sort of cheap. Crafting something with the mechanical precision to bring a marble down a slope and then back up again with simple physics is one of the best parts.
eventually that would fail it would be a one trick pony it would likely only be able to bring the marble to the end or near the end it wouldn't be able to start it all over again.
And the award for decent understanding of rudimentary physics goes to...

Anyway, there are ways to make that electrical engine quieter. I could probably stare at it for hours if it weren't so loud
 

fletch_talon

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First I want to make it clear that I think this is awesome and yet I can't help but imagine the kids teenage years.

"I dunno danny, I'm not sure I'm ready..."
"That's ok babe, we'll take it slow. For now, why don't I... set the mood"
*CLICK*
*Roll...CLUNK...Rollrollroll...CLUNK*