H/T: Gizmodo
Many are used to seeing amazing LEGO creations, but Tyler Bower wanted to show just what is possible with K’NEX and your imagination. So, he built a functional 7.5-foot-tall pinball machine with automatic scoring. How does it recreate the pinball experience? It utilizes three motors, a corded power drill for all 10 chain lifts, a secondary motor to power the moving ramp / multiball door / mini door / spinner, and then a third motor to open / close the blue trapdoor when activated.
It keeps score using a Makey Makey circuit board that plugs directly into a laptop as the input for a program that displays the score. This circuit board only requires two pieces of conductive material to complete a circuit which indicates to the laptop that a specific key is being pressed, while a scratch code translates the keystroke inputs to perform actions, like play sounds and change the score on the laptop display.
- BUILD IT, THEN ACTUALLY PLAY IT: Most STEM kits get built once and shelved. This one becomes a real working arcade machine with spring launcher...
- LEARN REAL ENGINEERING BY DOING: Assemble levers, springs and ramps and see momentum, energy transfer and mechanical advantage work in your hands.
- FOR KIDS, TEENS AND ADULTS ALIKE: A satisfying mechanical model kit for ages 8 to 99. Kids build it with a parent, teens build it solo, and adults get...
To start/reset the game, the player first pulls the grey knob. This action moves a lever which pushes all 3 starting balls from the upper holding area into the lower holding area, ready to be launched. The player then pulls back and releases the red knob, which launches the first ball,” said its creator.
