Marble Sorter 3.3.

Author: Noah Zahm

Group: John Cauvin, Catherine Muscato

POE Block 3

3-28-2016

Design Problem
The National Recreation Park Association (NRPA) has asked for a solution to a
growing problem in their parks. The association has dumpsters for recyclable material
throughout the parks, and they have a facility; however, they need a device that will sort
the recyclable material.
Design, model, and test a device that will separate recyclable materials.
Constraints include that the separation must be fully automated, the mechanism must
be constructed out of VEX kit components, and other approved materials. The sorter
must be able to separate the commingled materials into individual bins, and during the
sorting process, marbles must be under control the entire time (i.e. no bouncing), and
completed within 2 minutes. The recyclable materials will be represented by marbles
of varying materials.

Brainstorming and Final Design

Below is my brainstorm idea, our groups decision matrix, and the final design

Brainstorm Idea top view

Brainstorm Idea front view

Description: Marbles will pool via funnel on the first ramp, where it will be stopped by a
sorter and read via a line follower, to measure color. Based on the reading, it will send
clear, wood, and plastic balls to the appropriate cup by rotating the servo with cups. If
the marble is one of the two metals, then they will be sent along the second ramp to a
slowly spinning magnetic wheel. If the ball is magnetic (i.e. it is steel) then the ball will
stick to the magnet and be carried around, where a bumper will knock the marble off of
the magnet into the steel cup. If it is not magnetic (i.e. aluminum) then the marble will
simply be bumped off into its cup.

Decision Matrix
The criteria we chose to evaluate effectiveness were simplicity of design, effectiveness
of sorting, Difficulty to program, and building and testing time. We chose these to
minimize the time it would take to complete the build. The numbers were assigned out
of the 3 of us. The person that completed the criteria most effectively received a 3, worst
received a 1. By this method, Johns design was deemed the best.

Final Design Description:

After being funneled down onto a ramp, the marbles will encounter a rotating arm with a
magnet on the end, this will serve 2 functions. First, it will act as a way to ensure that
only one marble at a time goes through the reading mechanism. Secondly, it will sort out
the steel marbles because of its magnetic characteristic. This works by having the
magnet grab the ball so that it will ride around until a bumper will knock the ball off into a
cup. If the ball is non-magnetic, then instead of sticking to the magnet, the ball will be
bumped off onto a ramp which will lead to the wheel of fortune or a long-toothed wheel
that will allow the marbles to be read individually and sorted based on their color and
transparency, measured by the line follower and light sensor respectively. Based on this
reading, a variable will be assigned that tells the servo how far to rotate so that the
appropriate cup is at the edge of the ramp. Once the servo moves, the wheel of fortune
will let the marble out, where it will fall into the cup.
Function: Unfortunately, our Marble Sorter did not complete the assigned task.
However, it did put all the marbles through in 1 minute and 53 seconds. In addition, our
machine successfully sorted all the clear and steel marbles, for a 50% success rate. We
ran tests with 16 marbles, with 4 each of clear, steel, aluminum, and white plastic. Each
marble made it through the system, however, the arm got jammed a couple times
requiring us to take a touch to get the system running again.

Design Modifications:
1. As we were building the Wheel of Fortune, we found that it would be
extremely difficult to get a reliable reading with all the variable lighting caused by
the spokes of the wheel. To solve this, we replace the wheel with a servoactuated gate, constructed such that it would force the marble to be in exactly the
same place each time a reading was taken.
2. On the magnet wheel, a small neodymium magnet was serving as our
mechanism for grabbing the steel marbles. Neodymium is very strong, so it
would often stick to the components that we were using to position the marble
because, like most parts in the VEX kits, they were made of metal. To solve this
we replaced all restraining mechanisms with plastic, paper, and tape.
3. Initially, the funnel was attached directly above the metal ramp, but after
finding out that our machine would have to be able to handle up to 20 marbles,
we added a tube that marbles could pool in while the rest of the machine sorted.
4. In early development of the Marble Sorter, our magnet wheel was
attached to a motor by guiding the shaft through a plate about an inch above the
motor. This created an instability that allowed the magnet to bounce over a tightly
wedged marble, stopping the machine from functioning. To fix this we added a
support at the end of the axle.
Code:
Pseudocode:

Working code:

Design Process:
Define the Problem: This was done at the beginning of the project when Mr Landers
asked us to create a machine capable of organizing different marbles. He introduced us
to the scenario and provided us with a list of constraints
Generate Concepts: After Mr Landers introduced us to the problem, the class went into
individual brainstorming. During this time, we created individual sketches of possible
ideas. Some were based on research, while others were created based just on ideas
and hunches.
Develop a Solution:The next day, each group member brought their sketch back, and
we used a decision matrix to determine which idea was the best. My group members
each had very good ideas so our final design incorporated many different ideas into our
final sketch.

Construct and Test a Prototype: Once we were approved to continue, we began to build
our marble sorter. I split off to throw together some code framework while John and
Catherine got the skeleton of our machine together. Once I had finished I joined them in
building. It took quite a while to get the final machine working because of the need for it
to be just right before any code could be downloaded.
Evaluate the Solution: The solution my group had come up with was very effective for
the time we were given. All of the mechanical aspects worked, and the coding logic was
sound. Our only issue was sensor reliability. This could have been fixed with another
week or so, but we only had 3 weeks to build our machine. Because of this, we deemed
it a valid prototype.
Present Solution: At the conclusion of the unit, each group presented their solution to
the class.
Team Evaluation:
John Cauvin: John was teamed up with Catherine as the primary builders. He
constructed the funnel system and the magnet wheel. He also helped with fixing little
errors in the machine. Overall he worked really well in the group, and always
contributed where he could.
Catherine Muscato: Catherine worked with John as the primary builders. She was
responsible for the servo cup mechanism and ensuring everything was built correctly.
She always had a positive attitude and worked as hard as she could to make sure
things were working.
Noah Zahm: I was in charge of programming and after I finished the program I built the
gate mechanism that would link the magnet wheel to the servo cups. I felt that I often
was the leader of the group, and my group members often looked to me for tasks they
needed to do. I was optimistic most of the time, and I always made sure people were
working on task.
Reflection:
a) If I were to change the design solution, I would have the light sensor in a
completely dark box where the only source of light would be the flashlight. This
would eliminate the interference created by ambient light conditions and allow
more accurate readings of the marbles.
b) The most challenging aspect of the design was easily getting the light
sensor to read the appropriate values. The code was sound, the mechanisms
worked, the only issue was reading correctly.

c) I learned a lot about the difficulty of mixing VEX parts with non-VEX
materials, and about tips and tricks for using a light sensor. In addition, I learned
how to lead a group through complex projects, and turn out with a wellfunctioning product
d) Some challenges I found in working with a design team were primarily
related to ensuring the group was working with each other not against each
other. One thing I found to be a major issue was not so much the concept
generation process, but rather the build process. Because the Marble Sorter has
so many moving parts, it was difficult to ensure everyone was getting things done
right the first time. Because of this, the group often had to go back and redo
many things, which would later result in having to change all parts related to that
change.