In this article, we'll take a look at @MartinsAssemblyHaven's video to see how he upgraded the ROKR Marble Spaceport and Marble Night City set with a higher RPM motor and a speed controller. We'll go through the key considerations, the step-by-step process, and some safety tips to keep in mind when doing this modification.
Using a 12vt motor and a speed controller, you'll achieve enhanced performance and functionality for your ROKR Marble Run, giving you a more dynamic experience when using it.
Key Considerations Before Modification
Before starting your modification and buying your materials, there are several things you need to keep in mind.
- Compatibility: Make sure that the 12vt motor and speed controller that you will be using are compatible with the ROKR marble run set.
- Power Requirements: Check if your power supply meets the voltage and current requirements of the new motor.
- Structural Integrity: Assess your Marble Run model to see if it has enough space for your new motor. It should also be able to support the additional weight and torque of the upgraded motor.
- Your marble run may be at risk of damage.
Tools You May Need
Before you start, you need to prepare the following tools to ensure everything goes smoothly.
- Higher RPM motor, like 12vt motor.
- Speed controller
- Battery pack that matches the motor voltage, like 12vt
- Wax
- Wires
- Glue
Step-by-Step Modification and Installation Process
Follow the steps below to upgrade your ROKR Marble Run.
Disassembly and Motor Selection
Carefully disassemble the motor components on your Marble Run.
Find a 12V DC motor with a high torque that fits within the designated space. The ROKR Marble Run comes with a motor with a 70 RPM motor, so choosing a new motor with 200 to 400 RPM will give you better performance.
Making a New Motor Box
If the motor box that came with your ROKR Marble Run is no longer usable or cannot hold your new motor, you'll need a new box so your motor doesn't move around while in use.
There are plenty of ways to make a new box, but the easiest is to grab a block of wood and just drill a hole the size of your new motor. You can also paint it so that it blends nicely with the color scheme of the ROKR Marble Run and drill holes under where the wires can go through.
Fortifying the Belt Drive
Pull off the gears on the belt drive and liberally apply wax to them. You can also use some petroleum jelly to add more slide. This way, there'll be less friction, and the parts won't heat up once the higher RPM motor is installed. Once done, pop the pieces back on and move on to the next step. If you're worried about the pieces sliding off, you can glue the last piece to secure it.
Installing the New Motor
Next, install the small gear to the head of the motor. Keep the small plastic piece from the old motor because you will need it to connect the motor to the gear. If the hole is too big for the head of your gear, what you can do is grab a small piece of wood to help fill the space and glue it.
While waiting for the glue to dry, glue the lid from the old motor to the designated space for the motor box to give it more stability. Next, strip the wire that came with the speed controller and twist the wire ends. Drive the wires into the holes that you drilled under the motor box.
If you have a soldering machine, you can solder the ends of the wires to the motor pins. Otherwise, you can just wind it around. Depending on your motor box, you might need to split apart the wires longer so you can wind the wire ends first to the motor pin before inserting the motor into the box. Once everything is good, you can secure the motor to the box by gluing it.
Put the other end of the cable through the hole at the back of the designated space for the motor box and run it to the front to connect it to the speed controller. Connect it to a 9V battery and install the battery cover.
Test if everything is working fine by turning on the switch and holding the motor box into place so that the two gears are connected properly. Turn the dial of the speed controller to the right to adjust the rotation speed.
Final Touches
If everything is running smoothly, you can now pop in the speed controller on the side and the switch on the gap on top of it. This will make everything look nice and neat. If you're using a battery, you can hide it at the back, underneath the spiral base. Don't forget to also glue the motor box into place.
Then, turn it on to slow mode and wax all the gears on both sides with a small brush and petroleum jelly to make it run even more smoothly.
Congratulations! You have now upgraded your ROKR Marble Run.
Final Words
There are a couple of things you need to remember when it comes to your modified ROKR Marble Run.
First, because the motor is high torque, if something gets stuck in the kit, the kit will stop but the motor will keep running. For example, on the Space Port side, sometimes it will try to take in two balls at once, getting them stuck. This will overheat if left alone, so make sure your hand is near the switch so you can quickly turn it off if such a thing happens.
However, if you have that extra piece from the Space Port kit, it goes right at the bottom and stops it from taking two balls at the same time. If you don't have this extra piece, you can just cut a small piece of wood and pop it in.
Finally, you'll have to glue down a lot of the pieces that might pop out or move since you now have a stronger motor. For example, both sides of the plastic spiral have to be glued down to prevent them from popping out. The same goes for the gear right at the back. Just make sure to glue those two round pieces on the middle piece. Do not glue around the actual round piece because this will prevent it from turning.
You'll also want to glue both of the sleeves on both sides of the metal rod so it doesn't split apart when the balls get jammed. Overall, you'll just need to pay attention to your ROKR Marble Run to see which places you'll need to glue down for security and safety.
Now, all that's left for you to do is enjoy your improved ROKR Marble Run with its higher RPM motor and speed controller.