Gravitrax Compatible "Cannon" Lift

thingiverse

This thing is a cannon designed to lift Gravitrax steel marbles up 15cm, giving them more potential energy to expend along the track that follows. If you've played Gravitrax, you know the most recurring question is "How do I gain more height?" Height is important because gravity pulls the marbles down and spends their potential energy doing tricks and gaining speed. There are solutions out there, like the Gravitrax stock lift, but designing an actual shooting cannon was too tempting to resist. The principle is simple - a percussor held in a loaded position by a trigger that gets freed when the marble falls into the cannon. The percussor is loaded by 2 rubber bands. I used replacement rubber bands from the Gravitrax Catapult expansion, but any small rubber band will do, as long as you calibrate the force to avoid punching a hole in the ceiling or not making it past the cannon mouth. You'll need to print one each of the parts listed in this thing's files, except for the MarbleGuide part, which you'll need 5 of. If you want to use more powerful rubber bands and build a higher cannon, print 5 MarbleGuider_For_180mmPillars instead. This project also uses some parts I've designed and shared here on Thingiverse. Besides the files listed for this thing, you'll also need to print the following parts from my other designs: 2 platforms from my Elevation System, 3 Pillar_65mm, 3 Pillar_140mm (or 180mm if you want to go higher), and 1 6-Exit Basic Tile. The top Exit part has 4 beds for 4 marbles as stabilization weights, just like they do in the Catapult base. Sacrifice 4 marbles for this purpose, as they ensure the top doesn't go flying off if the rubber bands are too strong. Please read the Print Settings and Post Printing sections for more info on how to print and assemble the Cannon. Don't forget to check out the Post Printing section to see it in action! If you make this, it would be awesome to see pics of your makes! I'm not associated with Ravensburger or Gravitrax; this is just a design that provides functionality the stock parts don't. I do this for fun, but if my projects enhance your Gravitrax experience, consider tipping me - I'd really appreciate it!