Ball Launcher

I actually started the process back in August. The first thing I did was mock up a ball launcher. It is/was a simple affair. I used a surplus DC motor (I dismantle and keep any electronic and mechanical bits from old PC's, VCRS, and thinks to my dad photocopiers ... my wife calls it junk so it's my junk box 'o stuff) a scrap of PVC two sheets of paper, tape, a foam wheel (from my RC landing gear), a rubber band, and an old AT power supply (+12V and +5V). Using a 40mm ping pong ball as my guide I rolled the first sheep of paper into a tube and taped it. Then to stiffent the tube I added another sheet of paper. I mounted the wheel on the motor shaft using a piece of the rubber band to take of the slack ... it works well actually and if a trick from RC. Then I cut a notch out of the PVC a bit smaller (always cut smaller as you can shave off material easier than starting over ;) than the diameter of the motor case and wedged the motor in. I used an exacto knife to cut a slot in my tube long enough to accomodate the foam wheel. Then using the 5V I ran some tests. Conclusion: it works fine, and so I will continue to refine my design.

[Add photo here]

Onwards,
Jay