Martin: this design is a game changer. the previous one was too complicated, ugly, prone to failing, and time consuming. this is going to revolutionize the marble machine x Martin, 5 days later: this design is a game changer. the previous one was too complicated, ugly, prone to failing, and time consuming. this is going to revolutionize the marble machine x
I never really liked the old marble gates, especially with the marbles landing on the threads of a bolt. These clockwork gates are genius. I think you should stick with the spring, though. It's so much easier to tune, and can go faster than gravity can if need be.
I stand by my past comment: "Aesthetically pleasing designs can arise from proper functioning parts". The escapement fits really well in the whole idea of the marble machine.
@@Hirosjimma "form follows function" however doesn't imply that the resulting form is pleasing to the eye, which is one of the main thing Martin is going for. I wanted to emphasize the fact that when you have a robust & reliable solution you have much more leeway to add flair.
If the input runs dry, and a marble arrives at just the wrong phase of release of the last marble, it may bump against the tip of the sprocket and not turn the sprocket forwards or backwards. At this point, the wheel stays jammed, though without damage to the machine. This will only happen maybe 1 in 1000 times IF the input runs dry.
If there is no marbles the sprocket will not move, its the weight of the marbles that moves the wheel. So there is no risk that a marble arrive in the wrong phase.
Martin has said before that no channel can ever run dry or he will have many problems. I believe the intent is to consider this even while composing, to ensure one channel is not hammered long enough for this to happen.
I'm honoured to have been mentioned, and have some small part to play in bringing this great project to reality. You didn't read out the second part of my message though, which stated: "Just saying this now before my wife puts a permanent ban on my involvement. #notevenjoking"
Oh can I feel with you. That‘s the reason I am not contributing at all for the moment besides a couple of yt conments, even as it is itching me right now CADing a couple of ideas for other components to improve😀
Why did the elegance of this design actually induce me to weep? Awesome when things crystallize into something both more functionally stable AND beautiful.
I am a software developer - I can tell you, it is exactly the same feeling: when you finally found the right way to do something in your design, how much fun it is to throw away all that "wrong" code you have been working on for days, and to replace it by the clean and *right* solution.
@@henrycgs sometimes I just want to put all the bad iterations in the comment, just to let someone see, how much work somebody had to put in this single line of well designed code until it worked just as intended. And then I recognize, that sb with a bigger brain will rework all these lines of code much better. 😅
For Each Marble In Range("PMMA_Pipes") If Marble.Position =1 Then Marble.Drop = "Positive" ElseIf Marble.Position > 1 Then Marble.Position = Marble.Position -1 Else Print "Error, Marble on floor." End If Next Marble
A clock escapement is literally the solution you needed. But engineering like that is what looks the most intimidating to impliment. I am surprised and proud of you Martin for using this solution. This is the kind of madness that made the first machine so awe inspiring.
I think that can be done by instead of having little cutouts in the wheel that's retaining the marbles you could have it smooth with a you thick sheet of silicone wrapped around it that the marbles will dent into and get caught and then it doesn't matter the position of the marbles because the wheel will align regardless because it's flexible.
A second set of escapements up top at a known good length to isolate the channel length from the number of marbles stored and potentially a mechanism for freewheeling the upper escapement when starved.
My original design had a much smaller escape wheel, but two of them sandwiching the marble wheel, such that the anchor and pallet were actually in line with the marbles (narrower). The escape wheels would be metal, the wheel wood. The wood would be clamped between the two escape wheels maybe even with thin rubber sheets. Martin could then change the angle of the marble wheel independently of the very much fixed position escape wheels. He could set up a camera on the top, looking at the divider, with a monitor by the gate. With a full marbles stack, he then holds the marble wheel from below, untightens the clamp and manually adjusts the wheel so that it raises/lowers the marble queue on his monitor until its flush. Retighten and then job done. One issue with this is that the release point of the marble may no longer be exactly when the dropper is fully back, meaning it could fall too soon, but this could be rectified with a simple hook attached to the dropper arm which loops around the rails and into the marble path, catching the marble as it falls from the wheel and preventing the marble dropping further down the rails until the dropper is ready to catch it.
I always wanted to be just an ok musician, playing like two or three instruments maybe. Then I found Wintergatan. Now I play five instruments, compose, record, and mix my music and can't get enough of it. I don't want to be the best, or even famous, but I love exploring new ideas and just having fun. Thank you for the neverending inspiration, Martin and friends!
When I turned 21-years-old in the late '90s my mother bought me a gold pocket watch. I was so gentle with it that it took me a week to finally pop open the back cover and see what's inside. All those perfectly engineered little polished sprockets and ruby bushings.. it's an absolute work of art. And this escapement mechanism, along with the lifting mechanism on the programming wheel, instantly reminded me of that joyful moment when I first peered inside my treasured pocket watch. Well done, everybody. Very well done. 👏
This vid shows your dedication to the project, going back to the drawing board so many times to get it just right, taking advice and not being big headed 'my way is better' approach. So many companies would still be around if they followed your 'its good but can it work better can it look better' steadfast way of working.
The spinning motion and the movement of the little stopper dudes creates so much visual feedback, it reminds me of the old kinetic fingers idea. It's going to look so cool with thirty something of them on there. Keep up the incredible work, everybody!
The timing of this video is eerie. Just this morning I watched a video called medieval clockwork. The era of the clock makers gave the world some of the best engineering in world history. Many of the machines from that era still operate flawlessly to this day. It's amazing that they built bell towers, lifelike swans, automatons, bellowed flutes and music boxes. But none of the clock makers had a vision for a world tour with a marble machine. I am so excited about this design.
Can we all agree this not only solved a massive issue with the machine but fits the entire aesthetics with gears and fidgets since the major eye candy of the machine are the giant gears on the side? this machine just continues to look better and better over time and i cannot wait for the finished product
The quality of this crowd-sourced designs really reflects the quality of the crowd who designed it. Thank you to that community for helping create this elegant marble gate.
Imagine, some day, standing in a crowd of people at the MMX world tour. The machine plays, Martin in complete flow, the audience dancing to those magical melodies and in the background you have giant screens, showing parts of the MMX while it's playing. I'm totally looking forward to staring at those marvellous gates, reminiscing about the inspiring design-journey they have been through. 🙏
Martin: *spends weeks completely re-engineering marble gates to deal with pressure* Me: okay. this is like the fourth time but at least it'll be worth the effort, no way he changes the plan this time Martin: *completely eliminates all that work with a ground-up redesign* Me: surprised pikachu face
I love seeing engineers figure problems out like this. It's like, there is a simple solution to this difficult problem if you're smart enough to think of it, and seeing someone figure it out and enlighten the rest of us is so satisfying.
@@MrGonzonator that just means you're on the right track. If multiple different people independently come up with the same simplified solution to their problem, it's often the 'correct' solution.
What I love most about this design is the fact that it satisfies the artist and the engineer within Martin. For the last few years I could see the turmoil within Martin as he abandoned esthetics for functionality. This design clicks all the boxes, and it makes me happy to see Martin so happy. Can't wait to see the MMX live!
This is such a good solution it makes all the previous gates look terrible. It looks cooler, It's simple It totally gets rid of the pressure problem It's totally repeatable for every channel. There is no reason it wont be 100% reliable.
I am worried that the wheels/gears would be worn pretty quickly since they're made of wewd. If they were metal, it wouldn't have such a low durability, but wewd is easier to replace I guess when they're broken
I love how committed everyone is to making this machine as good as possible. I think that once you go on tour there will be a massive surge of mechanical instruments and possibly a movement.
Honestly, if people say that you will never finish this machine, than so be it. Honestly at this point what keeps me here is just seeing how happy you are working on this thing every day and all the new things you and the whole MMX community think up to add onto it.
This is absolutely, clearly, without a doubt, the most elegant solution to solving this problem. Sometimes, crumpling up your sheet of paper, throwing it away, and starting fresh makes all the difference. No sunk cost fallacy.
Gotta admit that this little thing is one of the most technically clean changes for the machine. Its pretty too. My only concern, noise.. tick tok x a lot.
If this works, this would be the coolest system ever. Imagine 36 of these things in a row going while its playing. This here is what happens when you allow yourself to take out the old angle grinder and try something new from scratch. Sunk cost can suck it. The goal is not to just have a working marble machine. Its to have a world tour marble machine that can play for hours on end. Its not an easy goal but Im confident you are getting closer and closer with each new idea and design.
Your math and physics is waaay beyond me but when they are combined with your personality and humble humor I can’t stop watching and appreciating your talent. All of your contributing friends must feel very flattered when you praise and adapt their offerings. Kind of like getting an atta-boy from Stephen Hawking.
Holy crap, Martin. You've got it. A marble gate system that doesn't care about pressure, doesn't care about friction, essentially will never jam, and adheres to the original artistic spirit of the MMX.
Imagine being designed for 3 episodes only to be thrown out the following episode by a competitor. I honestly liked the zig-zag as it went thorugh many trials to be its best of its kind but the gear design just blew it out of the water
Here is a little Wintergatan trivia for you: The original Wilson was created accidentally while cncing some gears. However, Martin lost it in a very short amount of time and made a new one with the cnc machine. Yes, I have been here from the first day
When you teased this marble Gate at the end of last episode, i was not really into it. I was like "why putting si much effort to completly rethink marblegates that actially works?! Looks over fonction is back?" But now, i think it was the good choice. More compact, less moving parts, standardised for all gates ans no need to Care about pressure anymore. And Cherry on the cake, the look is STUNNING !
*I like how Martin highlighted the collaborative aspect of this great MMX he is building and we are getting to enjoy watching him do it. Great job all round guys. Long may it continue!!*
Yeah this design is a great example of avoiding a local peak. Iterating on the pressure gate didn’t make the pressure gate the best solution. Just the best version of a pressure gate. Congratulations to the team for realizing there may be a higher peak and not getting stuck in the sunken cost of fining a local peak.
i m a mechanical engineer. and i have been mostly been conspicious about your solutions. but THIS is the most convenient solution on this machine. 11/10 ..... great work
Very cool new design!! I just love the fact that so many talented people come together and solve a problem, just like that, in no time, really. I wonder if we could throw out outdated and corrupt politicians and replace them with engaged people on discord instead?? This could be the future! :) :)
You are correct about the design. Sympathize on the politics. In the USA it's the worse since the Civil War, possibly worse because there is great profit in the discord. With all these escapements, maybe Martin will want to install a 32 point force feed lubricator. Do you have experience with force feed lubricators in case Martin needs to lube the escapement? ;-) (Will miss your drip feed appearance. I had drip oilers on my hammer. Cool looking, but not practical.)
Even if you manage to find the supposedly best people in the world, once you get them into a government (which runs on mandatory taxes, therefore it's not value-producing as it's detached from a price system), they'll get corrupted. The "solution" is to not have a centralized government, and depend on a free market to maintain a society of private laws -- that way the "best people" will be incentivized economically to provide the "best products and services" (which include all functions of what we call a "government" nowadays)
omg imagining a shot of all the wheels turning once there's one installed for each gate is so cool. It looks so much cooler than any of the other designs
I love that almost every part of this instrument is musical. If you put a microphone next to any of the mechanical parts, it'll make a sound mostly in rhythm with the actual instruments
It's that awful but incredible feeling of, "Wow, why didn't I think of this earlier?" This was one of my favorite videos so far. Thanks for continuing to involve so many people in the process. I'm content to believe that the Marble Machine will never be finished.
"you will never finish the machine" well it depends how one looks at that... i bet that you will continue improving and working on the machine on the go even after you start going on tours with the machine, so yeah, maybe if they think to say that with "youll never finish the machine" then they are correct ;) its exactly like having a house, you will never ever stop working around the house no matter how much money and how finished anything looks...
Most people improve the design after it’s completed. Not far before having a working model. Why, because if you keep changing something without finishing it. You’ll never know if it’ll work when it is complete. You end up spending far more time getting no where until you complete the system.
@@lilkittygirl i am a web and firmware developer since 2004... most of the projects i worked on are "finished" on rush and are being "upgraded" and fixed or changed way after the project is declared finished... work never stops on things that have value and that produce value, its on the owner to decide at which stage he will declare its project as finished and ready to be used for what is meant... example Martin could declare the machine as finished as it was a month ago, he can also declare it finished after he finishes the new gates... he built the machine so modular and thoughtfully engineered that anyone can upgrade any part in future without impairing the function of the machine. its only up to him to decide when his machine is ready and meets his standards, which doesn't mean he will stop working on improving it after he says its finished.
The difference is that at one point, you can actually live inside your house while you are still finishing it. With the way the MMX is going, I don't think we'll reach a point where we see it play full music
@@Hobypyrocom Some of us have paid him quite a lot of money in support of this project and enjoy seeing the progress. After 3 years though that I've been a contributing member, I would like to see some sort of a working project. Not a half finished project that's been half finished for years now. I don't know how long you've been around but the issues he keeps fixing have been the main center of his focus for a long time now and he's not allowing himself to move onto the next stage. His perfectionism is really bad and he's admitted it countless times. He needs to move to the next phase, have a working model, produce some music, then go back and make fine tuning adjustments. I also work in IT as a system admin and CTO. I understand your example, and that method works well, especially when it comes to investors.
The travel length problem reminds me a little bit of mechanisms in a piano where things aren't rigidly connected from key press to hammer strike. They use fabric tongues that pull parts back. Works like a spring in a way, but has a hard onset point (inelastic) where the part is pulled back to home at a specific point in the cycle rather than constantly but with varying force (as in the case of a spring). This means less friction as parts aren't pushing eachother from spring tension when they are blocking. The tongues method makes sure that the mechanism does return and you could use fishing wire to make it invisible (subtle but secure and adjustable attachment would need brainstorming though).
Martin this is a game changer! I know this was a huge problem for you and having such a simple elegant solution is wonderful to see this is innovation in action, and also watching you throw away all that previous work for this marble gate design shows just how much work you have been putting into trying to get this to work
To be completely honest. I do trust that Martins "inner compass" will do what is actually best for this awesome creation that he has dedicated years to creating!
At 8:40, I recommend staying with the spring: having a weight instead will increase inertia and thus the latch might not close quickly enough between drops.
We want the inertia to overcome the friction, it would close at the same rate with or without weight if there was no friction. I agree though, a spring will make it more responsive
I don’t know enough to help with the construction, don’t have enough money to donate, but am so happy to support with likes and comments and so thankful that you make these videos. They’re inspiring and I learn so much :D
I get so excited when something works this well and looks this cool, the payoff from having followed the build from the (almost) start is absolutely insane !
I was scared in the last episode thinking this might be another 2 months of grueling design testing and tweaking, but turned out to be just 2 days... Woot woot, my depression has lifted!!! Ps. I loved following the past two months btw, was just worried about Martin is all
Well, that's not entirely fair... lets be honest, once the MMX is done, most of us will watch a few performances, and that's it. But in the meantime, we've had hundreds of hours of free entertainment watching the development.
Maybe just on the one on the end. That many Wilsons might overpower the audience with too much of his natural charm! (In reality that many wilsons might block the glorious view of all the marbles in the gates.)
After watching you struggle with the pressure relieving parts and marble gates for so long I agree with you on the decision to move to this new part. It solves so many problems at once and also looks amazing! Keep up the good work both Martin and the community! As an engineering student I keep getting amazed by the stuff everyone comes up with!
This is an amazing update to the marble gates and provides even more mechanical eye-candy! I love the design, big props, Martin to you and the community.
god i love the commitement to the best possible no matter what
That is how i see this decision as well. :) The other route was leading down a path of eternal fixes. This path removes so many parts and issues!
Truth💯💯
@@Wintergatan And it looks stunning! So you even get your "visual" fix
If you think Wilson has a god-complex now, wait until you give him his own marble gate channel. DIVA!!!
Yeah it feels like all the work on the matrixes may have paid off. Not jinxing it though XD
Finally Wilson is helping with something
You can make a whole Wilson family!
Wilson must be the last part to be added to the machine
Ahem... when has he not been helping?
I always thought it was "Wheelson"
Wilson is the mascot of all your TH-cam subscribers who only contribute views.
When the Marble Machine museum opens, there we will need a huge room just for displaying the evolution of the marble gates.
There will be an entire wing, good sir.
The last marble machine was in a Dutch museum for a while
So true
We also need a huge pile of angle-grinder shavings.
And the original angle grinder...
Actually that thing needs an exhibition on its own
Wilson was the solution this whole time!?
Talk about plot twist.
😂 it’s true!
Ahahhahah it was directly in Front of our eyes all the time 😄 Now we know the reason, why Wilson smiles. He knew his destiny! 😆
*T H E P L O T T W I S T*
"Don't be sentimental about your bad ideas." These words lifted me up.
Martin: this design is a game changer. the previous one was too complicated, ugly, prone to failing, and time consuming. this is going to revolutionize the marble machine x
Martin, 5 days later: this design is a game changer. the previous one was too complicated, ugly, prone to failing, and time consuming. this is going to revolutionize the marble machine x
He's evolving as fast as technology lol
He wasn’t wrong, though. Neither the first time nor the second.
This😳
when you take massive leaps in design it tends to be like that. both statements where true at the time..
progress!
The more and more we go on, the more and more its looking like some sort of steampunk super-vilain complex evil clockworking machine...
Which is the best sort of machine.
We need Martin to replace his puny electric motor with shiny steam engine!
And you can help!
You apparently missed the part where he said this machine should help taking over the world...
Martin secretly recruits a giant army all around the world under cover as a musician.
I'd buy that movie ticket.
This new Marble Gate feels so First-Principles, it almost hurts. This design is absolutely worth all the time spent with past iterations.
I never really liked the old marble gates, especially with the marbles landing on the threads of a bolt. These clockwork gates are genius. I think you should stick with the spring, though. It's so much easier to tune, and can go faster than gravity can if need be.
I agree, and there are many different types of spring to choose from. One of them will make a perfect match, I'm sure.
I stand by my past comment: "Aesthetically pleasing designs can arise from proper functioning parts". The escapement fits really well in the whole idea of the marble machine.
In short: "Form Follows Function"
@@Hirosjimma "form follows function" however doesn't imply that the resulting form is pleasing to the eye, which is one of the main thing Martin is going for. I wanted to emphasize the fact that when you have a robust & reliable solution you have much more leeway to add flair.
If the input runs dry, and a marble arrives at just the wrong phase of release of the last marble, it may bump against the tip of the sprocket and not turn the sprocket forwards or backwards. At this point, the wheel stays jammed, though without damage to the machine. This will only happen maybe 1 in 1000 times IF the input runs dry.
Matthias! 🙌
If there is no marbles the sprocket will not move, its the weight of the marbles that moves the wheel. So there is no risk that a marble arrive in the wrong phase.
if the system runs dry, maybe the marble will arrive fast enough in the whell for it to snap back into position ?
@@PerKroon if the marble arrives as the last one is released, it can be in the wrong phase.
Martin has said before that no channel can ever run dry or he will have many problems. I believe the intent is to consider this even while composing, to ensure one channel is not hammered long enough for this to happen.
"Simplicity is like an onion: You can peel layers off!" -Martin Molin
That's got to be my favourite quote
Tshirt time!!!!
-Shreck
Shreckengatan
-Martin, Marble Ogre, Molin
by transitive property, simplicity is like an ogre
I'm honoured to have been mentioned, and have some small part to play in bringing this great project to reality.
You didn't read out the second part of my message though, which stated:
"Just saying this now before my wife puts a permanent ban on my involvement.
#notevenjoking"
This design is so much better and it looks so cool! Thanks for your great concept!
Lol
Oh can I feel with you. That‘s the reason I am not contributing at all for the moment besides a couple of yt conments, even as it is itching me right now CADing a couple of ideas for other components to improve😀
Genius
you have been inducted into the "glory is forever" hall of fame :D
"A little less wrong every day." Words to aspire to.
Why did the elegance of this design actually induce me to weep? Awesome when things crystallize into something both more functionally stable AND beautiful.
I am a software developer - I can tell you, it is exactly the same feeling: when you finally found the right way to do something in your design, how much fun it is to throw away all that "wrong" code you have been working on for days, and to replace it by the clean and *right* solution.
The equivalent of a brain orgasm for real, you just feel clean when it happens
I actually did this today, refactored old ugly code into something lean minimal and sparkling. The feeling is real.
Oh god, this is too real. Nothing beats the feeling of replacing monstruous ugly code with some sleek, readable, well designed code.
@@henrycgs sometimes I just want to put all the bad iterations in the comment, just to let someone see, how much work somebody had to put in this single line of well designed code until it worked just as intended. And then I recognize, that sb with a bigger brain will rework all these lines of code much better. 😅
Sub Marble_Drop()
Dim Marble as Range
For Each Marble In Range("PMMA_Pipes")
If Marble.Position =1 Then
Marble.Drop = "Positive"
ElseIf Marble.Position > 1 Then
Marble.Position = Marble.Position -1
Else
Print "Error, Marble on floor."
End If
Next Marble
End Sub
Thats going to look super cool
Hey hello there Sir.
indeed it is going to look awesome
I read that with your video-end voice
Too bad he'll replace it with something even simpler, because I too think this looks so cool
My first thought: "Oh no, he's done it again..."
My last thought: "Oh yeah, he did it again!"
Now I want/need a MM cover of Oops I did it again.
I love the joy of the end output of the idea -> develop -> test -> improve loop. That clockwork mechanism is so beautiful
A clock escapement is literally the solution you needed. But engineering like that is what looks the most intimidating to impliment. I am surprised and proud of you Martin for using this solution. This is the kind of madness that made the first machine so awe inspiring.
Now we just need to incorporate that marble divider that didn't need a specific marble height.
I think that's pretty much a given by now...
I think that can be done by instead of having little cutouts in the wheel that's retaining the marbles you could have it smooth with a you thick sheet of silicone wrapped around it that the marbles will dent into and get caught and then it doesn't matter the position of the marbles because the wheel will align regardless because it's flexible.
It would be a huge rebuild, but I'm all for it. No more messing around from the top of the lifts to below the releases after that.
A second set of escapements up top at a known good length to isolate the channel length from the number of marbles stored and potentially a mechanism for freewheeling the upper escapement when starved.
My original design had a much smaller escape wheel, but two of them sandwiching the marble wheel, such that the anchor and pallet were actually in line with the marbles (narrower). The escape wheels would be metal, the wheel wood. The wood would be clamped between the two escape wheels maybe even with thin rubber sheets. Martin could then change the angle of the marble wheel independently of the very much fixed position escape wheels.
He could set up a camera on the top, looking at the divider, with a monitor by the gate. With a full marbles stack, he then holds the marble wheel from below, untightens the clamp and manually adjusts the wheel so that it raises/lowers the marble queue on his monitor until its flush. Retighten and then job done.
One issue with this is that the release point of the marble may no longer be exactly when the dropper is fully back, meaning it could fall too soon, but this could be rectified with a simple hook attached to the dropper arm which loops around the rails and into the marble path, catching the marble as it falls from the wheel and preventing the marble dropping further down the rails until the dropper is ready to catch it.
I honestly dont care if ever finishes it. Every RE-DO is an amazing lesson.
Yess I think the same, this channel is amasing, the all process of seing the evolution of the machine is a pleasure in itself !
I always wanted to be just an ok musician, playing like two or three instruments maybe. Then I found Wintergatan. Now I play five instruments, compose, record, and mix my music and can't get enough of it. I don't want to be the best, or even famous, but I love exploring new ideas and just having fun. Thank you for the neverending inspiration, Martin and friends!
Pain is temporary, Glory is forever! Keep exploring and I'm sure you'll inspire plenty of people too!
When I turned 21-years-old in the late '90s my mother bought me a gold pocket watch. I was so gentle with it that it took me a week to finally pop open the back cover and see what's inside. All those perfectly engineered little polished sprockets and ruby bushings.. it's an absolute work of art. And this escapement mechanism, along with the lifting mechanism on the programming wheel, instantly reminded me of that joyful moment when I first peered inside my treasured pocket watch. Well done, everybody. Very well done. 👏
This vid shows your dedication to the project, going back to the drawing board so many times to get it just right, taking advice and not being big headed 'my way is better' approach. So many companies would still be around if they followed your 'its good but can it work better can it look better' steadfast way of working.
The spinning motion and the movement of the little stopper dudes creates so much visual feedback, it reminds me of the old kinetic fingers idea. It's going to look so cool with thirty something of them on there. Keep up the incredible work, everybody!
@@ronald2042 I think he is, but I hope he's not
@@ronald2042 I don't think so. I don't know. Maybe I should ask. Hey Martin, are you still doing the kinetic fingers?
could have a brass gear for that extra clickspring-esque flair
Yes!!!
I think the sound and vibrations might be an issue, but could look cool, agreed!
I agree that vibrations might be an issue, but there will also be more noise I think. Still a nice Idea.
also it would stand out in the way Martin wants, great idea!
Brass wheel, Delrin pallets, beautiful and quiet.
The timing of this video is eerie. Just this morning I watched a video called medieval clockwork. The era of the clock makers gave the world some of the best engineering in world history. Many of the machines from that era still operate flawlessly to this day. It's amazing that they built bell towers, lifelike swans, automatons, bellowed flutes and music boxes. But none of the clock makers had a vision for a world tour with a marble machine. I am so excited about this design.
Can we all agree this not only solved a massive issue with the machine but fits the entire aesthetics with gears and fidgets since the major eye candy of the machine are the giant gears on the side? this machine just continues to look better and better over time and i cannot wait for the finished product
The quality of this crowd-sourced designs really reflects the quality of the crowd who designed it. Thank you to that community for helping create this elegant marble gate.
Martin at 18:34:"Finally Wilson is going to do something"
Wilson having made all parts for an entire episode: Sad Wilson noises*
Imagine, some day, standing in a crowd of people at the MMX world tour.
The machine plays, Martin in complete flow, the audience dancing to those magical melodies and in the background you have giant screens, showing parts of the MMX while it's playing.
I'm totally looking forward to staring at those marvellous gates, reminiscing about the inspiring design-journey they have been through.
🙏
and imagine one of these parts being Wilson dropping marbles
@@ManuelGennaroMusic damn right!
Martin: *spends weeks completely re-engineering marble gates to deal with pressure*
Me: okay. this is like the fourth time but at least it'll be worth the effort, no way he changes the plan this time
Martin: *completely eliminates all that work with a ground-up redesign*
Me: surprised pikachu face
Insert "I see you're new here" or "First time" meme. Martin will, without fail, pursue a different course if it improves the performance of the MMX.
12:04 “simplicity is like an onion, you can peel layers off” honestly this is one of my favorite Wintergatan videos
This marble gate is absolutely BEATIFUL!!! Really ties in together the clockwork feel of the machine!
I love seeing engineers figure problems out like this. It's like, there is a simple solution to this difficult problem if you're smart enough to think of it, and seeing someone figure it out and enlighten the rest of us is so satisfying.
Often times you need to work through all the complex solutions before the simplest one can be visualised.
Then you find out your amazing idea that you came up with all by yourself has been done at least half a dozen times before... 😩
@@MrGonzonator that just means you're on the right track. If multiple different people independently come up with the same simplified solution to their problem, it's often the 'correct' solution.
Except real engineers tend to not spend so much time iterating and scrapping while ignoring input from more experienced engineers.
What I love most about this design is the fact that it satisfies the artist and the engineer within Martin. For the last few years I could see the turmoil within Martin as he abandoned esthetics for functionality. This design clicks all the boxes, and it makes me happy to see Martin so happy. Can't wait to see the MMX live!
This is such a good solution it makes all the previous gates look terrible.
It looks cooler,
It's simple
It totally gets rid of the pressure problem
It's totally repeatable for every channel.
There is no reason it wont be 100% reliable.
and it tick tacks!
*Laughs in mole*
I am worried that the wheels/gears would be worn pretty quickly since they're made of wewd.
If they were metal, it wouldn't have such a low durability, but wewd is easier to replace I guess when they're broken
So true!
Martin likes the contrast of wood and metal, but I would flip it so the moving, contacting parts are metal and the stationary rail is wood.
I love how committed everyone is to making this machine as good as possible. I think that once you go on tour there will be a massive surge of mechanical instruments and possibly a movement.
Honestly, if people say that you will never finish this machine, than so be it. Honestly at this point what keeps me here is just seeing how happy you are working on this thing every day and all the new things you and the whole MMX community think up to add onto it.
This is absolutely, clearly, without a doubt, the most elegant solution to solving this problem. Sometimes, crumpling up your sheet of paper, throwing it away, and starting fresh makes all the difference. No sunk cost fallacy.
"We're all trying to be less wrong every day" -- Martin.
Yes. That is it.
This is the way.
Needs to be on a Wintergaten T-Shirt.
@@Stray7 I finally know da wae
@@jamesblackwell722 Definitely.
Being a young horologist, this is one of the best designs for the machine ever!
Gotta admit that this little thing is one of the most technically clean changes for the machine. Its pretty too.
My only concern, noise.. tick tok x a lot.
@Minecraft Platinum Fireworks 32 tick-tocks all at different times could be a problem though ...
So happy to see this project transform to a community effort - open and collaborative.
Can we just say that "Broken Escapement" would make a good song title
Glad he's found a nice solution that will help him finish the MMX, but I swear, he said the same thing about the last marble gates.
"This time is different!"... The most expensive four words ever
Well. you never know how many parts you can remove until you actually do.
Everything is relevant
Well, he was also having functional & aesthetical problems with that design, so I'm not surprised it got replaced.
That is how all good engineering design processes work.
@@francescosirotti8178 nah the inflation on those words are too high
If this works, this would be the coolest system ever. Imagine 36 of these things in a row going while its playing. This here is what happens when you allow yourself to take out the old angle grinder and try something new from scratch. Sunk cost can suck it. The goal is not to just have a working marble machine. Its to have a world tour marble machine that can play for hours on end. Its not an easy goal but Im confident you are getting closer and closer with each new idea and design.
and this also looks good unlike amny other designs
Your math and physics is waaay beyond me but when they are combined with your personality and humble humor I can’t stop watching and appreciating your talent. All of your contributing friends must feel very flattered when you praise and adapt their offerings. Kind of like getting an atta-boy from Stephen Hawking.
Holy crap, Martin. You've got it. A marble gate system that doesn't care about pressure, doesn't care about friction, essentially will never jam, and adheres to the original artistic spirit of the MMX.
In this channel's few years of existence no other video was as satisfying to watch as this one
One very uplifting one, indeed !
This is so serendipitous! The design just fits the MMX theme so much better than the previous solutions
Exactly ! Super design !
Imagine being designed for 3 episodes only to be thrown out the following episode by a competitor. I honestly liked the zig-zag as it went thorugh many trials to be its best of its kind but the gear design just blew it out of the water
This machine is a masterpiece. So much thought and creativity has been put into it. So fascinating to see how it's evolved.
Excellent choice, Sir
Wintergatan always killin' it with the sick beats
This is a true statement.
I want a full song
Here is a little Wintergatan trivia for you:
The original Wilson was created accidentally while cncing some gears. However, Martin lost it in a very short amount of time and made a new one with the cnc machine.
Yes, I have been here from the first day
That's the story of Aphex Twin too, I think...
Same. Wintergatan is quite literally the longest-running video series I've been watching on TH-cam.
Same
@@davidpardy go watch project Binky also. Perhaps these are two of the longest running series in yt?
@@mrnebstar I'll check it out!
When you teased this marble Gate at the end of last episode, i was not really into it.
I was like "why putting si much effort to completly rethink marblegates that actially works?! Looks over fonction is back?"
But now, i think it was the good choice.
More compact, less moving parts, standardised for all gates ans no need to Care about pressure anymore.
And Cherry on the cake, the look is STUNNING !
*I like how Martin highlighted the collaborative aspect of this great MMX he is building and we are getting to enjoy watching him do it. Great job all round guys. Long may it continue!!*
why am i allways crying full of emotions while watching your videos... Thank you... i dont know what to say
I applaud the ability not to fall into the "sunken cost" mindset!
Yeah this design is a great example of avoiding a local peak. Iterating on the pressure gate didn’t make the pressure gate the best solution. Just the best version of a pressure gate.
Congratulations to the team for realizing there may be a higher peak and not getting stuck in the sunken cost of fining a local peak.
It's easier to escape when the alternative is this cool
Martin : you might not trust my inner compass, but its my inner compass that got you watching in the first place
Everyone else: Damn you got me there
"changing to this design will help me finish the MMX"
- Martin, 2019
- Martin, 2020
- Martin, 2021
-Martin, 2022
That made me laugh out loud, including blix :')
-Martin 2035
~ Martin, 2080, an elderly pensioner living on Mars who refuses to retire
"changing to this design did help me live longer to finish the MMX"
- Martin, the Lead Developer of the Immortality Serum, 20021
Doesnt matter how long it takes. Dont burn out.
Machinist here, loved how you cut that circlip groove, that was really smart.
i m a mechanical engineer. and i have been mostly been conspicious about your solutions.
but THIS is the most convenient solution on this machine. 11/10 ..... great work
Very cool new design!! I just love the fact that so many talented people come together and solve a problem, just like that, in no time, really. I wonder if we could throw out outdated and corrupt politicians and replace them with engaged people on discord instead?? This could be the future! :) :)
You are correct about the design.
Sympathize on the politics. In the USA it's the worse since the Civil War, possibly worse because there is great profit in the discord.
With all these escapements, maybe Martin will want to install a 32 point force feed lubricator. Do you have experience with force feed lubricators in case Martin needs to lube the escapement? ;-) (Will miss your drip feed appearance. I had drip oilers on my hammer. Cool looking, but not practical.)
"Engaged"? Try "obsessed" and you're closer.
Ja det vore något det. En dröm - tänk om folk kunde lösa problem på Discord istället för att kriga om landplättar och illaluktande dinosauriegegga.
Even if you manage to find the supposedly best people in the world, once you get them into a government (which runs on mandatory taxes, therefore it's not value-producing as it's detached from a price system), they'll get corrupted. The "solution" is to not have a centralized government, and depend on a free market to maintain a society of private laws -- that way the "best people" will be incentivized economically to provide the "best products and services" (which include all functions of what we call a "government" nowadays)
@@sarqf212 ancap logic lol
omg imagining a shot of all the wheels turning once there's one installed for each gate is so cool. It looks so much cooler than any of the other designs
The MOST compact, MOST cool looking, MOST useful design for marble dropping EVER.
Just wait till next week. HAHAHA
*so far
(ominous grinder noises)
"Don't be sentimental around your bad ideas". That was profound. Them's words to live by.
I love that almost every part of this instrument is musical. If you put a microphone next to any of the mechanical parts, it'll make a sound mostly in rhythm with the actual instruments
It's that awful but incredible feeling of, "Wow, why didn't I think of this earlier?" This was one of my favorite videos so far. Thanks for continuing to involve so many people in the process. I'm content to believe that the Marble Machine will never be finished.
@@ronald2042 Haha that would be awesome, because the world tour needs to happen.
@@ronald2042 Starship to the orbit or finished MMX first?
"you will never finish the machine" well it depends how one looks at that... i bet that you will continue improving and working on the machine on the go even after you start going on tours with the machine, so yeah, maybe if they think to say that with "youll never finish the machine" then they are correct ;) its exactly like having a house, you will never ever stop working around the house no matter how much money and how finished anything looks...
Most people improve the design after it’s completed. Not far before having a working model.
Why, because if you keep changing something without finishing it. You’ll never know if it’ll work when it is complete.
You end up spending far more time getting no where until you complete the system.
You underestimate my sloth.
@@lilkittygirl i am a web and firmware developer since 2004... most of the projects i worked on are "finished" on rush and are being "upgraded" and fixed or changed way after the project is declared finished... work never stops on things that have value and that produce value, its on the owner to decide at which stage he will declare its project as finished and ready to be used for what is meant...
example Martin could declare the machine as finished as it was a month ago, he can also declare it finished after he finishes the new gates... he built the machine so modular and thoughtfully engineered that anyone can upgrade any part in future without impairing the function of the machine. its only up to him to decide when his machine is ready and meets his standards, which doesn't mean he will stop working on improving it after he says its finished.
The difference is that at one point, you can actually live inside your house while you are still finishing it. With the way the MMX is going, I don't think we'll reach a point where we see it play full music
@@Hobypyrocom Some of us have paid him quite a lot of money in support of this project and enjoy seeing the progress. After 3 years though that I've been a contributing member, I would like to see some sort of a working project. Not a half finished project that's been half finished for years now.
I don't know how long you've been around but the issues he keeps fixing have been the main center of his focus for a long time now and he's not allowing himself to move onto the next stage. His perfectionism is really bad and he's admitted it countless times.
He needs to move to the next phase, have a working model, produce some music, then go back and make fine tuning adjustments.
I also work in IT as a system admin and CTO. I understand your example, and that method works well, especially when it comes to investors.
whoa a Wintergatan video on a Wednedsay
indeed it is.
surprising, isn't it my fellow friend?
My dude!
Bravo !
You've been building for years to be able to place this comment !
It _is_ wednesday my dude …
Sometimes I forget with these videos that the marble machine is a musical machine. But then you hit with such an intro and I'm super excited again.
This is THE most elegant and flexible configuration yet, well done to all the collaborators!
The travel length problem reminds me a little bit of mechanisms in a piano where things aren't rigidly connected from key press to hammer strike. They use fabric tongues that pull parts back. Works like a spring in a way, but has a hard onset point (inelastic) where the part is pulled back to home at a specific point in the cycle rather than constantly but with varying force (as in the case of a spring). This means less friction as parts aren't pushing eachother from spring tension when they are blocking. The tongues method makes sure that the mechanism does return and you could use fishing wire to make it invisible (subtle but secure and adjustable attachment would need brainstorming though).
It really looks kickass tho
I just keep coming back to this episode, this version of the gate is just so unbelievably gorgeous and awesome.
Martin this is a game changer!
I know this was a huge problem for you and having such a simple elegant solution is wonderful to see
this is innovation in action, and also watching you throw away all that previous work for this marble gate design shows just how much work you have been putting into trying to get this to work
To be completely honest. I do trust that Martins "inner compass" will do what is actually best for this awesome creation that he has dedicated years to creating!
This is so good that it makes me scared that the MMX might actually get finished.
At 8:40, I recommend staying with the spring: having a weight instead will increase inertia and thus the latch might not close quickly enough between drops.
We want the inertia to overcome the friction, it would close at the same rate with or without weight if there was no friction.
I agree though, a spring will make it more responsive
I don’t know enough to help with the construction, don’t have enough money to donate, but am so happy to support with likes and comments and so thankful that you make these videos. They’re inspiring and I learn so much :D
I think this is the first video where there is real mechanical engineering in an educative sense.
I get so excited when something works this well and looks this cool, the payoff from having followed the build from the (almost) start is absolutely insane !
I was scared in the last episode thinking this might be another 2 months of grueling design testing and tweaking, but turned out to be just 2 days... Woot woot, my depression has lifted!!!
Ps. I loved following the past two months btw, was just worried about Martin is all
Now we just need an endurance test to verify that this is, in fact, the final solution for the marble gates. Hopefully Martin can move on
This comment should be the top one.
I think chipping and wear will set in fairly fast.
Do have some concerns about continued use of that wooden ratchet.
The MMX has slowly become The Winds of Winter of projects on a TH-cam channel. That said, I cannot wait to see both.
well seems like a chapter is about to be finished
Well, they both have Martin as a name.
Well, that's not entirely fair... lets be honest, once the MMX is done, most of us will watch a few performances, and that's it. But in the meantime, we've had hundreds of hours of free entertainment watching the development.
@@simongeard4824 and wow we will never get to read lol and only waiting along the way
@@simongeard4824 True. I was being a smartass. Not cool.
I'm so proud of Wilson!! He stuck it out and found a place on the MMX. Congrats mah dood!
Beautiful and elegant solution. Congratulations, Martin and MMX community!
put a little wilson on each ratchet wheel in the final design
That would be epic.
yES
Maybe just on the one on the end. That many Wilsons might overpower the audience with too much of his natural charm! (In reality that many wilsons might block the glorious view of all the marbles in the gates.)
18:08
who knew marbles were amazing musicians
Martin: spends several days and multiple episodes working on and perfecting the low pressure marble gate
Also Martin: haha ratchet gate go brrrrrrrrr
Happy to see the angle grinder back for more action! Feels so good this new improvement. MMX 2021 lets go
The Angle Grinder is the most important tool in Martin's arsenal. Change is hard but Innovation is beautiful!
When a Wintergatan video comes out :
"Yes, Wintergatan video"
"Oh no, Martin change his mind, one more time"
"Nevermind, the new design looks cool"
It's the circle of liiiiiiiife xD xD xD
Mechanical engineers must find his excitement the cutest thing
As a mechanical engineer, I fully endorse this statement.
The level of collaboration and perseverance that goes into the MMX resembles that of building a NASA rover.
Next project:
M M X
I N
S P A C E
@@wrongturn_w MMX-2: adjusted for Martian gravity
After watching you struggle with the pressure relieving parts and marble gates for so long I agree with you on the decision to move to this new part. It solves so many problems at once and also looks amazing!
Keep up the good work both Martin and the community! As an engineering student I keep getting amazed by the stuff everyone comes up with!
This is an amazing update to the marble gates and provides even more mechanical eye-candy! I love the design, big props, Martin to you and the community.
I just saw this design on another chanel. They designed it specifically for the MMX! SO COOL