Energy Transfer Machine – Lights Out

Event Year: 2024
Event Location: Virtual
Competition: Energy Transfer Machine
Division: 9-12
School: Timber Creek High
Team Name: TCH Energy Transfer Machine -Lights Out
Project Name: TCH Energy Transfer Machine -Lights Out
Team Size: 1

Neil M. , Timber Creek High School, 9th grade

Backstory

I’m sure that all of us have been at a point when all we need is sleep, yet we still choose to pick up our phones and end up forgetting what we were really supposed to be doing. I too have this problem, as I have entered high school this year, I have noticed myself staying up later than usual, often not doing homework. While I can’t remember a day of my life when someone hasn’t told me to get more sleep or go to bed on time, I somehow manage to forget that every night; but not anymore. It only takes one instance of not getting enough sleep for anyone to understand just how hard the day can really be. In order to fix my sleep schedule, I have made machine that will turn my lights off when I am done with my work. That way I can go to sleep on time instead off grabbing my phone and wasting another hour of my sleep. You would be surprised just how much darkness can affect our brains, because since ancient times darkness has triggered a response in our brain that causes us to release more melatonin (the hormone that makes us sleepy). Using this logic I’m sure that instead of looking at a bright screen, if the lights go off instead; I should be able to sleep well. My machine will successfully turn off the lights as a final step.

Building Process & Challenges

I started this build by making the end step and first step, because there is no point in making the machine if the beginning or end steps don’t work. A challenge I faced while building this machine was the zipline tension, the ziplines were taped to the wall, but sometimes the tape would rip off or the string would slip out from underneath the tape. This meant that every time I had to test after a long break, I had to re-tension the strings on the ziplines to make sure that the zipline carriers wouldn’t stop halfway. Another challenge I faced was the step where the tracks align themselves for the ball, in this step the dominoes would sometimes get stuck and jam the other tracks which would cause me to have to reset the entire run. I solved this issue by placing the string around a screw so the domino would get pulled to the side instead of getting pulled straight down into the other track. Some issues were easier to solve though, for example the car kept on missing the bead chain domino, but all it took was some careful angling and the car was able to hit every time.

• 1. the laptop closes
  2. the pulley lifts the pen cartridge
  3. the ping-pong ball rolls down the inclined plane
  4. the ball gets blown back up the track
  5.the ball falls and hits the weight.
  6. the Weight falls and releases the carrier
  7. the carrier hits the marble
  8. the marble rolls down 2 inclined planes and into the funnel
  9. the marble exits the funnel and hits a weight
  10. the weight falls and removes a domino under the train
  11. the train makes contact with the track and starts moving
  12. the train hits the Play-Doh tub
  13. the Play-Doh rolls and hits a weight
  14. the weight removes a zipline blocker
  15 the carrier moves down and hits the contact zone on the toy
  16. the contact zone is pushed back releasing the marble
  17. the marble hits two planks and fall on a track
  18. the marble hits a lever
  19. the lever hits a second marble
  20. the second marble falls onto a track
  21. the marble hits a lock off
  22. the lock removes a stopper from the front of a car
  23. the car rolls down the inclined plane and uses a ramp to jump off
  24. the car hit a domino
  25. the domino triggers the bead chain and lats a ball rolls down an inclined plane
  26. while the bead chain is going the ball rolls and hits a lock
  27. the lock pulls out two stoppers keeping the tracks up and allows the tracks to fall into place the lock also pulls down a second lock which pulls out the last track stopper
  28. the bead chain finishes and releases a black ball down the fallen tracks
  29. the ball hits a lock that pulls down a zipline carrier stopper
  30. the carrier goes down the zipline and hits a domino
  31. the domino falls and pulls out a stopper allowing a car to go down a track
  32. the car hits the light switch, turning the lights off

Introduction Video Link

Lights Out intro – YouTube

Something I should have mentioned in this introduction is that the battery in the train converts stored chemical energy into to electrical energy and that electrical energy gets converted into mechanical energy.

Final Run Video Link

Lights Out Run (youtube.com)

Quick Shot of Track Alignment Step

Lights Out Track Clip (youtube.com)

Images