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Subject: 
Re: Automatic sorting
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.storage
Date: 
Thu, 4 Nov 1999 08:03:26 GMT
Viewed: 
2070 times
  
In lugnet.storage, Peter Botherway writes:
In lugnet.storage, Oren Ben-Kiki writes:
I've just patched together a "system" for automatic sorting of Lego, and I
wonder whether anyone has tried to do the same - maybe with better results.

The idea is to have a series of boxes, one on top of the other. Each box has
a net as its bottom. The top box has a net with large holes (about 5cm), the
one below it has holes about 2cm of that, the next has holes a bit smaller
then 1cm, and the final one has a normal bottom.

Just pour the Lego into the top box and shake well. When done, I just pour
the results from each box into four large trays (Zag makes some great ones).

On the whole this works well, but there are some inefficiencies. For
example, long narrow pieces go much further down then you'd expect, since it
is easy for them to tilt up and pass through small holes. I'm thinking about
ways to combat this. Also, you have to pour the stuff in in reasonable
amounts (about twice what you can pick up with cupped hands :-) , and pour
the results out before doing the next batch. Otherwise it takes a long time
for the pieces to migrate down. This can be remedied by using larger boxes.

The thing is pretty easy to create - I used as a base a sort of open-air
plastic rack with removable drawers, the type used to store vegetables etc.
Extra material was some wallpaper-type plastic typically used for shelves
(to seal the sides of the drawers and the bottom of the lowest one), and a
plastic net with small holes (the larger holes were easier since the drawers
already have holes in the bottom). All easily obtained in any do it yourself
store, and total cost was about 25$.

I have several notions for improvements - especially handling the long
narrow pieces.

Anyone ever tried something along these lines? Does anyone know of anything
better? Besides having your kid do it for you, I mean :-)

Share & Enjoy,

   Oren Ben-Kiki



Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Automatic sorting
 
(...) (25 years ago, 4-Nov-99, to lugnet.storage)

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