Turing Tumble Community

Connectors touching back of board and blocking holes

Suggestion Box
#1

The long strap connectors are touching the back of the board, and if you put pieces on 2 specific pegs on either side, they get caught up when they try to rotate. The kind folks at TT are sending new connectors in case they are bowed, but I don’t think that is it. Is your board ever so slightly bowed? Anyone else with this issue?15459707118756805482694767099004!

ETA: Just found this post that describes the same issue. Bit can not move in one place - #6 by paul

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Bit can not move in one place
#2

I’ve noticed the back boards warp slightly if left in the stands for more than a day or two, which impairs ball flow. I have to leave them face down on a flat surface, with a weight on them to get them flat again
image

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#3

We had the same problem; our solution was to place some spacers between the board and the connectors, just enough to lift the connectors away from the holes a smidge.
IMG_20181228_200423
We also had problems with the supports sliding a little on the board. We used the same spacers to create a more positive space for the supports.
Perhaps the next iteration of TT will include slight improvements to this; meanwhile, it’s not too hard to hack a solution.

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#4

15459709260658696073541853743844

#5

Hi MichelleSherer,

I’m actually working on solving this problem right now. I think we’ll end up remaking the mold for the board and switching to a different type of plastic that doesn’t shrink so much as it cools. In the meantime, I think the solutions above are good. When I run across a board that has this problem, I usually take the long connectors off the back and bend them a bit so they match the curvature of the board. Since you have more connectors coming in the mail, I guess you don’t have to worry about breaking them.

Hope that helps!

Paul

#6

Hi, Paul and Michelle.

Introduction - I’m a physics and IT teacher in Melbourne, Australia and working at Lauriston Girls’ School.

Just got my TT out of the box and reached Challenge 3 when I hit the same problem. Second green ramp from the bottom fouls against the black connector rod. A bit annoying so early into TT but it looks like your support community is an active one.

What is the best fix, do you think? I can bend the connector rod but I don’t want to risk breaking it.

Cheers

Paul

#7

The replacement rods they sent fixed the problem!

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#8

Hi,

I resolved the problem on my board by taping two small pieces of foamboard under the rod at the top and bottom. This holds the rod away from the actuator that protrude through the board. Now works fine.

Regards,

Doug

#9

Thanks, Doug. I think I’ll go the same way. I gave a rod a bit of a Ben but it might straighten up over time.

Cheers from Melbourne

Paul

#10

That’s great to hear. So I guess in your case, it wasn’t the board, it was that the connectors weren’t straight. Good to know. Thanks for posting!

#11

For those who have access to a 3D printer, I’ve designed a spacer that clips on to the connector and gives it enough clearance to avoid the pegs. You can find the design on Thingiverse:

#12

Right out of the box had this issue. Will give your solution a try.

#13

note that the little pins you add to the arms have right way and a wrong way for the to be inserted and doing it wrong can result in this problem.

#14

I’ve been looking at this problem from multiple angles. I’ve come up with 3 solutions. one of them is a winner I think.

  1. Taller standoffs. This would be a 100% fix with no bad side-effects. But it’s not for everyone, since it would require a 3d printer and some design skills. Also, the best fix would be more complicated than just “longer”.

  2. Connector bumps. add small lumps on the connector in areas not near the smiley slots. 2-4 bumps would raise the connector off the board and keep it from interfering with pin-smiley slot operation. The drawbacks are that a permanent mode would require a 3d printer; and that the added weight might make operation less reliable. The workaround would be to tape small bits of something light (styrofoam) to the back of the connectors.

  3. Board mounted spacers. taping or gluing small risers to the back of the board wouldn’t necessarily need 3d printing, and would not add weight to the connectors. I went with bent paper clips (photo).

IMG_20191230_125204

#15

@paul @DoctorMikeReddy : Changing the board mold to add some ribs on the back side would increase rigidity and reduce warping. Careful placement would also allow the ribs to act as spacers to keep the connectors from interfering with the pins and the smiley slots. 2 birds, 1 stone. nb :grinning:

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