Turing Tumble Community

Marble collector tool

Suggestion Box
#1

The marbles can be awkward to pull out of output tray and interceptors. A small tool with a short magnetic strip might be quite handy

3 Likes
#2

I use a thick boba straw, which works for all spots quite easily

#3

I have a few of these magnets at workā€¦

They might be a bit overkill for the task. :laughing:

#4

I have been using a ā€œcup & spoonā€ idea. I have a small square cup (more like a measuring spoon from the kitchen actually) and a small flat spoon (like a wooden spatula). The flat spoon will sweep all the balls from the tray into the cup. The square cup then allows me to pour the marbles back into the top section of the game board.

I do agree that collecting and resetting the marbles is the biggest impediment to fun with the game.

1 Like
#5

With my kids, who have a hard time with tiny small metal balls, I have them use a magnet wand I made. I would guess that a mechanic ā€œmagnet stickā€ would work, but could be overkill.

I ended up shoving a tiny neodymium magnet in the tip of a bamboo tablet pen (https://webobjects2.cdw.com/is/image/CDW/3827063?$product-main$) and it works great for fine control/small number of ball pickups. Its also not overly strong.

4 Likes
#6

I have magnetic sticks from an old magnetic-rod-and-metal-ball-bearing set Iā€™ve had lying around. Kind of like this, but bigger.

They work perfectly. The stick is just the right size, the magnet isnā€™t too strong or weak, the fact that itā€™s indented slightly keeps the balls a bit more controlled.

To quote someone I shared the Turing Tumble with (who then bought his own):

ā€œWhereā€™d you get that magnetic wand? Thatā€™s the most awesomest addition.ā€

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You really should start shipping something like this with the Turing Tumble: it makes the balls a lot less fiddly. I bet these particular sticks are long gone, but the dimensions are about right. The rod is 5/8" in diameter, and 4" long.

2 Likes
#7

I am using a magnetic wand as well and I also have some small plastic film roll canisters (about 2-3" tall) which are great for storing the marbles. It is much easier to ā€˜grabā€™ all the marbles at the bottom with the wand and then drop them into the canisters.

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#8

We hit on a solution completely by accident - NERF bullets. The hole in the back is perfect for picking up and depositing balls when sausage fingers are holding up the fun.

1 Like