How to Make a Lego Candy Machine
by ncoleman2 in Living > LEGO & K'NEX
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How to Make a Lego Candy Machine
This is a great afternoon project for Lego lovers such as myself. I like making things out of Legos and candy, so it seemed fit to create this project. I hope you enjoy reading this and making it, and would appreciate it if you would vote for me in the Toys Contest. The idea for it originates in the LEGO Crazy Contraptions book, but this model takes a different approach at the same device.
Materials needed:
- A whole lot of Legos, preferably single or double wide, flat pieces, and smooth pieces
- A medium rubberband
- 2 Connecter pins
- 1 long connecter pin
- 2 3x1 pieces with holes in them
- 2 2x1 pieces with holes in them
The Candy Holder
To assemble the main candy chamber, gather enough pieces to make a 4 layer rectangle. It is okay if you have some gaps, but make sure that they are not big enough for small candies to fit through.
The "Floor" of the Candy Holder
This step has 2 parts.
First, you will need to make the "floor". This is to hold in the candy, but still leave an opening for the candy to fall through. You can see this in pictures 1-6. In picture 7 I showed how to attach it on the bottom.
Part 2 is the part that makes sure no candy gets let behind. It slants so the candy will fall toward the opening. I used slanted pieces stacked on top of each other to achieve this effect. You can see how I built it in pictures 8-13.
First, you will need to make the "floor". This is to hold in the candy, but still leave an opening for the candy to fall through. You can see this in pictures 1-6. In picture 7 I showed how to attach it on the bottom.
Part 2 is the part that makes sure no candy gets let behind. It slants so the candy will fall toward the opening. I used slanted pieces stacked on top of each other to achieve this effect. You can see how I built it in pictures 8-13.
The Door and "Thingy"
This is also a 2 part step. It is one of the most vital parts of the machine. Part 1 is the door the holds the candy in the top chamber, and Part 2 is what pulls back the handle after you have had the desired amount of candy dispensed.
Part 1: Use some of your longer smooth pieces to make the shaft back to the door. After, make sure you cover you door in smooth pieces, as to make it so it slides back and forth easily. Make sure every thing is stuck together tightly.
Part 2: This is where you need your rubber band, pieces with holes in them and connecter pins. Mount 2 1x2 pieces in a flat 6x2, to brace the pieces with the rubber band. Next mount the 1x2 pieces with holes in them and have the connecter pins in them. You will also have to put the rubber band in the middle of them, but depending on the size of your rubber band, you will need to double or triple fold it. Make sure it cannot come out before continuing. Attach the Pieces that are next to each other to brace them further. After this is done, attach the whole thing together on the top with another 6x2 flat piece. Stretch the rubber band over to your lang connecter pin and connect the connecter pin in the sides of the 2 4x1 pieces with holes in them. Put a 3x2 pice on top to secure it.
After you have completed Parts 1&2, set your main body upside down and put the door in upside down. Attach the "thingy" to the main body, with the smaller part facing in. pull you door all of the way up to the "thingy" and attach the smaller part of the "thingy" to the door. After you do this, test it and make sure there are no kinks.
Part 1: Use some of your longer smooth pieces to make the shaft back to the door. After, make sure you cover you door in smooth pieces, as to make it so it slides back and forth easily. Make sure every thing is stuck together tightly.
Part 2: This is where you need your rubber band, pieces with holes in them and connecter pins. Mount 2 1x2 pieces in a flat 6x2, to brace the pieces with the rubber band. Next mount the 1x2 pieces with holes in them and have the connecter pins in them. You will also have to put the rubber band in the middle of them, but depending on the size of your rubber band, you will need to double or triple fold it. Make sure it cannot come out before continuing. Attach the Pieces that are next to each other to brace them further. After this is done, attach the whole thing together on the top with another 6x2 flat piece. Stretch the rubber band over to your lang connecter pin and connect the connecter pin in the sides of the 2 4x1 pieces with holes in them. Put a 3x2 pice on top to secure it.
After you have completed Parts 1&2, set your main body upside down and put the door in upside down. Attach the "thingy" to the main body, with the smaller part facing in. pull you door all of the way up to the "thingy" and attach the smaller part of the "thingy" to the door. After you do this, test it and make sure there are no kinks.
Equalizing the Height of the Sides and of the "Thingy"
These layers are to equalize the hieght of the "thingy". There is really not anything to explain here except that. Just make sure that the "thingy" is not taller than the sides.
The Base
To make the base, you just need to make 3 layers of legos as big as you main chamber. Be sure to leave a side open, so you can retrieve your candy. After I attached the base, I mounted it on a small baseplate for looks and to keep is stable.
The Roof (Optional)
The roof is optional, although it helps to keep the candy contained. It can be made by any combination of flat pieces as long as there is room to put the candy in.
In Closing
As you can probably tell, I left this instructable very vague. I did this so that you can be creative and make adjustments and modifications. Please leave comments about your mods and tell me how you machine worked. Please vote for me! Thanks and I hope you enjoyed reading this.