The Official Guide to Knex Ball Machine Path Selectors

Sorunome's redo of YardKing's version allows many paths coming out of this ball separator.

Tracks: infinity (but no-ones ever tested)
Height: 1 Blue rod + tilt for momentum
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WP-c4BjMmY
Instructions: https://www.instructables.com/id/Knex-Ball-Machine-Elemenit-Infinity-Switch/

Sandroknexmaster made his version of the infinity switch, where a ball activates a motor at the end.

Tracks: As many as you like
Height: Tilt for momentum
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B0PKqlQx7I
Instructions: https://www.instructables.com/id/Shadow-Separator-a-knex-ball-machine-path-separato/

Sandroknexmaster also made the leapfrog separator, which is kinda similar to the previous step except all the balls are released at the same time.

Tracks: As many as you like

Height: 3 Green Rods + 1 Green Rod per Track

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtPe_q9TV9g

Instructions: https://www.instructables.com/id/Leapfrog-Separato...

Shadowman39 built a curved path with barriers that push the ball out the way, which also get raised and lowered.

Tracks: 10 in example, but can be increased
Height: 1 red rod
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBJBwLS1Ijc

This switch is a remix of the horizontal path separator and a module of the infinity switch. It was built by Mmtunligit.

Tracks: 2

Height: 1 blue rod

Instructions: https://www.instructables.com/id/Knex-Orange-Slide-Path-Switch/

Each ball releases the previous ball, then gets caught in a different position. While doing this, the mechanism rotates 90 degrees.

Tracks: 2
Height: 1 red rod
Video: Explained in this ball machine (0:32)
Instructions: Follow the pictures

Thibault made a switch which is a mix between the 'Infinity Switch', 'Mechanical Dizzy', and the 'Barrel Role'. It uses a Ferris wheel element connected to small barriers positioned across a track.

Tracks: 8
Height: 1 red rod (+ tilt for momentum)
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISlkZ2mMBCM

collinjo12 Made a smaller version of Thibaults's separator.

Tracks: 4

Height:

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y17Um0F5gzI

Instructions: https://www.instructables.com/id/Quad-Switch-Knex-Path-Separator/

Featured in project ARCANE by Yardking, this has a small Ferris wheel element geared to a path that turns around.

Tracks: 8
Height: 1.5 red rods
Instructions: See YardKing's comment below. (Remember, his version is for golf balls, so the entrance at the top [tagged in first pic] needs extra space.)

Caverat built this separator. This is an inconsistent separator, as it relies on a motor spinning which a ball lands on, then rolls to the side.

Tracks: 8

Height: 3 blue rods

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4bcZbW7qfk

Instructions: https://www.instructables.com/id/Octoswitch-a-Knex-path-separator/

By Shadowman39, this is a small panel with 4 exits, each one leading to a lever that shifts the panel's direction. Explanation as tags in the picture.

Tracks: 4
Height: 1 red rod
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rugwVv6ZZsA

This version of the Tilting Panel Separator is made by Borisv9. It has less paths than Shadowman's version, and is a lot more compact.

Tracks: 2

Height: 1 Blue rod

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAPyLNLodao

Instructions: https://www.instructables.com/id/Knex-2-Way-Panel-Separator/

This switch was built by Mmtunligit, it evenly divides three balls by combining the vertical path separator and the barrel roll.

Tracks: 3

Height: 3 blue rods

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mitgAJy3ra8

Instructions: https://www.instructables.com/id/Knex-3-Way-Geartrain-Switch/

This switch was built by YoloSweggLord. It has two 3-way ball separators connected to a frame, and the frame tilts to change which side the ball goes to.

Tracks: 6

Height: 3 blue rods

Instructions: https://knexflux.net/instructions/ysl's-6-way-ball...

Best used with other switches, this switch I made first saves one ball, the second sets it off, and the third resets the switch.
Thibault also made a version, probably earlier, in his ball machine 'the Millenium' (2:00).

Tracks: 3
Height: 1 red rod
Video: Seen in this ball machine (1:45)
Instructions: Just look at pictures

A ball lift I attempted to make but had no proper entrance track mechanism, making it consistently inconsistent.
Do not use with other crankshaft lifts that run at the same speed.

Tracks: 2
Height: -1 red rod (ball goes up or down)
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-WB3c2Y4RA
Instructions: https://www.instructables.com/id/Knex-Raiser-Lift/

Lifts such as the chain lift (including most modifications) and the quadruple arm lift have different ways of holding the ball, and different places to hold to ball, meaning the ball can fall off at either point.

(Pictures: collinjo12, mathsboy314)

This lift is similar to the quadruple arm lift, except the separator is in the arms instead of the hands. When the ball reaches the top of the lift, it rolls down the arm, and falls off at a different point in each arm.

Tracks: 8

Height: -6 to -10 red rods (it is a lift)

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTLSKf1oqyI

Instructions: https://www.instructables.com/id/Separating-Arm-Li...

If the ball element doesn't always land in the same place, it can classify as a ball switch.


(Pictures: KneXtreme, Shadowman39, Darth Trainman, Sandroknexmaster)

If the element doesn't reset, the next ball probably wont go the same way as the first ball. For it to be a proper path selector, one of the balls must reset it. (Almost all basic 2-path switches would fall under this category.)

This is another element that doesn't reset instantly, built by www139. This separator is convenient because the entrance track is a basic ball machine path.

Tracks: 2
Height: 1 Blue rod
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJCJdsscgJs

Instructions: https://www.instructables.com/id/Compact-Separator-a-Knex-ball-machine-separator

When a ball is waiting to enter an area (e.g. lift) and a new ball comes around, instead of joining the queue it can roll to the side instead.
Do not use with lifts that quickly collect balls

Tracks: 2
Height: tilt for momentum
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owQMRP64UrM


(Picture: Sorunome)