Rube Goldberg Tips/Tutorials

After building rube goldbergs for over a year, I have learned many tricks that can help you along the way. If you are looking for help in a school assignment these tips may help.

1. Supplies - Finding good supplies is essential before starting to build. If everything isn't easy to access right next to your working area you will find yourself getting frustrated. Useful tools such as dominos or wooden blocks will make up the majority of your creation. 

2. Popsicle Sticks - Mass amounts of any object can be very useful. My favorite is popsicle sticks. To learn how to make a simple chain reaction using nothing but dominos and some popsicle sticks click this link: VIDEO

3. Simple Trigger - One of the easiest ways to start a rube goldberg is with a ping pong ball rolling down a ramp. The possibilities after that are endless. In this video I demonstrate how to simply trigger a new step in the chain reaction. Link: VIDEO

4. AutoTilt - I commonly use a simple time consumer that I call "autotilt". It works by having a ball roll down a tilted ramp. On the other end of the ramp is a counterweight. When the ball knocks over the counterweight the center of gravity shifts and the ball rolls back to the other end. Click here to see it in action: VIDEO

Other Useful Links:

Location and Materials

Domino Wall Tutorial

Rolling Tube