Gravitrax Compatible "Cannon" Lift

This thing is a "Cannon" to lift Gravitrax steel marbles up 15cm, giving them more potential energy to spend along the track that follows.

If you have played Gravitrax you know that the most recurring question you will be asking yourself is "How do I gain more height?"
Height is important because it all works on gravity pulling the marbles down and spending their potential energy doing tricks and gaining speed.
I know there are solutions out there, Gravitrax stock lift, for example, but the idea of designing an actual shooting cannon was too tempting to resist!

The principle is very simple... A percussor held in a "loaded" position by a trigger that gets freed when the marble falls into the cannon. The percussor is loaded by 2 rubber bands. The rubber bands I personally used are the replacement ones you will find in the stock Gravitrax "Catapult" expansion. There are plenty of replacements, the Catapult only needs 1, so the Cannon can use another 2. I believe any small rubber band will do, though, you will just have to calibrate the force to avoid having your marble either punch a hole in the ceiling or not make it past the cannon mouth... :)

You will need to print one each of the parts you will find in this Thing's files, except for the part named "MarbleGuide", which you will need 5 of. If you want to user more powerful rubber bands and build a higher cannon, then print 5 of the part named "MarbleGuider_For_180mmPillars".

The project also makes use of a few parts I have designed and already shared here on Thingiverse.

Besides the files you will find listed for this thing, you will also need to print the following parts from my other designs:

• 2x platforms from my Elevation System
• 3x Pillar_65mm from my Elevation System
• 3x Pillar_140mm (or 180mm if you want to go higher) from my Elevation System
• 1x 6-Exit Basic Tile

Please note that the top "Exit" part has 4 beds for 4 marbles to act as stabilization weights, a bit like they do in the Catapult base. It is important that you "sacrifice" 4 marbles for this purpose, as they ensure that the top doesn't go flying off if the rubber bands are too strong.

Please also read the Print Settings and Post Printing sections for more info on how to print and assemble the Cannon.

Don't forget to take a look at the Post Printing section to see it in action!

If you make this, it would be awesome to see pics of your makes!

Note: I am in no way associated with Ravensburger or Gravitrax, this is just a design that is compatible with the Gravitrax system that provides functionality the stock parts do not.

I do this just for mere fun, but if you find my projects useful to enhance your Gravitrax experience, consider the idea of tipping me, I'd really appreciate it! :)