JPL COMPETITION UPDATE: 10/24/19

TUBE EXIT PIPE - "THE CLAW"

This final piece of the tube assembly drops the ping pong balls into the funnel. This minimal and open rail-like design was used to allow for maximum air flow. The purpose of the air flow going straight out the pipe, is that the airflow won't interact with the ball while it is in the air when it bounces.

LOADING MECHANISM

The loading mechanism consists of three main parts.
The top part, or the hopper, is where ping pong balls are stored prior to testing. It was made out of a plastic milk carton. The second part, or the loading "chamber" is mostly internal. This part is where balls are loaded into the launch area.
The second part is the loading/launching tube. This part consists of a black tube which is smaller than the white external PVC tube, so that it can spin inside of it. When it is spun 180 degrees, it drops one ball into an internal chamber. When it is spun another 180 degrees, the ball is launched through the tube assembly.

BOUNCE PLATFORM

This device is the method of delivery to the mason jar. The ping pong balls fall through a funnel, and bounce off of a piece of aluminum bar stock. The bar stock is set up in such a way, that the balls bounce off of it, and into the mason jar.