Thames & Kosmos Candy Claw Machine User manual

EXPERIMENT MANUAL
EXPERIMENT MANUAL
Candy Claw
Machine
Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. KG, Pfizerstr. 5-7, 70184 Stuttgart, Germany | [phone] | www.kosmos.de
Thames & Kosmos, 89 Ship St., Providence, RI, 02903, USA | 1-800-587-2872 | www.thamesandkosmos.com
 I
Scan ths QR code to vew a step-by-step
assembly vdeo and tps on how to use
the andy law Machne

A
B
C
P6
P12
P7
P13
P19
P14
P20
P18
P21
P11
P22
P15
P5
P2
P3
P8
P9
P10
P16
P1
P4
P23
P24
P17
P25
P26
P27
4x
4x 3x
2x
2x
2x
4x2x
2x 2x
KIT CONTENTS
What’s inside your experiment kit:
Checklist:
No. Description Qty.
A Plastic frame A (Parts A1–A17) 1
B Plastic frame B (Parts B1–B9) 1
C Plastic frame C (Parts C1–C13) 1
P1 Base tray 1
P2 Base front panel 1
P3 Back leg 2
P4 Top frame 1
P5 Worm screw 1
P6 Column (2 left and 2 right) 4
P7 Mounting panel for crank 1
P8 Prize door 1
P9 Prize ejector tray 1
P10 Prize chute frame 1
P11 Prize trigger 1
P12 Worm screw housing 1
P13 Piston seal 4
No. Description Qty.
P14 Suction cup 3
P15 Flexible drive shaft, 480 mm 1
P16 Flexible tubing (3x 450 mm,
and 1x 240mm) 4
P17 Rail 2
P18 Large piston spring 2
P19 Arm scissor spring 2
P20 Prize door spring 1
P21 Prize trigger spring 1
P22 Belt 1
P23 Large clear plastic panel 2
P24 Small clear plastic panel 2
P25 Die-cut sheet with 3 prize boxes 1
P26 Sticker sheet 1
P27 Lollipops* 6
Do you have any questions or are you
missing any parts? Our tech support
team will be happy to help you!
[email protected]
or 1-800-587-2872
Good to know!
*Flavors and colors may vary.

– You must carefully cut the plastc parts out of ther frames
wth dagonal cuttng plers (dagonal cutters) or scssors
– Remove the parts from the frames only when they are needed
– Remove excess materal (burrs) from the parts before assemblng them
Normal scssors do not cut as precsely as dagonal cutters, so you may have
to fle some of the rough edges down wth a nal fle or sandpaper
– Assemble everythng n the order shown Don’t ump ahead
– You must lubrcate each pston seal (P13) nsde the
hydraulc cylnders wth ol See page 5
I


O
r


N
t

I
p
S
1
Candy Claw Machine
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Kit Contents ..................................... Inside front cover
Table of Contents, Safety Information, and Tips ........ 1
Introduction ................................................................ 2
ASSEMBLY STARTS ON PAGE 3
Candy Claw Machine Assembly .......................... 3
How to Use the Candy Claw Machine ................ 13
Experiments .................................................... 14
How Hydraulics Work ...................................... 15
Handy-Dandy End Effectors ............................ 16
About Gears and Levers ............. Inside back cover
T


Additional information
can be found in the
check it out sections on
pages 15, 16, and the
Inside back cover.
You will also need:
Scissors, diagonal
cutter, nail file, basin
of water, oil (baby oil
or cooking oil)
550103-02-200821
Not suitable for
children under 3 years.
Choking hazard —
small parts may be
swallowed or inhaled.
Strangulation hazard
— long tubes and belts
may become wrapped
around the neck.
Keep the packaging
and instructions as
they contain important
information.
Refer to the packaging
for the nutritional
information and the
ingredients list for the
lollipops.
!
!
WARNING
Children as young as six years of age
can enjoy experimenting with the
built Candy Claw Machine, but most
children under eight will need a lot of
help building it. Regardless of their
age, please support your child with
advice and a helping hand, especially
during tricky assembly steps. Before
beginning, read the instructions
together and discuss the safety
instructions.
To prevent damage to the work
surface on which your child is
building, provide them with a mat or
other surface protection.
When cutting the plastic parts out of
the frames with the diagonal cutter
or scissors, special care must be
taken, not just because of the sharp
edges on the tools, but also because
the plastic parts can yield sharp
edges or burrs. These can be
removed with the help of the diagonal
cutter or a nail file. Supervise your
child when they are using the sharp
tools until you trust that they can
handle the tools independently.
We hope you and your child have a
lot of fun building and playing with
the Candy Claw Machine!
Dear parents and adults,
Burr Clip
Clip
Clip
Burr
Burr

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   
2
INTRODUCTION
You have probably seen a claw machine game at a movie theater, video arcade,
shopping mall, bowling alley, or other entertainment venue in your area. They go
by many names including claw cranes, toy cranes, and skill cranes. They usually
consist of a large, clear box lled with prizes like toys and stuffed animals. Inside
the box is a claw that moves in three dimensions: forward and backward, left
and right, and up and down. The player operates the claw with either push
buttons or a joystick controller on the outside of the machine. The player pays a
fee to try their luck at moving the claw to the correct position and grabbing a
prize. Then the claw returns to its starting position and drops the prize into a
chute where the player can get it.
With this kit, you can build a mechanical claw machine. Your machine
requires no electricity or electronics — just simple machines and the power of
your hand. Here is an overview of the different parts of the Candy Claw Machine:
Candy Claw Machine
T
e
A
m
a
z
i
n
g

P14 x3
A9 x2
A8
P1
P2
P3
A1
P3
1
2
3
4
If the suction cups get
stuck to your work
surface during
assembly, you can
remove them from the
model until the end.
Back side
 I
Scan ths QR code to
vew a step-by-step
assembly vdeo and
tps on how to use the
andy law Machne
3
Candy Claw Machine
CANDY CLAW MACHINE ASSEMBLY Ready?
Let’s get
building!

P7
P10
P8
P20
P4
P24 x2
P6 x4
P9
P21P21
P11
P23
5
7
8
910
6
1
1
2
3
3
2
1
2
Note: See the back
cover of this manual
for an alternate setup
of the prize door.
Make sure the straight
arm of the spring (P20)
is in the notch in P8.
Snap the peg inward.
Note: There
are two
shapes of
the column
pieces (P6).
Match their
bottoms to
the slots in
the base.
Slide the
panels into
the channels.
Peel any thin
protective films
off the panels.
CANDY CLAW MACHINE ASSEMBLY
4

P7
P10
P8
P20
P4
P24 x2
P6 x4
P9
P21
P21
P11
P23
5
7
8
910
6
1
1
2
3
3
2
1
2
Note: See the back
cover of this manual
for an alternate setup
of the prize door.
Make sure the straight
arm of the spring (P20)
is in the notch in P8.
Snap the peg inward.
Note: There
are two
shapes of
the column
pieces (P6).
Match their
bottoms to
the slots in
the base.
Slide the
panels into
the channels.
Peel any thin
protective films
off the panels.
A10 x6
P19
A12
A13
A13
A12
B4
B2
B5
B2 B4
11
1
3
2
2
1
34
4
B6
P19
C3
B5
B6
P18C8 P13 C5
2
1
1
2
2
34 C3
P18C8 P13 C5
Push in
Claw controller
hydraulic cylinder
Scissor arm controller
hydraulic cylinder
Piston
Cylinder
Piston
Cylinder
12
X1
X1
X2 X2
13
14
Make sure the
spring (P18) is
completely
outside the cap
(A12 + A13).
In steps 13–16, you will be assembling
the four hydraulic cylinders. You must
lubricate each piston seal (P13) with
oil. Use baby oil, vegetable oil, or
another cooking oil from your home.
Coat the sides of P13 with the lubricant.
This makes the machine work more smoothly and quietly,
requiring less force to move the hydraulic levers. You can
reapply oil whenever the hydraulics get too sticky or noisy.
Make sure the
spring (P18) is
completely
inside the cap
(A12 + A13).
Nozzle
Nozzle
Pay very close attention
to the proper orientation
of each piece.
Scissor arm mechanism
Note the hole’s
orientation.
Note the hole’s
orientation.
IMPORTANT!
Lubricate P13!
Lubricate P13!
5
Candy Claw Machine

T1
X1
C12 P16P16
C6 P13 C4
C11 P13 C7
C2
15
16
17
18
x2
C12 P16P16
Tube assembly: There are three 450-mm tubes and one 240-mm tube. Connect them as shown here.
Filling cylinder X1 and tube T1:
Scissor arm
hydraulic cylinder
Claw hydraulic cylinder
Piston Cylinder
Piston Cylinder
Nozzle
Nozzle
X3 X3
X4
240 mm
Tube 2
450 mm
T2
Tube 1
450 mm450 mm
T1
X4
18a. Submerge tube T1 in a basin of water. 18b. Connect
the long end
of tube T1 to
the nozzle of
cylinder X1
underwater.
T1
18c. Move the piston
in and out repeatedly
to fill cylinder X1 and
tube T1 with as much
water and as little
air as possible.
18d. Remove the
assembly from
the water. Set it
aside. The water
will remain in
the tube.
T1
X1
T1
X1
Lubricate P13!
Lubricate P13!
CANDY CLAW MACHINE ASSEMBLY
6

T1
X1
C12 P16P16
C6 P13 C4
C11 P13 C7
C2
15
16
17
18
x2
C12 P16P16
Tube assembly: There are three 450-mm tubes and one 240-mm tube. Connect them as shown here.
Filling cylinder X1 and tube T1:
Scissor arm
hydraulic cylinder
Claw hydraulic cylinder
Piston Cylinder
Piston Cylinder
Nozzle
Nozzle
X3 X3
X4
240 mm
Tube 2
450 mm
T2
Tube 1
450 mm450 mm
T1
X4
18a. Submerge tube T1 in a basin of water. 18b. Connect
the long end
of tube T1 to
the nozzle of
cylinder X1
underwater.
T1
18c. Move the piston
in and out repeatedly
to fill cylinder X1 and
tube T1 with as much
water and as little
air as possible.
18d. Remove the
assembly from
the water. Set it
aside. The water
will remain in
the tube.
T1
X1
T1
X1
Lubricate P13!
Lubricate P13!
19
22
A14
23
Filling cylinder X2 and tube T2:
20
Filling cylinder X4:
21
After filling the cylinders and tubes with water, you will have:
X3
X3
T2
T1
X4
X4
T2
X2
T2
X2
T2
19d. Remove the
assembly from the
water. Let the spring
draw the piston back
into the cylinder. Set
it aside. The water
will remain in
the tube.
X1 and T1 are filled with water.
Scissor arm
hydraulic system
Claw hydraulic
system
X4 and T2 are filled
with water.
X2 is mostly
empty.
X3 is empty.
20c. Set X4
aside. The
water will
remain in
the cylinder.
19c. Move the
piston in and out
repeatedly to fill
cylinder X2 and
tube T2 with as
much water and
as little air as
possible.
19b. Connect
tube T2 to
the nozzle of
cylinder X2
underwater.
Make sure C11 is rotated so
its teeth are on the front.
X1 X2
19a. Submerge
tube T2 in the
basin of water.
20a. Submerge
cylinder X4 in
the basin of
water.
20b. Pull the
piston up to fill
the piston with
water.
X2
T2
X4 X4
C11
7
Candy Claw Machine

24
25
C13C13
C13
C1
C1C1
Claw controller:
left side
Scissor arm controller: right side
For each cylinder, snap the left peg into
the base first. Then snap in the right peg.
Guide the tubes back, under the base.
26
A7
A7
X1
X2
2
1
1
1
2
2
Guide the tubes up through the holes in the base (1)
and top (2) of the machine.
Once the first
tube is already
passing through
the holes, it is
harder to pass
the second tube
connector (C12)
through the
holes. You just
have to wiggle it
and push it
through. It will
fit.
C12
CANDY CLAW MACHINE ASSEMBLY
8

31 Side view
Front view
Connect the tubes to the cylinders as shown.
A. The tube (T1) from the scissor arm controller (X1) connects to
the upper cylinder — the scissor arm cylinder (X3).
B. Guide the tube (T2) from the claw controller (X2) through the
hole in B9 as shown.
C. Then, the tube (T2) from the claw controller (X2) connects to
the lower cylinder —the claw cylinder (X4).
Now test the movement of the claw and scissor arm! If they don’t
work, give them a little push with your hand. If they still don’t
work, watch the assembly video and refill the hydraulic systems.
A11
32
A
C
B
27 28
B9
B9
P12
P5
29 30
P17 x2
X1
X2
X3
X4
X4
Note: The
scissor arm
is behind B9.
9
Candy Claw Machine

Wind the belt around the right spool in the base of
the machine.
It can be challenging to
thread the belt. Refer
to the assembly video
(QR code on page 3) to
see how it is done.
Align the
gears exactly
as shown.
Hold the claw lever
up, so the piston
with the teeth on it
in X4 is retracted
up, and you can
attach the gears as
shown.
Front view
Wind a few times.
C10
B7
C9
P22
B8
33
35
34
36
X4
CANDY CLAW MACHINE ASSEMBLY
10

Guide the belt
under the
machine,
through the slot,
up the far side,
over the roller,
through the
worm screw
housing, over
the roller, back
down the near
side, and
through the slot.
1. Wind up the belt until taut.
2. Slide the spool to the right to lock.
Slide A6 into the slot.
A5 A3 A2
A6
1
2
37 38
39 40
Wind the belt
around the left
spool in the base
of the machine.
Note: Make sure
that you have
wound the belt
around the two
spools in opposite
directions, so that
when one spool
unwinds, the other
winds up.
Make sure the left spool is
pushed to the left so it can rotate
freely on the axle for winding.
11
Candy Claw Machine

A17A17
A15
A15
A16
A16
Connect the ends of the
flexible shaft (P15) to A5
and A6.
Guide the flexible shaft (P15) through the slot in the base.
Wipe up any water that has spilled
out of the hydraulic system.
A4
A15
A16
A17
P15
P23
41
42 43
Gears
Done!
Line up the prongs on the gear with
the tabs inside the hole in A1.
Peel any thin
protective films
off the panels.
CANDY CLAW MACHINE ASSEMBLY
12
Can you
gR I?

HOW TO USE THE CANDY CLAW MACHINE
13
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1
Fold up the small prize boxes and put them, along with the
lollipops and any other prizes of your own, into the tray. Stick
the number stickers onto your prizes to indicate different point
values for each prize.
2
Decide which prize you want to try to grab. Turn the left-right
crank to move the claw arm left or right toward the prize.
3
Turn the forward-backward crank to move the claw arm
directly above the prize.
4
Push the arm lever down to drop the claw onto the prize.
5
Holding the arm lever down, close the claw by pulling up on
the claw lever. Make sure you grabbed the prize with the claw.
Release the arm lever to raise the arm.
6
Holding the claw lever up, move the claw to the prize chute with the left-right and
forward and backward cranks. Once the prize is over the target, release the claw lever.
7
When the prize drops, it should hit the bullseye of the prize trigger. This will cause
the prize door to pop open and the prize to pop out!
C y mTe Th caY Aw AcNe Nd Et  pZe vE tE??
Can you
gR I?
Candy Claw Machine

If any part of your
claw machne s not
workng properly, scan
ths QR code to vew
troubleshootng vdeos

14
EXPERIMENTS
A. Change the claws
1. Lift up the front plastic panel. Press the tabs
on C9 and C10 toward each other to release
the current claw piece.
2. Snap the new claw pieces into C9 and C10.
Experiment to see which claws work best for
picking up a variety of different objects!
B. More direct control
1. Remove the flexible shaft and the small shaft
A3.
2. Connect the crank A2 directly to the connector
A5. Observe the differences in how the worm
screw operates with this configuration.
C. Gears, gears, gears
1–4. Try all of the different gear train
combinations below, and invent your own!
5. Which one moves the arm the fastest? Which
one is the easiest to turn? Note which
direction each gear turns in each setup.
A1
A2
B1
C1
C2
C4
C3
When you need to refll
the hydraulc system wth
more water, you don’t have
to take the tubes entrely
out of the machne Just
dsconnect the tubes at
the tube connector, put the
ends of the tubes n a cup
of water, and pull on the
hydraulc pstons to draw
more water nto the tubes

HOW HYDRAULICS WORK
In the claw machine, you saw how you could
use the piston of one hydraulic cylinder to move
another cylinder’s piston, and thereby transfer
force, when the two of them are connected by a
tube and the system is lled with water. This is
partly due to the fact that water cannot be
compressed. It is also because the pressure
applied to a liquid like water is transmitted
through it with equal strength in all directions,
because the molecules of a liquid can be easily
moved.
The metal springs inside the cylinders apply
forces to the pistons to keep them either pushed
in or out. This sets the default state of the claw
as open and the arm as raised.
The transfer of force through cylinders and
pistons is called hydraulics (Greek for “water
tube”). Hydraulic technology is used in
industrial machines and many technical
applications. Hydraulics allow the transmission
of forces from once place to another through a
exible tube and also the conversion of small
forces into larger forces.
Special hydraulic oils are often used as a
medium instead of water because they can be
put under higher pressures. Hydraulic systems
can be found in excavators, elevators, numerous
construction vehicles, and in the braking
systems in cars.
Force from hand
Force on
claw gears
Force on
claw gears
Force of spring
Pressure in tube
?

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15
Check It Out

Handy-Dandy
End Eectors
The device at the end of a robotic arm is called the end
effector. You can think of it like a human hand, but the
variety of different end effectors and their capabilities
goes far beyond what a human hand can do on its own.
In this kit, there are three interchangeable end effectors:
scoop, three-point gripper, and two-point gripper. They
are all good at picking up different objects. End effectors
are designed to interact with and manipulate objects in
their environments to perform specialized tasks.
What can e effecto do?
There are two main categories of end effectors: grippers and tools.
Here are examples of each.
Grippers Tools
Mechanical (fingers) Welding torch
Suction, vacuum Spray painting
Magnetic Measuring, sensing
Adhesive Drilling, cutting
Degrees of Freedom
Unlike a human arm, a robotic arm has a lot more
freedom to move through space in different ways. The term
“degrees of freedom” is used to describe the movement of a robotic arm through space.
The position and orientation of an object in space is described by three coordinates in
the x, y, and z directions, and three directions of rotation around those axes.
The area dened by all of the positions in space that the end of the robotic arm can reach
is known as the workspace. If the object that the robotic arm needs to pick up is not in
the workspace, the robot cannot pick it up! The workspace depends on the degrees of
freedom, limitations of the joints, lengths of the linkages, and the angles at which the
object must be picked up.
?
!
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16

GEARS AND GEAR RATIOS
Gears are actually just wheels with teeth on them.
The teeth allow the wheels to mesh together and
turn each other. In other words, they allow forces to
be transmitted from one wheel to another.
The mechanical advantage of a gear is evident when a
large gear meshes with a small gear. One full turn of the large
gear will produce, say, three full turns of the small gear.
Because of this, the smaller gear always turns faster than the
larger. On the other hand, the larger gear turns with greater
force than the smaller one. So, in this way, gears can be used
to make slow turning motion into rapid turning motion, or to
covert small forces into large forces. Multiple gears meshing
with each other are called gear trains, or transmissions.
Your claw machine has a gear train
controlling the left-right motion of the
arm. The gear connected to the crank (or
any input force) is called the driver gear.
The gear that is turned by the driver gear
is called the driven gear. Gears of
different sizes are used to increase or
decrease the speed or the force of rotary
motion, called torque. The relationship
between the number of teeth on meshing
gears is called the gear ratio. The gear
ratio indicates the change in speed or
torque from one gear to the other.
The levers connected to the tops of the
hydraulic cylinders help you transfer the force
from your hand to move the pistons inside the
cylinders. Levers are rigid bars that pivot on a
point called the fulcrum. A weight (or load) at
one point on the bar can be moved by applying
a force (the effort) to another point on the bar.
If the distance from the fulcrum to the effort
(the effort arm) is greater than the distance
from the fulcrum to the load (the load arm),
then a smaller force can move a larger load.
This is how the lever makes work easier.
levers
?

CHECK IT OUT
40 teeth
Driver gear
20 teeth
Driven gear
Number teeth driven gear
Velocity
ratio =Number teeth driver gear
(1:2)= =
20
40
1
2

550103-03-200821
Do you have any
questions?
Our technical support
team will be glad to
help you!
Thames & Kosmos US
Email: [e-mail]
Web: thamesandkosmos.com
Phone: [phone]
You mght fnd that some przes
you want to use n the claw
machne are too bg and get stuck
when they should be eected
from the prze chute In ths case,
you can easly remove the eector
tray from the prze door and
nstall t n a fxed poston at the
bottom of the prze chute In ths
setup, the prze door smply pops
open and you can reach n to get
your prze
1 2
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