Counting and sorting your GBC Balls that roll by in your GBC loop can be very useful and interesting. Next to having real time statistics of your GBC loop you also have way more control over your entire layout. To get you started we have developed multiple LEGO Mindstorms Counter and Sorter Modules created from the original LEGO Sets. Next to our NXT and EV3 Counter and Sorting GBCs there are also other alternatives possible. Read more down below.
1. Using LEGO Mindstorms NXT or EV3 Set
We have developed multiple GBC Ball Counters and Sorters for the LEGO NXT and EV3 Set. Get real time statistics and have full control over your GBC loop! This is by far the best and easiest way to get you started into programming and awesome automation. Start hacking today!
Click here to check out the GBC 22 Ball Counter
Click here to check out the GBC 23 Ball Sorter
2. Using SAM Labs electronics
We created a GBC Ball sorting machine using SAM Labs and our GBC 10. By using their light sensor and a led light we were able to detect the color of the GBC Balls by reflection. Of course when you can detect the color of the balls you can also count them using the free software they provide. Check out our article here.
3. Using Android smartphone
You knew you can also use your Android smartphone to count the GBC Balls? How sweet is that! A YouTube Creator has developed a clean Android app which does exactly that. The app uses the proximity sensor of your smartphone to detect proximity change. So make sure your smartphone has this feature. If you have installed and started the program the counting starts automatically. The app then adds one to the ball counter and waits 700ms before measuring again. The app displays the amount of balls that have passed by, the BPS (Ball Per Second) and a timer. To reset the counter, simply flip your device to the side one time.
You can rebuild his GBC counter using his LDD file (building instructions) and open it with Lego Digital Designer.
The easiest way to install the app on your smartphone is to visit this page mobile and to download it from there.
Download here the GBC Counter app here: Download
Use “ES File explorer” to open it if you have trouble installing it.
4. Using a mechanical counter module
Nico from Nico71’s Lego Technic Creations has created a nice mechanical GBC counter module. Although it doesn’t count the average amount of balls that passed by per second, it is quite nicer to look at for sure.