Turn timekeeping into a visible mechanical performance with the MOC-111898 Vertical Ball Clock Building Blocks. Designed and authorized by Nico71, this 1,481-piece model uses rolling balls, a chain lift, reset mechanisms, pushers, and a ball pump to display the time through a fully mechanical counting system.

Instead of conventional clock hands, the model represents hours and minutes with groups of balls arranged across three vertical columns. A single motor powers the complete mechanism, making the movement of time easy to observe directly through the open structure.

Read the Time with Rolling Balls

The clock uses three ball counters arranged from left to right:

• Hours: up to 11 balls
• Tens of minutes: up to 5 balls
• Minute units: up to 9 balls

Reading the three columns together gives the current hour and minute.

One Ball Every 60 Seconds

Balls are stored in a lower reservoir equipped with a rotating agitator to help prevent jams.

A chain lift with a single fork carries one ball upward during each full cycle, with the mechanism designed so that one complete cycle takes approximately 60 seconds.

Mechanical Minute Counter

Each lifted ball first enters the minute-unit column.

The column can hold nine balls. When the tenth arrives, it is redirected into the carry mechanism, triggering the next stage while the previous nine balls are released back toward the lower storage area.

Automatic Carry & Reset System

The clock uses dedicated mechanical reset units to reproduce the same carry-over logic used in digital time displays.

When a counter reaches its limit, the next ball activates a pusher-and-lever mechanism that:

1. Releases the balls from the completed column
2. Resets that digit to zero
3. Transfers one ball into the next time column

This same principle is used between the minute units, tens of minutes, and hours.

Scotch Yoke Ball Pump

When the tens-of-minutes counter completes its cycle, the transfer ball must reach the higher hour column.

A Scotch Yoke ball pump raises the ball to the required level before sending it into the hour display.

12-Hour Mechanical Cycle

The hour column holds a maximum of 11 balls.

When the twelfth arrives, it activates the final reset mechanism, releases the hour balls, and returns the transfer ball to the main reservoir at the bottom, beginning the cycle again.

Single-Motor Drive System

One M motor powers the entire machine, including the:

• Main chain lift
• Ball reservoir agitator
• Ball pump
• Three reset pushers

Coordinating all of these mechanisms from a single power source is one of the most distinctive engineering features of the model.

Adjustable Timing Mechanism

Rather than controlling speed by varying motor voltage, the clock’s timing can be fine-tuned by adjusting the length of the main chain.

The original design uses 114 chain links, and adding or removing links changes the cycle period in small increments, allowing the builder to calibrate the clock mechanically.

Mechanical Rather Than Quartz Precision

This clock is designed primarily as a mechanical demonstration rather than a precision timepiece.

Because timing depends on the motor speed and battery condition, the designer reports an accuracy of roughly a few seconds per minute, potentially accumulating to around one or two minutes per hour.

From the Designer

Nico71 originally created the Vertical Ball Clock in 2015 before later revisiting the project with improved professional-style instructions.

The challenge was to create a complete mechanical counting system where one motor could continuously lift balls, manage carry-over between digits, reset completed columns, and return the balls to storage without relying on electronic timing logic.

The result transforms a simple clock display into a visible chain of mechanical events, allowing the viewer to watch minutes and hours advance one ball at a time.

A Kinetic Mechanical Timepiece

With 1,481 pieces, three ball counters, automatic carry-over systems, a chain elevator, Scotch Yoke pump, adjustable timing, and a single-motor drive system, MOC-111898 makes a striking kinetic display for mechanical-engineering fans, clock enthusiasts, and builders fascinated by complex moving machines.