Help about opening the sphere!

[Jimmy]

I just moved to korea but I have to inspect my powerball cause it is very sick...knocking sound, vibrations, crackling....

But because of my moving, i dont have and i wont have any vice....
Have you got a tip, or any information to help me opening this tiny ball???

Thx alot

[Adrena1in]

Some people just remove the rubber grip, take out the little screws, then squeeze the Powerball between their palms, or under their heels, (I've even seen someone head-butt one on the floor!), to open them.

I must admit, putting the Powerball on the floor, on it's side, and giving it a hearty whack with the underside of a clenched fist, does seem to work quite well.

[donkapone]

if your internet speed is good check my video www.abaldai.com/heel.MP4 ~23mb

[Jimmy]

certainly, where exactly do i have to press, simple on the vises emplacements or on one hemisphere precisely?

[Adrena1in]

You basically want to squeeze on the join between the two halves. You know where the screws go? Squash these two points towards each other, (though you can do it around any part of the circumference).

[Jimmy]

what is the cause of vibrations?
Is it normal that the counter weight isnt "glued" to the rotor i mean if i move the rotor with my fingers, the CW doesnt follow the move immeditely...?
And the chrome metal circle between CW and white plastic circle moved away from the center, but i can move it and maybe i can try to center it, but does it mean there is a crack?

[Sayex]

what is the cause of vibrations?
Is it normal that the counter weight isnt "glued" to the rotor i mean if i move the rotor with my fingers, the CW doesnt follow the move immeditely...?
And the chrome metal circle between CW and white plastic circle moved away from the center, but i can move it and maybe i can try to center it, but does it mean there is a crack?

i dont understand that.. but, the counter waight its not glued as you ask before and... look for cracks, if you see a crack on the rotor, then.. well its cracked xD

[Enda]

what is the cause of vibrations?
Is it normal that the counter weight isnt "glued" to the rotor i mean if i move the rotor with my fingers, the CW doesnt follow the move immeditely...?
And the chrome metal circle between CW and white plastic circle moved away from the center, but i can move it and maybe i can try to center it, but does it mean there is a crack?

Jimmy,

The counter weight forms part of the rotor support band (white ring), and is not connected to the rotor.

The vibrations are caused (I presume) by you not maintaining a firm grip on your Powerball when it is spinning. You will notice that there is up/down play in the rotor, and when the Powerball is spinning the rotor becomes 'suspended' between the sphere halves (acting as a gyroscope).

If you don't maintain a firm grip at this stage, then vibration will occur.

There is also a 'sensation' of virbation even when you maintain a firm grip however - this smooth motion is simply a result of the Powerball's motion and is perfectly normal.

Regards

Enda
--

[Jimmy]

i think i didn't explain well...bad english ^^

I know about the smooth vibration when spinning the ball, and i know that if i dont grip well, the rotors shocks on the halves instead of staying suspended.

But the vibrations i'm talking about aren't smooth and they are more noisy than the gentle ?humming?

Thanks for the help...(i still need a little help to know whet can cause those bad vibration)

PS : I maintain a firm grip!^_^

[Enda]

In that case, you will need to open the Powerball to check for damage to the internal components.

Check particularly for the following:

- 'ruts' in the spheres
- a worn support band
- crack in the rotor itself

If you do identify any damaged parts, please email liz@powerballs.com with details. Please include your preferred shipping address and a link to this thread and we'll get the required part out to you.

Failing that, you will need to return the Powerball to us here for repair:

Repairs Department
RPM Sports
Nenagh Road
Thurles
Co Tipperary
Ireland

Please use a recorded service to ensure its safe arrival, and include a note with your contact information and briefly describe the problem. (Even include a printout of this thread if you can).

Regards

Enda
--

[Jimmy]

All right thanks, if you sen me the parts, it means i have to repair the ball myself???

Plus i just moved to Korea, so i dont have a vice and can't use a fiend's one cause i don't have any friends at the time (only three days here)

i tried to open my ball but its incredibly hard, i tried with a wooden board on the ground, but even with a hard press it doesnt "pop"... any help?

PS : will i have to pay a fee (except the shipping) to get my powerball repaired at your factory?

[Enda]

No Jimmy,

If you send the Powerball to us there is no fee for the repair - save the cost you incur in sending it to us.

Once received, we will try to get it repaired for you as quickly as possible and aim to dispatch it again to you the next business day.

Regards

Enda
--

[donkapone]

try to open the powerball with your heel

[Jimmy]

Donka : ??????? You mean Kicking its Face(side in fact) ???? or putting it between my heels in "yoga" stance?
....(i couldn't) watch your vid sorry..

Enda : That is very very cool, fool is the man that says you don't take care of the powerballers...

For my curiosity : What do you do if somone send you a "good as new" powerball?

[Adrena1in]

Take a look at this video, provided by Obiw4n;

http://bl4dem4ster.free.fr/fredtriouverture.avi

I've tried it, (with one), and it works perfectly well. You need to hit it pretty hard, but the short whack should pop it open easily enough.

I've knelt on the floor, with a Powerball between my palms, and between my knees, and popped one open just by squeezing it, but I think that was probably one that had been opened a few times already and had loosened up.

Just don't hurt yourself. ;)

[donkapone]

well my powerball opens really hard and the striking method didn`t work out very good for me... about the heel... you just need to step on it with your heel with full weight, of course, coordinating it on the right side at first

[Jimmy]

F**k, i still can't read this vid...not the good codec...and as my PC isnt yet here in Korea, i can't download it...i'll try with all my weight, but i'm affraid of the ball rolling and me falling....

[donkapone]

As i mentioned earlier - try VLC player for it http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ it doesn`t use external codecs so that is why it renders it a lot better