cannot start techno anymore (in one direction)

[psiho]

I just got new techno 2 days ago and it all worked fine until today. Now I cannot start it anymore in one direction of rotor (where little arrow points). However, I can start it in the opposite direction. It does start spinning to maybe 3-4k but it goes down slowly and I cannot spin it up. I will open it later today but I was just curious if anybody had similar problems.

It is a 2 days old powerball but was used very very much by newbies trying it out (10 people tried it and actually half of them decided to buy their own right away :) ). As far as I know it was never dropped.

[Adrena1in]

That's odd...I've not heard of a rotor spinning in one direction, but not the other.

[psiho]

I opened it but wasn't able to recognize any problem. All I can see is some dust which I have cleaned and put it all back together. First try I was happy because now everything seamed much better but then I realized I have put rotor back upside down (in techno model rotor rotation direction is important for displaying score) so now direction of the arrow on rotor was wrong and I was testing wrong direction. Trying opposite direction produced the problem again.

I opened it again and flipped rotor, put it back and now I'm where I started. In direction of the arrow I manage to start it (by palm of my hand) maybe 1 out of 20 tries. In the opposite direction I do it 1 out of 2 at least. I am beginner and my technique might be imperfect but weird thing is that direction shows so much differences.

Only "non-technical problem" explanation I can think of is that my technique is just on the edge of making it start by hand and one direction is just slightly slower than the other making me cross that edge and not make it. Tommorow I give it to some more experianced powerballers to try.

[Sayex]

I think you just need to practice on your Technique.
i dont think theres anything wrong with your little sphere.
Kind Regards

[keal]

I think it is also the technique. I have the Techno and it is literally the hardest ball to start! The rotor is made of a harder, slipperier plastic than the regular 250 series with yellow rotors. Sometimes I can spin the Techno for about 15 seconds, and it dies on me. I have to do this 4 or 5 times before I can get it going.

As for the ball starting up easier one way than the other, it's because of the counterweight. It's easier to start the Techno against the directional arrow because you tend to start rotating the ball and swing the counterweight to get the rotor into the groove, so to speak. When you start the ball in the direction of the arrow, the counterweight is on the opposite side, making it harder to spin.

To illustrate the example: Imagine you're holding a thin piece of thread with a rock tied to the other end. You swing the thread around, and the rock spins around on the end like a lasso. That's sort of like how it feels to spin a 250 series powerball. With the techno, it's like you're holding the rock, and you're trying to spin the thread. Because there's no weight at the end of the thread, it's really hard to get it spinning.

Anyway, that's kind of what it's like to start the Techno. It could just be that the counterweight isn't heavy enough. I don't think The techno should be changed, though. It's not impossible to start up, it's just hard! :)

I think it's really cool, though. My thumb has gotten stronger and I can start up the Techno almost everytime on my first try.

Keep at it, Psiho, you'll get it! :)

[Installed]

Sweet example keal, thats like the best I've heard yet!:cool:

[keal]

Thanks, Installed! I'm very new to powerballs, and thankfully I stumbled into this forum before buying my first one. The Techno and the Neon Pro were my first two gyros ever. So I've been spoiled, so to speak :)

I remember giving up starting the Techno by hand the first week. But by week two, I could do it almost all of the time. That was a great feeling!

[sam chan]

Keal it took me 2 days to learn it, and still can not do it every time.
Techno 9500 only
Sam Chan

[Adrena1in]

It's weird, reading these threads, because out of all the Powerballs I've had and have, I've found the Techno to be one of the easiest to flick start. It's movement just seems so much nicer at those really slow revs.

Plus I really don't understand this thing about any Powerballs being harder to start one way than the other. The wrist-rotation motion is completely cyclic, which means it's the same whatever way up the Powerball is and whicever way you're rotating your wrist...isn't it?!

[Dennis]

Hi Adrena1in,

Hmmm, to comment on your latter question, I think it does matter, though only a little.

I found that when the side of the rotor with counter weight is facing me, it's a bit harder to start it up because of the first 'swing' I make right after the flick start. It's easier to make sure the counter weight faces the other direction and initiate the rotation (in whatever direction). However, if I hold the counter weight towards my body and start the first swing in the opposite direction (not necessarily the rotation direction, but rather the direction in which you first move your wrist), it catches immediately. Difficult to explain as I experienced this by trial and error.

Maybe this is more clear: hold the PowerBall, counter facing ground and open side facing sky as if you're holding a glass of wine. Keep the PowerBall at eye-level and make sure the counter weight is towards your face. You can now choose to canter the powerBall either thumb-down or thumb-up. Since the counter weight is facing you, thumb-down would mean that you move the counter weight in the direction of gravity's pull. Upwards means that the counter weight has to 'choose' in which direction it will slide down the track to the opposite, lowered side. Depending on rotation direction, you can force the counter weight to go either clock-wise or anti-clock-wise. In either case, I find it a little easier to make sure I lift the side with the counter weight up and use gravity to pull down the counter weight in the rotation direction I prefer.

Kind regards,
Dennis

[sam chan]

yesterday, was on and off. Today flick start every time.....practice :D
Sam Chan

[Adrena1in]

I think I see what you're saying Dennis, but the issue of gravity and the counter-weight are, to me, so insubstantial that I don't think it would have any noticeable affect. Certainly not to the point of being able to start the Powerball one way, but not the other.

Mind you, others have said that they seem to find it easier to start certain Powerballs in a particular direction, so perhaps there is something in it. I've just never had the issue myself.

[Dennis]

Well, Adrena1in,

You may be right; it may be just me imagining things and, thus, making me see them so (it's all in the mind, eh?). I really don't know. Guess a little experiment with the counter weight might give us some clues.

A torque-measurer would clarify a few things, I guess. I mean, a device that accurately measures the torque generated at different speeds (a nice, continuous graph would be best) may indicate the influence gravity would have at low rpms... I have no idea what kind of device could accelerate the PowerBall while measuring the torque, by the way...

This may be completely different for a Techno (to keep on-topic)! And point out why this version is either harder or easier to start up with a flick of the thumb.

Kind regards,
Dennis

[weee]

I've found the Techno to be one of the easiest to flick start.

I don't know if it's just my techno or what, but mine tends to want to die down in speed quickly at low revs and is quite hard to flick start for me as well. I never tried starting it the other way being that there's an arrow and I follow it, but I don't see why it would be any easier that way.

[keal]

I think I can add to the "starts only in one direction" problem :)

With regards to the Techno PB, it's so smooth that I found it hard to startup in the direction of the arrow on the gyro, because of the orientation of the counterweight. Starting the gyro in the opposite direction of the arrow was definitely easier, at first.

In the last 2 weeks, my right thumb has gotten a lot stronger! I can now start the Techno in any direction, every time, using my right thumb.

My left hand is still weaker, and I have a difficult time starting any of my PBs with it.

I'm guessing that all beginners will have a tough time starting the Techno by thumb, until they've strengthened them.

I still can't get my Techno over 12,000 RPMs using either hand, but I think I'm going to work on learning to thumb-flick with my left hand for now. Any sort of progress is good! :)

For what it's worth, I'm keeping my RPMs at around 6-8000 right now - very light - with both arms, and it's gotten rid of my tennis elbow on my left arm! Low RPM therapy DOES work!

Adrena1in, I think your hands are so strong, you can't even mimic the problems of a beginner. I hope to be in your league someday!

[TheSandman]

After reading this thread I decided to compare how easy it is to start my Techno in the two different directions. I find it difficult to start in the normal direction, but have so far not been able to start it in the reverse direction at all. I don't feel enough resistance and it slowly slows down. I am convinced there is some directional bias.

Maybe the wear is different in the Techno because it is always run in the same direction :confused: