View Full Version : Metal Powerball
When is that all Metal Powerball gonna be out??
Try and keep us updated on this please, im ready to buy it now and would like it soon please.
Lee
You really don't need a metal one, the outer shell it very strong. It will not break and if it does they give you a life time garantuee
Tom Cullen
Hi guy's...yes...our metal friend...what a Powerball this is!
In truth, while there are a couple of working models of this particular powerball in circulation, they are unfortunately not for sale at this present time due to the radical change in production required to bring them on stream.
Sales of the current 250Hz model are very strong throughout the world at present and all capacity is currently being used to meet with demand for this product instead.
In time we expect that the metal ball will become available (it could well be 2005) and when it does, we will be sure to hearld its availability on this site. Just to point out however; this is an extremely precise tool and is likely to cost over Eur/US$100.00 when it finally makes it onto the marketplace due to the complex production procedure required - the upside however is that you will never experience anything quite like it! I have had the current 250Hz model up in the mid 14k levels on a few sessions at which point it is generating some seriously gut wrenching torque...the metal version on the other hand feels capable of pulling out stumps of trees, it's generating so much torque and will surely be used by NASA in future to send guys to the moon! This Powerball can hit speeds of over 17k and with the heavier rotor will really do some serious building work on your arms...(I hope that this addresses your query satisfactorily Lee)
Thanks for visiting the site guy's - and thank you also for your business with us - we greatly appreciate it.
Regards Rory
So the metal powerball can go faster than the standard one? Will it be easier to reach higher speeds with it?
theOne
It HAS to be the full metal ball - nothing else!
Joachim
in my 2 month (and counting) experience with my new powerball, ive noticed that by covering the open side of the ball with my hand i seem to get better speeds but theres the danger of burning my hand on the rotor. maybe with the metal version you could have a sliding or screw-on cover for the opening. besides, it would be safer for those out there with big hands and long fingers when holding it the right way.
Nathan
I have been reading all this stuff about a metal powerball, and i thought to myself i have to have one! So what i did last week was draw up a design of the gyro and went to my local metal fabrication shop and had them computer lathe a solid steel gyro for me. This thing works great in my current powerball and creates some wrist shatering torque. But no counter im afraid I guess i need to embed some magnets into the gyro.
dan
Well it is intersting to hear about the metall Powerball.
But a real sportsman does not need a metall ball. This is just for making money and nothing else.
It makes no sense.
Bary
why does it make no sense? being all metal it'll be able to reach higher speeds, which will let you get a better workout with it.
Andy
Actually if there had been a metal one for sale Id have probably bought it. Gleeming metal, being able to be engraved with cool patterns etc?? Id thing that most excellent!
n00b
I have seen a metal Powerball on a gadget website recently am i missing something here? Why haven't you put it on this site if it is available elsewhere
JP
You are correct in that there are some metal gyros on the market at present, however, these are not genuine Powerball products regardless of what the web sites (that sell them) are referring to them as. These products have no counter and from our own tests, our 5 top 'Powerballers' have been unable to exceed what we have determined to be 11-12,000rpm, despite the claimed 18,000rpm top speed.
On the plus side however, they are well finished and come in a nice box if that's what you are looking for.
The real metal Powerball is due shortly and we'll be placing it on site as soon as stocks are available in decent quantities. As has already been said before, it will have a counter and will genuinely hit 18,000k as the mechanism has now been calibrated to 20,000rpm without vibration.
Hope this helps to clear up any confusion. Paul
It sure did Paul. I am just left out with one question which was asked in this thread too.
Is it easier to get the higher speeds with the metal powerball?
Chr
I want to know if the phantom have a digit counter ?
Thx.
Valek
I think it's pretty safe to say that the metal powerball will be able to get to higher speeds faster. If it can do 20,000 rpms and he said it will genuinely do 18,000 rpms, that's like how the current powerball will do 15,000 rpms but really most people only get it to 13,000 rpms. I still can't get mine to 12,000 :P
Jeff
i would like to know when the metal powerball is going to arive on this site because i am soon to buy a powerball for myself but im thinking i might wait if it isnt going to be to long for it to come back
-Thx
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Thanks Charlie - there is a copy product on the market at present which is not a Powerball despite being incorrectly termed one by some web sites.
The real Powerball metal should have made its debut in the last quarter of '04 but went back to the drawing board for further tweaks to allow it hit 20K in the right hands.
We have promised our man Akis (the current world record holder at over 15k on a 250Hz model) first crack on one when they finally arrive to us and expect to see him head north of 19k in the early stages.
I really do apologise to everyone who is presently awaiting the silver beauty - we want this to be the one of the most amazing products to ever hit the market (in any category) and can promise that when it arrives shortly, it will greatly exceed everyones expectations.
Thanking you for your patience and valued consideration therefore Charlie, sincerely Rory
I also want a Metal Powerball.. I have 5 regular ones.. one for each hand..one I keep that always has my top score (14009 atm)on it and 2 spare in case i break one and so I can lend to people.. heh
but.. although its true that I dont NEED.. a metal powerball and that the plastic one is STRONG.. this is really irellevant.. it has to do with COOLNESS FACTOR.. .. nobody NEEDS a Playstation Portable but they are selling like mad.. nobody NEEDS an iPod but.. guess what.. SELLING LIKE MAD.. also.. it both LOOKS and FEEL cooler in metal.. and if I'm willing to pay 100...200..300$ for it.. then dammit.. it should be available for me to do so with.. I also must say that I HOPE it comes with some sort of lid at the bottom.. perhaps a magnetic one or something cos really my fingers are long enough to go around the ball and into the hole and believe me.. it doesnt feel good.. ALSO.. I would like some form of wireless transmitter built into it cos its really HARD to see the numbers that are under my palm so perhaps a BLUETOOTH chip built into it that can transmit the RPM to a device on ur wrist.. like a watch or so so that you dont have to mess with the ball to keep track of the speed..
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Some great suggestions there (the best one of course, being that everyone needs a min. of 5 Powerballs in their lives!)
Thanks for the feedback Oren - the metal one is so close that you'll be able to smell it shortly...the ball itself if ready to ship but the packaging has been holding it up. The price won't be anywhere near your aforementioned figures, (though if you do insist..:-)
There won't be a cover over it I'm afraid...
Bluetooth...yes, the ideal solution. The problem is in the power for such a device and where to locate the batteries...any suggestions anyone?
Regards Rory
"Power for such a device" - Hmmm....a ball spinning at over 12000 rpm and you don't know where to get power from? Hello?!!! Mc Fly?? Magnet. Copper Wire. Passings through magnetic field???
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The same process is used to generate power in the LED's on the Neon range, however, that 'dynamo' sits on the axle which also rotates with the rotor assembly. The counter will sit on top of the sphere and will take pulses (not constant) from the small magnets sitting in the rotor as it spins - these will not be sufficient to power a blue tooth assembly and if we do manage to incorporate an induction mechanism then how can we isolate it from the counter sensor to stop it affecting [that] aspect too?
It really isn't as simple as you might believe...what we require is a small (500mAh) rechargable battery I guess ...
David
Dynamo in the metal powerball is possible by making the inner spinning ball of magnets, and the outer casing of wires. The ugly wires would not be visible in a metal powerball. The resultant electricity generated can be fed to anything attached to the body of the powerball. With some electronics to control the current, this could even be used to power or charge devices like the cell phone or pda etc. Certainly, the rate of spin should be able to generate substantial electricity. It would certainly beat hand cranking chargers.
:) yey..well there are other technologies besides bluetooth.. various rfid techs and rf and such but .. I just dont know how much power such needs.. and really if they could add a block on the top like the counter for the plastic model but have a transmitter in there instead.. wouldnt it be possible?.. if its made in a smart way it should be able to fit a small rechargeable battery perhaps or regular ones.. I dont really know how much power such things uses, either that or a device on ur hand that uses a form of near-field detection to count the rotations inside the powerball without actually be in direct contact with the powerball itself?..
I dont know.. all i DO know is that this (and a lid at the bottom so I dont loose my fingerpint and identity) is at the very very very pinnacle of my wishes/wants/demands/desires for next.gen powerball, whenever that comes out (if ever).
I cant wait for the metallic monster.. it will be rad :D
Oren-
I heard that metal ones can go alot faster.
Imagine if something came loose inside, the sparks would be amazing :p
Craig Nykamp
I have trouble holding the normal one with sweaty hands so imagine what a metal one will be like! It would have to come with a bigger grip band that may spoil the 'coolness factor' as some have mentioned.
Matt Sellick
Blue tooth? you've got to be kidding don't you? I don't think this is really practical for 99.9% of users. Imagine what this would do to production costs and then selling price. The cap over the wheel is a fair point though.
Nathan
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An optional bluetooth counter is on the cards - watch this space...(the key word here being 'optional! :-)
bluetooth chips and near-field transmitters /rf tags are ridicilously cheap.. using bluetooth was just a suggestion but the fact remains is that its totally .. and i mean TOTALLY unpractical to have the counter UNDER your hand.. I mean if the counter didnt have a "live mode" showing the current RPM you want to use that and you just cant really do that properly if you have the risk of a frictionburn making a hole in your palm.. the faster the thing goes the harder you grip and the more flesh you "push" into the hole thats there..
It also wouldnt have to use induction.. you could simply have a strap with a clock type device strapped on your wrist or on top of your hand that would have the battery but a large enough emission/detection field to count the magnets in the gyro just below in your hand.. .. I do really not understand why the current timer HAS a "live counter" when its pretty much useless inside your hand...... neway such a device does not need to use induction to be powered and does not need to have batteries or even a counter on the powerball to function..
so.. optional or not.. we NEED a device like that but it could very well be sold as an optional counter.. but if its optional there should also be a replacement cap you can put instead of the current counter that would give the ball a bit of a smoother top surface.. that round hard thing in your palm isnt the most comfortable either at 10 000+ speeds cos you grip quite hard..
Anywya.. this can easily be developed later as all you really need is a emitter with a field large enough to count the gyro on the other side of your palm.. (i dont wanna wait decades tho ppl so.. :) )
Oh yea.. that cap on the bottom would be nice.. heh
oren..
you would need a hole in the top or bottom of a powerball otherwise the gyro would not turn....
the only reason there is a hole there is so it works altho it is a drawback for your hand when it gets burned but if your technique is right that should not happen
james
Yes, I can agree that a bottom cap will be very useful for some. My hands would wrap around a PB, and my fingertips will be pretty near the gyro, and it can prevent me from trying to go faster so as not to lose my grip and then a fingertip.
Also, how much air resistance does the PB gyro experience in its casing? I wonder if you had a bottom cap, that if you pumped some air out, would that help performance by much?
It would be neat to see how that would sound, probably even more high pitch in the low density air?
Calculon
Please hurry with the new metal powerball. I don't have the plastic powerball but I am thinking of getting one in about 3-5 weeks. I would much rather have the metal powerball first.
And you could put some sort or metal mesh or grate over the hole at the bottom of the metal powerball so air can still be pushed out or in but it would solve the problem of people getting their finger tips burnt.
David
A power source should be quite easy to find. First of all I would like to point out that I would not like to have some device which generates electricity from the rotor! This would inevitably slow the rotor down, and thus not allow you to bring it up to high speeds... However, the (plastic) Powerball has two small holes for a wristband, so why not have a third one with a power cable in it? The batteries could be in a small box on the wristband, so you don't have to worry about their size. Then you could have another device on your other wrist on which to read the score. (Allright, you could have the display on the wristband and then there is no need for bluetooth and all that, but this would also be quite difficult to read since you're jiggling your arm around quite a lot. The LCD has to be around the wrist without a Powerball in it!)
More ideas... well, now that we're at it, may be a USB device for the computer so that you can read things on a slightly bigger monitor. Here you could have a graph showing speed over time, save your records, have "30-second-challenges" with any number of seconds you want, automatic diagnostics, training programmes and advices, games controlled by the Powerball, COM-packages which allow you to program your own applications to use the Powerball, automatic error reporting, and the meaning of life. Thankyouverymuch.
Hymnly
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Thank you for these valued suggestions! Regards, Rory
well Rory I think you're taking it a bit too far with the USB stuff, dont make a mockery of good ideas by dedicated powerballers..
There is no doubt tho that some form of external sensor that could read its speed without being in a pair of very stressed hands would be extremely useful and its existence would remove the need for an endcap since there would be no reason to hold the powerball upside down anymore and the powerball itself wouldnt need to have any devices on it or batteries of any sort, all you would need is a transmitter on your hand that emits a field that the magnets in the gyro passes trough and thus measures its speed and it would carry the batteries and the power and not the powerball.
Its a very good idea, but can it be done?
eirik
Hi
Sorry for asking but it's hard to know how relevant the posts here are with no date stamp. I guess you guys get this all the time, but when will the metal version be out? And at around what price range will it be? I happen to have a cheap a copy (I didn't know how fun it would be and it was 2-3 times cheaper, sry :P) and I'm either to wait for the metal version or get a 250 hz pro.
I could wait a month, but I couldn't bare waiting half a year or so just to cough up 3-4 times as much as the none metal.
Max Metal
Hi there,
Being a Powerball fanatic as most of the guys here, I am also looking forward to the release of the Powerball metal. At this moment my record with the Powerball regular is 14102rpm. And man, I love that sound :D :D. And just imagine how 20000rpm would sound like :D :D :D.
Anyway, I have seen so many good suggestions in this thread that I am wondering which of those will be taken along in the first release. Rory, could you comment on that please?
Thanks in advance,
Steven van Dijk
31 years, The Netherlands
Please give us a release date, I want one asap.
Paul Hyde
Interesting discussions/suggestions. But now I wonder...what will the first Powerball Metal look like? What options will be readily available?
Regards,
Steven van Dijk
31 years, The Netherlands
If you crate some sort of wristband counter, I deffinatly think a simple USB thing would be nice, if possible. Even if it just simply submits the score to a program on the computer -- that would be really cool, as then those without video cameras, like myself, could submit a highscore (not that I'm there, just if I ever get there ;) )
That way it reads the score just from the ball, and with proper encryption and such, it would be virtually impossible for an invalid score to be submitted.
Josh
well now..... if you want a counter on your wrist wouodnt it make more sence to have the counter on the hand that isnt holding the powerball!
even if you do have it on your wrist your arm will be shaking, especialy at the top speeds so you wouldnt quite be able to read what rpm you were at coz of the shaking.... plus when i get to a sertain speed i stretch my arm out to go even faster, its just how i do it, but i think most users do,do that so it wouldnt be much use shaking AND out of view!
so in order for that to work there would have to be no wires from ball to hand held counter, and also i do not want my speed to be sapt by electronics. so the best idea would be just to only have the record keeper on the clock, and maybe a timer to see how long you can go for, and if you want to spend more money then you could build in some sort of fat-o-meter to tell you how fat you are or something.
as for the cap over the bottom, how about you make 2 holes with slits(if you know what i mean) for a screw on lid(with air holes) that you can buy separate for the people that wish to use it. but....no pain, no gain, right?
speakman
yeah could you just say when it is goinbg to come out...
are we looking at weeks, months, OR YEARS! will it be out in this year?
also you said that akis gets first whack at it... could you possibly record it so we can have a taste of what speeds will be generated, the new record, and also what the ball looks like?
- james
How has the top speed of 18K been calculated? I can understand from an engerneering perspective it is possible, but is it possible for a human? At the moment I'm just scraping below 13K, so my limiting factor is just strength. But if you watch the video of Akis, he is putting his WHOLE BODY into spasim just to get his arm to vibrate fast enough to keep in harmony with the powerball at that speed. Even without anything in his hand I doubt he could get his arm to shake any faster. So with a metal rotor, sure there will be more momentum giving off more torque, but if it is the same size as the plastic one, you are still going to need to shake your arm at the same speed. Has anyone worked out if it is possible to move your arm fast enough to reach 18K assuming you had unlimited strength?
Pat
That's an interesting point actually... Since you have to have your arm in harmony with the rotation of the rotor to keep it accelerating, there'd be a ceiling to it no matter how fast the rotor could spin in theory, surely.
Or does the metal one work in another way? =)
Shoka
Put your mind to it and I am sure you could get your arm/wrist to move even faster probably to the point of serious damage. Being metal the ball must be heavier than the plastic ones we are all used to, so it stands to reason that it will spin faster, but it all comes down to how much pain can you handle? when do the vibrations hurt too much? how badly do you want the record????
Causbrite
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