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View Full Version : A range of "problems"


flip
10-02-2006, 11:47
Sorry to bombard this forum with questions, but I think something is wrong with my Powerball (Neon Blue Pro).

1.) How many cords are given in the box? My friend gave me mine with 2 cords in the box. I just want to know if he's been real shady with it, for example, giving me a Powerball with a cord tip stuck in already.

2.) If you put pressure on the yellow outside part of the rotor with your finger to stop it from moving when you shake the Powerball (while it's not spinning, obviously), are you supposed to hear something shaking slightly? Keep in mind I have the Neon version with the inductor coils.

3.) My Powerball makes a ratcheting noise when spinning at very low RPM i.e.150rpm, similiar to the sound of a bike's rear wheel when it is slowing down. Again, keep in mind that I have the Neon Blue Pro, and judging by how other parts with inductor coils work, i.e. motors, this should be completely normal?

4.) One side of the yellow rotor has some scuff marks, these are etched in about 0.3mm into the material, and seem to have burnt plastic there, or maybe dirt, is this normal? I don't see how this affects anything. This is only one side of the rotor, it is about 4mm away from the edge of the rotor (i.e. where the "spokes" start to form), and the scuffs are anywhere from 1mm to 2.5mm wide, wide being across the rotor, and varying in length, some being 15mm long, others being 5mm at the least. Very odd.

5.) Stupid question - It seems to vibrate, but I'm not sure if this is vibrating, or just me having a ****ty grip on the ball when it spins at 8krpm, this may sound pretty stupid, but is the ball supposed to try and move around in your hand? My experience with gyros tells me that they should stay put at high speeds, but the Powerball tries to swivel around in my hand, normal or not?

6.) Very, very stupid question - Is the ball supposed to make scraping noises at low RPMs when you are spinning it? Or is it me trying to bring it up to speed, that does this? I simply do not know :o.

And one final thing, how do I know if I'm doing it right?
Adrena1in
10-02-2006, 12:30
Whoa, information overload! ;) I'll try to help...


1.) How many cords are given in the box?
I think it tends to normally be two these days.


3.) My Powerball makes a ratcheting noise when spinning at very low RPM i.e.150rpm
I think this is the inductor coil thingy which powers the lights, but when I had a Neon I wouldn't call it a ratcheting noise...more a dull, quiet, juddery-scraping noise.


4.) One side of the yellow rotor has some scuff marks, these are etched in about 0.3mm into the material, and seem to have burnt plastic there, or maybe dirt, is this normal?
Sounds to me like someone's had the gyro spinning fast and then put it down onto a surface or something. At 10k the outer surface of the wheel is travelling pretty fast you know...touch it against a surface and it'll cut and melt away the plastic outer layer.


5.) ...is the ball supposed to try and move around in your hand?
Absolutely.


6.) Is the ball supposed to make scraping noises at low RPMs when you are spinning it?
Sort of. When you first spin the gyro and then rotate your wrist, you're going to most likely be rotating your wrist too fast, and the gyro axles will be slipping. It's this slipping that will probably be causing your scraping sound. However, don't worry...you NEED to move your hand too fast so that the gyro can speed up. It's the way it works.


And one final thing, how do I know if I'm doing it right?
There is no "right" way to do it. At first I think EVERYone struggles a bit with the technique, and the Powerball will jump and stuff and they won't get great scores. But stick with it and in a few weeks you'll probably be doing fine and you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.
flip
10-02-2006, 12:41
Thanks! I opened the ball while I posted that, and found a layer of plastic powder which was the cause of the dodginess between the two halves where the rotor support band rests on. It's a lot smoother now, but I'm wondering, why isn't the band made of less abrasive material?
The Force
10-02-2006, 12:49
I'm wondering, why isn't the band made of less abrasive material?

You are not the only one wondering that :)

The Force
flip
10-02-2006, 14:00
How about making my own band out of something? Or does it have to be precisely made too?
Adrena1in
10-02-2006, 14:57
If it's sticky enough it'll be fine. I used a small balloon with the ends cut off to almost completely wrap up my Metal the other day, as I have a hard time keeping hold of it. (Cold polished metal isn't exactly grippy). It worked, though was a cheap balloon so tore too easily.
flip
10-02-2006, 18:23
If it's sticky enough it'll be fine. I used a small balloon with the ends cut off to almost completely wrap up my Metal the other day, as I have a hard time keeping hold of it. (Cold polished metal isn't exactly grippy). It worked, though was a cheap balloon so tore too easily.

Oh no, I meant making my own rotor support band. I'm going to give your idea a try when I get a balloon though.
stephenk
10-02-2006, 20:08
I cant imagine it being possible to make your own support ring. All pieces in the powerball are manufactured to a very high level of quality and very small tolerances are in place.

"Play" between the ring and outer shell wouldnt be too healthy for performance and noise!

Stephen
iceblu121
11-02-2006, 04:47
ok how are all you guys gettin these advatars? with your names in them like the force,and adrenalin and so may others you guys just using photoshop or somthing and just adding text to it or is there somthing i dont know about cause its real cool?
frank
iceblu121
11-02-2006, 04:54
You are not the only one wondering that :)

The Force
i dont find the suport band to be abbrasive .i think the only reason the white stuff comes off it is the support band is softer plastic then the actuly plastic of the ball therefore it wears down a bit.after all look how fast its spinning frictions and what not.if it was upto me i woulda used derlin much stronger plastic but i think maybe it might be a little to heavy i dunno somthing to think about tho
flip
11-02-2006, 12:01
I would say that the weight can always be balanced off, but I simply hate the shavings of rotor support band on the thing. How about including a spare rotor support band in the box, AND making them out of a better material? Oh and yeah, Delrin is a good plastic to use.
stephenk
11-02-2006, 13:26
@iceblu121

Yeah, I just used photoshop. I took a picture of my ball (one of my high scores actually) then used the clone stamp tool to remove the numbers. Then I just downloaded an LCD font, transformed it a bit and set the blending mode to "Soft Light" so as the letters would have the LCD style distortion, coming from the layer below

If people are interested I might write a tutorial on how to do it, with screenshots etc.

Stephen
Scr3Am3r
13-03-2006, 16:04
1. 2 cords are given

2. that's the normal up/down play if u check the FAQ (http://powerballs.com/faq.php):D

3. that's the normal click tik tik noise. dat what u mean?:)

4. i know those are the holes for the cords but the burns then i don't know

5. u have sissy hands JK lol that's what a powerball is DUH (it's not supposed to vibrate):p

6. that's the normal scraping(wikhhhhh wukhhhhh) noise GOD UR SUCH A PARANOID lol JOKING:p