It has been a month and I wanted to update those who have been following the thread.
First off:
Design II has received some fantastic feedback and love from those who have had a chance to snag one or try a version at clubs/Nationals. It really brings me joy to hear folks are enjoying these projects. I am always thankful for those folks who support these projects and those who are taking interest to debate design improvements and concepts.
So whats the plan going forward?
Ideally this would have gone straight into production and you would have access to snag it. However, I want this to be something a National or World Finalist could pick up and go compete with on that level of stage with, so additional refinement is required. A version 2.0 has been designed and a quote has been made. More details soon on how to snag one.
What were some of these “problems”?
In terms of direct player feedback the main reoccurring design flaw was that the design lacked spin speed. While in theory you could technically milk out 1:30 second combos out of the play, and Adrian managed to hit a 1:57 once with careful play, this was not a realistic test since after about 45 seconds the speed would die down into a “limbo state”. This limbo state resulted in the yoyo still having another 45 seconds or more of stable play. However, binds became slippy and would only return about 1/2 way up the string. To me that’s unacceptable.
Additional critiques were in the lack of “heft”. And while the yoyo was not light by any means, the packaging of that weight made it present as lighter while in play.
What caused it?
After several conversations with Jordan and Mark from MK1 also taking the time to diagnose the yoyo, It was decided that the rim angle needed a change. The previous rim angle cause high amounts of stability but with the string interaction within the catch zone it would cause the speed scrubbing effect. With this, I also wanted to have Jordan use his favorite material of choice: 7068 AL.
The material change instantly allowed us to repackage how we wanted to present that weight. With the ring now being increased from 16.13g to 18.74, dropping the body down to 13.02g compared to the original 15.28g (per half). MOI was preserved between the two versions as almost the same.
Aesthetically this update resulted in a more aggressive visual presentation of the rim section however we were also able to bring more of the extended rim styling element into play with the design.
Cross section of the rim V2 in green and V1 in black.
Finally the updated spec comparison:
Version 1:
- Diameter: 55mm
- Width: 46mm
- Gap: 4.61
- Total weight: 66.0g
- Ring weight: 16.13g (per half)
- Body weight: 15.28g (per half)
- Material: 6061 + SS
Version 2:
- Diameter: 55mm
- Width: 46mm
- Gap: 4.61
- Total weight: 66.26g
- Ring weight: 18.74g (per half)
- Body weight: 13.02g (per half)
- Material: 7068 + SS
That’s all for now, thanks for coming to my TED Talk!
Hopefully it was a fun mail day!