i just got a new bearing for my silenus, same size but a 10 ball instead of the default one, and not only dpes it squeak now on the last few turns, but it seems to be vibrating a little bit… how can I find the source of the issue and what do I do?
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The bearing/yoyo combination. Sometimes it can happen if the bearing and the bearing seat of the yoyo are not tight enough or other reasons
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Sometimes if I take a bearing from a yoyo and put it on another yoyo of a different brand, it might not fit the same as the bearing it came with.
Based on your description, my guess is that the tightness of bearing isn’t allowing the yoyo screw together completely closed. This causes the 2 halves of the yoyo body to no longer be at perfectly 90º angles with the bearing/axle. So, instead of being perfectly ‘H’ shaped, it’s more like the H is leaning ever so slightly to the left or right, like this H. And as it rotates, you feel this leaning/imbalance as pulsing.
I’ve had this type of issue and fixed it. Warning: you probably should not attempt this on a yoyo you value.
So, I got a B-grade Popstar for cheap during YYF’s most recent “A-May-zing” sale. It arrived unassembled and I could hardly get the bearing they shipped with it on at all – like you’ve described. I was very worried I was going to break something. But when I did get it screwed together (as best I could), it pulsed very strongly – but it was a B-grade so that’s normal, right…
As a $10 experiment (cost of the yoyo) and not much to lose, I grabbed a pair of pliers and started grinding down the bearing posts to see about getting the bearing on more easily. If I ruined it, so be it… $10 gone. Anyway, I just pinched around the post with the pliers and started rotating the yoyo half hopefully evenly shaving off fractions of a millimeter around the post. Yeah – metal shavings were coming off, no going back. Anyway, after doing this for a little bit on each post, the bearing popped on and off effortlessly.
Ok, the point of that little story – grinding down the posts so the bearing fit loosely fixed the vibe/pulse issue… The wobbly B-grade I bought is now smooth since the sides of the bearing sit flush with the inside of the bearing seat and not crooked due to the tightness of the posts. I was super surprised.
So, am I advocating you do this? No way!
But I’m reasonably sure your issue is the bearing not seated correctly due to poor tolerances in the yoyo posts or the bearing inner diameter or both. In my amateur DIY opinion, your choices are… (from best to worst)
- get a different bearing to test the theory (no risk)
- remove some material from the inner diameter of the bearing (some risk, but just get a different bearing, they’re cheap)
- remove some material from the outer diameter of the yoyo posts (BIG FAT RISK – NOT RECOMMENDED AT ALL – oh my god, please don’t do this!!!)
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I give you a lot of credit, I don’t think pliers would have come to my mind - I would probably still be using a high grit sandpaper where you quickly solved the problem.
I think your suggestion not to follow your method was a very smart one. There are a lot of people, not just kids, on the forum who don’t have a great familiarity with either tools or troubleshooting. Clearly pointing out the possible outcomes may prevent someone from making a mistake that carries an unacceptable cost to fix.
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I started with 1000 grit sandpaper used in automotive restoration for metal. But the problem I ran into was that it was nearly impossible to apply even pressure with the sand paper. With less pressure being applied the closer you got to the base of the posts, I didn’t want to end up with a pyramid/dome shape.
My next thought was some kind of emory board for nail filing – flat, rigid, easy to maneuver, lots of grits to choose from – but I didn’t have any.
Third choice – pliers.
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A lower grit, say 200-300 would probably work fine. Wrap around the bearing seat and twist it a few times. It usually doesn’t take much. The seat does not need 1000 grit.
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