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Author Topic: Robotic Regenerating Top Sets Guinness Record  (Read 8908 times)

ta0

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Re: Robotic Regenerating Top Sets Guinness Record
« Reply #15 on: August 01, 2013, 05:59:11 PM »

Great! I got that offer you found on ToyRUs, so now I have three and I'll also bring them to worlds, it should be fun. 
I don't know if I can afford the batteries, though . . .
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ta0

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Mystery problem
« Reply #16 on: August 02, 2013, 01:10:25 PM »

I found a problem that became a mystery and the solution turned out to be very surprising.

I got the set with the battle arena and yesterday finally tested the tops.  I put the batteries in the first top and it whirled and flashed nicely.  I put batteries in the second top (fortunately I had another package of AAA, as each one needs 4), moved the switched to ON and . . . nada.  I had read on some reviews (probably at Amazon) that some of these are DOA so I guessed mine was another.  But instead of returning it, I decided to disassemble the top and see if I could repair it as it was probably just a bad solder connection.

The circuit is very simple: two LEDs, two resistors, a (zener?) diode, the motor, a switch and two battery compartments.  I checked all the connections and they were ok.  The switch was ok.  And even if one of the LEDs or the motor were bad, the others should turn on.  ???  The solution to the puzzle surprised me: the tops only accept certain brands of batteries!  :o

Had I had one more battery in the first package (Rayovac) this would not have happened, this time.  I would have got the surprise at worlds opening the second package of batteries (Duracell) to power the 3rd toop.  The problem is simply that the nipple of the positive terminal on the Duracell batteries is too short (size sometimes matter  :D )  Or I should say that the design of the battery holder has the contact too deep under a plastic ledge (that keeps the batteries pressed in securely).  >:(

I wonder how many people returned (or threw away) these tops just because they had the wrong brand of batteries, even though both the top and the batteries were fine?

« Last Edit: August 02, 2013, 04:07:44 PM by ta0 »
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ta0

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Re: Robotic Regenerating Top Sets Guinness Record
« Reply #17 on: August 03, 2013, 12:09:45 AM »

Ok, I am having some fun with this.

I tested the other too Toop tops with Duracell batteries and they work fine.  I guess the exact gap can vary slightly from top to top.  In fact, on the top that has the problem, the Duracell batteries don't work on 2 of the 4 slots.  And the air gap is miniscule: I cannot see it with the naked eye, I only found it with the multimeter. Any variation in the molded part or even dirt could easily make this problem appear.

I measured the nipple length (did I really said that?  :D ) from the battery shoulder and the difference between the Rayovac and the Duracell is in the order of 0.1 mm.  But more significantly, the Duracell has a region, let's call it areola ( :P you can see I am having fun) which is raised.  That is enough for one brand to work and the other not.

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the Earl of Whirl

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Re: Robotic Regenerating Top Sets Guinness Record
« Reply #18 on: August 03, 2013, 08:01:40 AM »

There is something to all of this.  When we opened the Toop and put the batteries in everything worked great with one top.  On the other hand, we couldn't get the second one to work.  We thought it was the position of the batteries with the plus and negative (which is kind of hard to see anyways).  But no matter how we put the batteries in they wouldn't work.  We were ready to go back to the store when I started squeezing things together more and pushing the batteries around.  Then it started to work.....but only without the cover.  We battled one with a cover and the other without for a while.  Eventually, the Toop top would keep going even with the cover on it.  So, we got both working but it was a process!!!
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Happiness runs in a circular motion!!!

ta0

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Re: Robotic Regenerating Top Sets Guinness Record
« Reply #19 on: August 03, 2013, 09:41:13 AM »

Interesting.  Do you recall if the one with the problem was the red (Pluto from team Olympus) or the blue (Frozen Nebular from team Alien)?  On Amazon reviewers complain about the red not working and that is the same that happened to me.
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the Earl of Whirl

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Re: Robotic Regenerating Top Sets Guinness Record
« Reply #20 on: August 03, 2013, 11:10:41 AM »

Well, we mixed up the parts but I do think it was the red one!  That is weird.

We will have to check this out in Orlando and, yes, getting enough batteries is a big expense!!!
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Jeremy McCreary

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Re: Robotic Regenerating Top Sets Guinness Record
« Reply #21 on: June 07, 2020, 10:14:07 AM »

Q: Does anyone recall if the set with 6 Toops also includes an arena or any magnetic wands?

Ok, I am having some fun with this.... I measured the nipple length...

Wondering if you've had occasion to make any more measurements in 7 years since this post?
« Last Edit: June 07, 2020, 10:24:21 AM by Jeremy McCreary »
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Art is how we decorate space, music is how we decorate time ... and with spinning tops, we decorate both.
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Jeremy McCreary

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Re: Robotic Regenerating Top Sets Guinness Record
« Reply #22 on: June 30, 2020, 03:22:25 PM »

Got my Toop starter set today, $22 from walmart.com. Love these things!

Set came with 2 tops, 2 magnetic control wands, and a really cheap battle arena. No batteries, but I'd much rather use my own rechargeable AAAs anyway. Eneloops fit perfectly.

Performance is quite good.  Max speed is more than adequate for all play modes, and wobble quite tolerable at all speeds. Build quality could be better, but the tops feel pretty durable.

Engineering is clever, especially with the aerodynamics, magnetic wand play, and battle excitement. Learned the hard way from making my own battle tops that it takes a lot of careful juggling and tuning to get an entertaining battle top. The main trade-offs involve spin rate, mass properties, ball tip radius, impact surface relief, steerability, and ability to survive blows from other tops. Collision violence, for example, depends strongly on both relief and remaining speed. The trick is to align all the sweet spots just so, and the designers did that nicely.

Apparently, you could once collect all 10 Toops. Each is tied to a video game-style personna with a unique trio of performance ratings in attack, defense, and energy. Not sure what these percentages really mean, if anthing. But I do know that you have to collect more Toops to get the highest performance ratings.

Or to get a Toop with a female personna. The 2 females have so-so performance ratings but more than make up for that with sky-high cleavage ratings to distract their opponents.

Having all 10 Toops on both sides would give the battle game Pokemon and rock-scissors-paper affinities. Guessing Beyblades is much the same.
« Last Edit: June 30, 2020, 04:34:41 PM by Jeremy McCreary »
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ta0

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Re: Robotic Regenerating Top Sets Guinness Record
« Reply #23 on: June 30, 2020, 05:29:07 PM »

Or to get a Toop with a female personna. The 2 females have so-so performance ratings but more than make up for that with sky-high cleavage ratings to distract their opponents.
That's too much tease. I had to search for my box  ;)

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« Last Edit: June 30, 2020, 05:42:32 PM by ta0 »
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Jeremy McCreary

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Re: Robotic Regenerating Top Sets Guinness Record
« Reply #24 on: June 30, 2020, 07:51:34 PM »

That's too much tease. I had to search for my box  ;)

You don't run into tops with cleavage every day. Not spinning tops, anyway. :D
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Jeremy McCreary

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Re: Robotic Regenerating Top Sets Guinness Record
« Reply #25 on: July 01, 2020, 12:52:18 AM »

The 2 Toops that came with my starter set...



Hope to find the 2 accessories shown. Guessing that the 4-blade prop boosts equilibrium body speed, and the Extreme Power Ring attachment increases hitting power.

Playing cards showing my Toops' personnas and performance ratings...



Why these women hang out with guys with such obvious anger management problems is beyond me...


« Last Edit: July 01, 2020, 01:07:44 AM by Jeremy McCreary »
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