Fault: Unit needs to be opened for the purposes of cleaning or replacing the rotor support band.

Solution: Follow the following video links which will illustrate the two recommended ways to open the ball: 1) Using a Vise
2) Using the hand

Detailed Explanation: From time to time, you may find it of some benefit to be able to open your Powerball up... whether to give him a quick clean out or simply to replace a worn component inside.

The outer sphere shell is comprised of two separate halves, both of which have been precision manufactured to allow them "snap" perfectly together tightly without the need for glue or screws. (There are two screws on the circumference by the way, but these are more cosmetic than anything else and can be discarded if required without causing any harm to the ball afterward).

The fastest way of opening these halves once they have been joined is to squeeze them at the point at which they meet if this is done as shown in the links above or as recommended below, the two halves will "pop" audibly and establish themselves into such a position that you can grasp each half with your fingers and pull them apart with ease. You will easily see when you have been successful in this task as the gap between both halves (the little "valley" running all around the equator line of the ball into which the ridge of the rubber grip band locates), will have increased from approximately 3mm to 5mm.

Opening using the Vise:

The quickest way is to lift the rubber grip band slightly at exactly the points where there is no text (that is, at the junction of where the front and back text meets on both sides see fig A as you can see, there is just black space at these 2 points).

Fig A: Screw positions

This will expose the 2 tiny screws on each side without you having to go to the bother to take the band off completely (note: we recommend that you leave the band on the ball at all times while doing this exercise as it will help to protect the surface of the sphere from being scratched)

Fig B: Screws exposed by lifting grip-band

Remove these screws and put them to one side.

Remove the digital counter or hard plastic cap (depending on the model powerball you own both of these items are attached to the sphere by means of 2 solid plastic clips at their 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions and can be prised off easily by using your nail or a flat headed screwdriver at the end just above where the two holes for the wrist cord are on the spheres body as in Fig C. a quick upward motion will remove it easily.

Fig C: Digital counter

Once you have removed the counter or cap, please take the rotor and ensure that either end of the metal axle is pointing down toward those two holes in the spheres surface as in Fig D  this is important as it will ensure that when you are squeezing the sphere in the vise that you do not warp the axle with the pressure. The positions of the screw holes are indicated in the image below.

Fig D: Rotor aligned with screw holes

Now, take the Powerball and put him into the vise (fig D) with the jaws of the [vise] resting against these 'blank' areas on the band (where you have just removed the screws from).

Put the ball down into the vise so that the exact middle or 'equator' of the sphere is sitting snugly in the middle of the jaw surface. Gently close the vise to a point where the ball is now firmly supported. At this point, depending on what kind of a vise you it will literally take just an extra 1/2 turn to maybe a full turn (if the vise gearing is different to our own), and you will hear that 'pop' I am referring to.

Fig E: Powerball sitting in a bench vise

In truth, if your vise is really different to ours, it doesn't matter, just turn the handle until you hear the 'pop' - the material in your Powerball is extremely strong and will flex considerably before it breaks so don't worry about causing harm - you won't unless you are deliberately setting out to crush the little guy in there!

Once you hear the "pop", take him out and you will now be able to manually separate the 2 halves.

Do the work required and when ready simply press the two halves together with your hands - it will 'snap' back together and your work is done.

Opening using your hand:

Once again, lift the rubber grip band slightly at exactly the points where there is no text (that is, at the junction of where the front and back text meets on both sides see Fig 1A as you can see, there is just a blank space at these 2 points).

Fig 1A: Screw positions

This will expose the 2 tiny screws on each side without you having to go to the bother to take the band off completely (note: we recommend that you leave the band on the ball at all times while doing this exercise as it will help to protect the surface of the sphere from being scratched)

Fig 2B: Screws exposed by lifting grip-band

Remove these screws and put them to one side.

Remove the digital counter or hard plastic cap (depending on the model powerball you own both of these items are attached to the sphere by means of 2 solid plastic clips at their 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions and can be prised off easily by using your nail or a flat headed screwdriver at the end just above where the two holes for the wrist cord are on the spheres body as in Fig 2C. a quick upward motion will remove it easily.

Fig C: Digital counter

Once you have removed the counter or cap, please take the rotor and ensure that either end of the metal axle is pointing down toward those two holes in the spheres surface as in Fig 2D this will keep the axle in a suitable position for what happens next. Take the Powerball and position it so that one of the empty screw holes is sitting on a hard surface such as a table or solid bench. Please leave the grip band on during this process.

Fig D: Rotor aligned with screw holes

The remaining empty screw hole will now be facing the ceiling.

Holding the ball with one hand, curl up your other hand into a fist and slam it down onto this [empty] screw hole like as if you were angry and were slamming your hand on the desk!! (using the soft under part of the hand as opposed to the knuckles!) please refer to Fig 2E.

Fig 2E: Opening the ball with your hand

This is a similar action to using a vise and should see the two halves 'pop' slightly apart allowing you to open them with your hand thereafter one smart "slap" is all that it takes.

Disclaimer: please be careful about how hard you hit the ball! It is important that you do not hurt or damage your hand in the process!

Finally, if you have superhuman strength like Akis (our World record holder!) you will actually be able to pop open your Powerball by simply squeezing him together between your hands and locking your fingers. I have seen him do this but am unable to master the technique myself!

Reason: It is likely that there is foreign matter/dirt on the internal surface area of the sphere over which the rotor support band is sitting

Solution: Open the sphere shell and clean the internal surface areas.

Detailed Explanation: When you first take the ball from its box, you will note the perfectly fluid and silky action with which it operates - the rotor whirr's away and there is no noise, (bar that glorious 'jet fighter' sound as the speed increases..!)

After a few weeks of use however, this lovely fluid movement and silent rotation can end up being replaced by a noisy, gravely movement, which, although still yielding out much the same torque, doesn't offer as much pleasure of use as from when it was new and you probably wonder just what might be wrong with it all?

Well, there are two likely causes for this;

1. The ball is being used in a dusty environment and/or is being discarded on a carpet/fibre based surface which is allowing it to ingest fibres/foreign matter into the rotor support band cavity during use. Other examples of this is where the user is choosing to start the ball by running the rotor along a trouser leg.
   
   While not causing an immediate negative result, the effects of this are cumulative and will harm the friction/smoothness of the ball in the long term - the practice is best avoided.
2. Using the ball for prolonged periods without properly supporting the sphere while the rotor is in motion.

This is the most common cause of the rough sounding Powerball.

A perfect example is as follows;

The Powerballer takes the speed of his gyro up to, say, 12,000rpm.

Having been suitably pulverized by the inertia coming from the ball at such speeds (particularly if you are new to the sport and haven’t yet developed the strength and stamina required to control the ball at these speeds), the hand/ wrist/ arm of our Powerballing friend quickly become tired causing him to back off the run while simultaneously easing his firm grip on the sphere.

Now, despite the fact that the rotor itself is absolutely perfect in its balance, it is still putting out considerable inertia as it slows down. This 'gyroscopic torque' is transmitted directly into the outer sphere, which is now sitting quite loosely in the Powerballers hand and begins to resonate or shake in sympathy with the slowing rotor (which itself will begin to 'jarr' or grate inside the sphere...making that awful rattling noise as the speed is violently scrubbed off as a result!).

The rotor is supported on a hardened steel axle which itself sits into a smooth polycarbonate support ring - this support ring is then sandwiched in between the lips of the two halves of the outer sphere - in a cavity of about 5 mm in height (this cavity, by the way, is what allows that 'play' in the rotor when the ball is stationary). 

Each time the ball is allowed to slow down in this 'unsupported' manner and makes that grating noise as a result, tiny fragments of plastic are shed from that support band as it revolves around inside which, over a period of time will eventually cause that rough noise you are currently hearing in those older or incorrectly used balls.

In this instance, what can also happen is that the metal axle - rotor support band) will begin to enlarge the hole(s) in the plastic rotor support band from perfect circles into larger oval shaped holes which results in an unpleasant play in the rotor and helps to slightly reduce the overall speed it can achieve.

The key, therefore, is to keep a firm grip on your Powerball at all times during which the rotor is spinning.

There are several solutions to cure the problem:

1. Get a high pressure air source, remove the counter and while the rotor is spinning at around 5k, blast the air jet into the top of the ball - this will serve to dislodge the plastic dust that has built up inside the cavity.
2. Remove the counter and submerge the ball in warm water (make sure there is no soap or contaminants in the water) - rotate the rotor several times to agitate the internal surfaces and help dispel any foreign matter. Remove the ball and all to dry over a radiator - it will speed up the process if you spin the rotor as normal.
3. 3. Open the sphere (using the following technique) and carefully clean all the inner surfaces with a soft dry cloth.

(NOTE, Your Powerball should never be lubricated.... ever! That will kill it instantly!)

Reason: You have been overtraining with the sphere (see also "My Powerball won’t spin past 5000rpm")

Solution: Reduce your training sessions either in volume or duration.

Detailed Explanation: Like any form of exercise, it is easily possible to overtrain with your Powerball.

In truth, there is no specific [training] schedule timeframe that we can recommend each day; our simple advise is to never exceed your own abilities on the splendid sphere.

Each user is unique and will be able to tolerate a longer or shorter training schedule than another. (Speed ability is not linked to physical arm size either though it does help to have substantial arms and wrists when seeking those elusive high scores.)

For example, we ourselves have regularly spent up to 9 hours each day, from Thursday to Sunday, spinning furiously while demonstrating Powerball at a show without suffering any discomfort or harmful side effect.

Indeed, from my own personal experience, I have always managed my very best scoring during such events on the very last day as my arms, traditionally used to a mere 10-15 minutes work on the sphere each day while sitting in front of my computer, firm up nicely as a result of the hammering received over the 9hr days.

On the contrary, several colleagues will be ready to have their arms amputated on these final days and will be posting miserable scores, sometimes up to 25% less than their personal bests!

If you are finding yourself in a position whereby you have achieved a 13k score and now, a couple of days later, you are struggling to hit 11k or 12k then it is our advice that you take a break from the all out score efforts and settle into some endurance work where you run the ball for sessions of up to 10 minutes at perhaps 60% - 70% of your personal best... after one week of this training, we recommend a 1-2 day break from the ball entirely followed by a "hot" session where you really go all out for a good score! Following this simple routine will yield new personal bests for 95% of players.

Reason: The oil has instantly destroyed the internal friction in your Powerball and friction between the rotor support band and the internal sphere surface is that one vital characteristic which helps to convert your wrist action into rotor speed!

Solution: Open the Powerball and clean ALL component surface areas with a pure isopropyl alcohol solution.

Detailed Explanation: The principle of operation on your Powerball is based on the resistance that occurs between the rotor support band and the surface of the inner sphere in which it resides - if this resistance is minimised by even a tiny application of oil then the ball will no longer respond to your wrist movements and rotor will spin lifelessly inside the sphere (generally going nowhere and making you very frustrated indeed!)

If something like this has occurred then you've got to open the ball up (as indicated here) and take it apart to base component level; get some pure alcohol and start cleaning each and every component surface but paying particular attention to the entire rotor support ring and the actual surface areas on the inner sphere on which the rotor support band sits. Make sure you use a pure, non solvent solution (preferably alcohol based to ensure that it evaporates after the process and leaves no residues behind) otherwise you will melt the surface areas.

So I repeat...no oil...ever!

Reason: The friction between the rotor support band and the internal surface of the sphere shell has been damaged / altered in some way.

Solution: Open the sphere shell and clean all inner surfaces

Detailed Explanation: Every new Powerball has a perfect ‘bite’ - that almost perfect resistance to your efforts you’ll feel as the rotor support band revolves smoothly around the internal platform on which it sits, driving the rotor speed ever higher with each turn.

If you use the Powerball correctly and as instructed, maintaining a firm grip on the ball at all times during which the rotor is spinning, then this perfect resistance will remain for many years.

If, however, you fail to grip the ball FIRMLY during use, then the outer sphere shell will be free to resonate in sympathy with the fierce inertia being generated by the fast spinning, perfectly balanced rotor (this is not a flaw in the ball by the way), a process which has a very negative effect on the actual rotor support band (the white polycarbonate ring which fits around the rotor inside the sphere) and one which will cause minor wear on the band every time this occurs.

The result of this wear can be seen as a thin layer of very fine plastic ‘powder’ which, over time, will coat the internal platter on which the rotor support band sits and adversely affect the perfect frictional resistance between the band and the sphere surface, ultimately causing a reduction in the overall speeds achievable on the ball.

Fig A: Dust from the rotor support band on the lower sphere half

(This dust deposit can begin to take place after only a few short days of use, again, depending on how the ball is operated, so product age is often immaterial)

Worse still, the lovely creamy movement of the ball will diminish and you’ll be left with a ball which feels slightly rougher and is certainly noisier than it otherwise should be.

At the most extreme end of this fault spectrum, the worst possible scenario is that, over time, the metal axle of the rotor will end up literally ‘vulcanising’ this plastic dust down into the surface of the inner sphere as it spins around with each turn, thus altering dramatically, the perfect surface harmony and therefore the overall frictional resistance between the rotor support band and the sphere and killing any opportunity to achieve a decent speed on the ball in the future.

In such cases, you will be left with a ball which almost feels as if it has been oiled inside (a definite no no!!) and which will yield miserable scores (often less than 5000rpm!) to even the most skilled operators.

If you have been guilty of operating the ball while not keeping it firmly gripped at all times then the cure for this problem is actually quite simple;

Open the ball up (using the following guidelines) and give all inner surfaces a good clean with a soft, dry cloth - this will give an instant performance boost.

Fig B: Use a soft dry cloth to clean the inner parts

In extreme cases, (generally in older balls, where this condition has been allowed to prosper unchecked for a lengthy period) where the surface area has become embedded/pitted with the resulting plastic shrapnel from the support band, a very fine sandpaper rubbed over the platter surface will also help to rejuvenate the ball’s performance in an instant (P180 grade sandpaper or even a fine emery paper)

Finally, please be advised that the same performance deterioration may also result from the ingression of foreign matter into the sphere via the exposed area on the base of the ball over time - dust, carpet/clothing fibre, tips of cords etc. these can all be ingested into the chamber in which the rotor support band rotates and cause an alteration in the frictional relationship between the rotor support band and the sphere and cause a significant drop off in speed.

Once again, if this is found to be the case, simply open the sphere shell and clean all surface areas - this should return the ball to factory condition after a few spins (you may find performance slightly down on previous top speeds while the parts begin to 'bed' in once again but this will be seen to quickly improve after a few short sessions)

Fault: The grip band has become stretched or oiled and slides up on the sphere once the rotor speed builds to a high level.

Solution: Wash the grip band in warm detergent based water.

Detailed Explanation: Using a Powerball over an extended period of time can result in the [otherwise tight] rubber grip band which runs around the spheres equator becoming loose and sloppy.

Whether this actually happens (or not!) is based on;

1. How sweaty your hands are in general
2. How powerful your actual grip is

If your hands are naturally clammy/sweaty then, over time, these body oils will penetrate the band and cause it to loosen its otherwise sticky grip on the surface of the sphere. If this does occur on your Powerball then the simple solution is to remove the band and put it into the clothes machine with the next wash or into a sink of hot water with some grease eating washing up liquid. You need to retrieve the nice, "sticky" characteristic it had when new!

Likewise, if your general grip is poor (this will improve by using the Powerball by the way!) then you will find that the ball squirms and wriggles in your hand as the inertia builds, causing the grip band to slip upward or downward on the sphere.

Over time, this will serve to loosen the tightness of the band and it will become sloppy in its ability to fasten itself to the sphere's surface.

Once again, a quick boil in the washing machine will return the band to its original tight state!