[Help Thread] Big Cubes Discussion

[Fawn]

Hello, and welcome to the forum! As far as the 5x5 goes, do you know WCA notation? If you don't, it's pretty simple. Once you learn it, come back to this and do this:

Hold the cube so that the red center is on top in the same orientation you put in your post. Then do this:

(U Rw2 U' Rw2)2 U Rw2 U2 Rw2

The 2 after the parentheses means that you do that set of moves twice. I wish I could explain how to do it intuitively, but I'm terrible at explaining stuff.

BTW, please do not use instructions like R'and all that as I do not understand them. Thanks.

Sorry, I didn't notice that bit. I'll try to put in plain english, but prepare for a lengthy post soon...

So like I said, hold it so that the red center is on top in the same orientation. (As in, if you we're to look at it overhead, it would look the same as you wrote it.)

So here it is:

1. Turn the top face 90 degrees clockwise.
2. Turn the 2 rightmost layers 180 degrees.
3. Turn the top face 90 degrees counter-clockwise.
4. Turn the 2 rightmost layers by 180 degrees.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 one more time.
6. Turn the Top face 90 degrees clockwise.
7. Turn the 2 rightmost layers by 180 degrees.
8. Turn the top face by 180 degrees.
9. Finally, turn the 2 rightmost layers by 180 degrees.

That should be easier to understand.

 

[Lonely Parrot]

Hey Jim, Thanks for the help but it did not solve the last 2 centers but it is now like this:

O O X
X X X
X O O
--------------------------
X X X
X O O
O O O

 

[Fawn]

Hey Jim, Thanks for the help but it did not solve the last 2 centers but it is now like this:

O O X
X X X
X O O
--------------------------
X X X
X O O
O O O

Sorry it didn't work. I now realize that the solution I wrote was when I looked at the second configuration incorrectly. This time, hold it that the first configuration you wrote is on the front face of the cube, which means the second one will be in the back.

This solution is assuming that you are seeing them as opposite on the Y-axis. As in: If you put the cube on a flat surface with the first configuration on the front face, and then spun the cube by 180 degrees so you can see the second configuration, does that configuration look the same as you wrote it? If , do this: ( If not, look at the second solution I wrote)

1. Turn the front face 90 degrees clockwise.
2. Turn the 2 rightmost layers by 180 degrees.
2. Rotate the entire cube by 180 degrees, so that the back is now the front. (Note: when you rotate it, do it so that the top face remains in place; the way in I said it in the "flat surface" rotation).
3. Turn the now-front face 90 degrees counter-clockwise.
4. Rotate the entire cube back to it's original position.
5. Turn the 2 rightmost layers by 180 degrees.
6. Turn the front face 90 degrees clockwise.
7. Turn the 2 rightmost layers by 180 degrees.
8. Turn the front face 90 degrees clockwise.
9. Turn the 2 rightmost layers by 180 degrees.

If that's not the case, then I can assume that you are viewing them on the X-Axis, as in: If you put the cube on a table with the first configuration on the front face, picked it up, and made the cube do a 180-degree front flip (or backflip), does the second configuration appear exactly as you wrote it? If so, then the solution has only 1 difference:

1. As I mentioned, hole the cube so that the front face is exactly as you wrote the first configuration.
2. turn the back face by 180 degrees.
3. Perform the first solution that I wrote above in this post.

Hopefully I was more clear this time.

 

[Lonely Parrot]

I don't know if there is a mistake in what I am doing but the config is now like this:

OOX
OXX
XOX

------

OOO
XOX
XXO

this is when I flip it 180 degrees on the x axis

Sorry for giving you all this trouble

 

[Lonely Parrot]

Hey guys, I have this setting:

XXX
XXO
XXO

and

OOO
OOX
OOX
on opposite sides. how to solve it? without disturbing the other sides

these are the centers of a 5x5

 

[KevinG]

Hey guys, I have this setting:

XXX
XXO
XXO

and

OOO
OOX
OOX
on opposite sides. how to solve it? without disturbing the other sides

these are the centers of a 5x5

U r2 U r2 U' r2 U' r2

 

[TDM]

how to solve it? without disturbing the other sides

these are the centers of a 5x5

The best thing for you to do would be to learn notation and then find a tutorial.

 

[guysensei1]

Just wondering, how do the pro big-cubers lube their cubes? I can't seem to get lube to stay in the cube for more than 3 days. I was thinking of putting some high viscosity (weight 4 or 5) into the cube and working it in until its no longer gummy. So how do you guys do it?

 

[Ninja Storm]

Just wondering, how do the pro big-cubers lube their cubes? I can't seem to get lube to stay in the cube for more than 3 days. I was thinking of putting some high viscosity (weight 4 or 5) into the cube and working it in until its no longer gummy. So how do you guys do it?

(I'm probably not pro enough, but whatever.)

For my big cubes, I'll overlube it with a medium viscosity lube(weight 3) and will then work it in until the cube is good. The cube is nearly unturnable immediately after I put the lube in.

 

[guysensei1]

(I'm probably not pro enough, but whatever.)

For my big cubes, I'll overlube it with a medium viscosity lube(weight 3) and will then work it in until the cube is good. The cube is nearly unturnable immediately after I put the lube in.

You're pro enough for me!

I'll give your method a shot. Strange how I'm faster than you in 6x6 and yet your 7x7 times are 2 minutes faster than mine

 

[Ninja Storm]

You're pro enough for me!

I'll give your method a shot. Strange how I'm faster than you in 6x6 and yet your 7x7 times are 2 minutes faster than mine

I can count the 6x6 solves I've done this year on my fingers, that's probably why

6 of those were at Nationals.

 

[guysensei1]

Has anyone else noticed that their 6x6 times are EXTREMELY dependent on whether or not you lubed your cube recently?

When I lube my cube, I can get sub-3 averages, but 4-5 days later, I can't even get sub-3 singles...

 

[guysensei1]

Maybe it's just yau5, but I find that for certain cases while solving last 4 centers, I have to do R2 U R2 U R2 to pair up stuff, and on big cubes I have to regrip a lot. Any tips for this?

 

[IRNjuggle28]

Has anyone else noticed that their 6x6 times are EXTREMELY dependent on whether or not you lubed your cube recently?

I haven't noticed that simply because I never lube it. It doesn't surprise me, though. 6x6 cubes suck so much that any little bit of setup matters more. Most cubes work well enough to not detract from your times even if they aren't set up perfectly, but 6x6's sure don't.

Maybe it's just yau5, but I find that for certain cases while solving last 4 centers, I have to do R2 U R2 U R2 to pair up stuff, and on big cubes I have to regrip a lot. Any tips for this?

What centers method do you use? Do you solve one at a time like with reduction, or do you do something like this?

Either way, I can't think of anything particularly helpful other than try to solve cases in ways that maximize U2 and U' and minimize U. Try to eliminate U moves that you can't do with your left hand. Maybe work on a flick or a push to do U with your left hand, also? I've had no success with that on big cubes; I find flicks and pushes to only work on 3x3. But perhaps you'll find a way.

 

[guysensei1]

this?

This.


Yeah it's quite true that 6x6s are very sensitive. One time I lubed the core of some other cube with weight 5, I got a tiny bit of weight 5 on my fingers. When I assembled the 6x6 it gummed it up.

 

[IRNjuggle28]

This.

That's awesome... I thought really hard about picking Yau with that centers method, and I still sort of wish I had. I think it can be faster than reduction, and I wish more people were giving it a try.

If you're up for it, let's do some 6x6 or 7x7 on TTW. We're similar speeds on both. I think some races would be fun. I have to get my 6x6 working again first, though...

 

[guysensei1]

That's awesome... I thought really hard about picking Yau with that centers method, and I still sort of wish I had. I think it can be faster than reduction, and I wish more people were giving it a try.

If you're up for it, let's do some 6x6 or 7x7 on TTW. We're similar speeds on both. I think some races would be fun.

6x6 sure. 7x7... I still average 4:40. Not at your speed yet

 

[Please Dont Ask]

What are the splits for sub 1 4x4 using yau??

 

[supercavitation]

What are the splits for sub 1 4x4 using yau??

Jacob Hutnyk has a good video about that:

Spoiler: Video

 

[Rocky0701]

Hey, I have 2x2-5x5 and a 7x7, but have never had a 6x6. I just ordered one though. I was wondering, around what times should I expect to get? I average about 8:00 on 7x7 and 2:30 on 5x5. I was thinking around 4:00, but I am not sure. I know that it depends, but what would you guys say?