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[Member Intro] Hello, may I introduce myself?

CubeExplorer

Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2021
Messages
41
Location
Top of the Hill
Hi everyone,

Few weeks ago I found an old cube in a big box of toys I keep ready for my grandchildren. I wondered wether I can solve the thing and searched for an instruction. The beginners method worked but it made me curious to understand what really happens, when I turn the faces of the cube. I just need to look at it and see what is going on. Thats what I thought. But far wrong. I look, I see and get confused. It made me even more courios and I want to understand more. Something working in front of me and I do not understand how it happens is extremely dissatisfying to me. I wanted to explore.

I looked around, and found this forum. I chose the Nick "CubeExplorer" before I saw there is a Program named Cube Explorer by Herbert Kociemba. This coincidence is a honour to me.

Now I am doing the cube with beginners method and got below 3 Minutes. Speed does not matter for me but I like to move the parts fluently so I experiment with the fingering like I did on guitar decades ago. This is slowing me down currently but it will pay back. I want to do the moves subconsciously to get my mind free for watching and thinking of strategy and tactics in the progress of the current solution. In the Beginners Method I use some streamlineing to avoid too many repetitions of maneuvers.

Im an old tinkerer and retired mechanical professional. Its interesting to look inside the cubes. The plastic parts are of high quality. My old cube is some 40 years old. There has been substantial development. But the new ones I bought recently, have severe drawbacks built in. No washers beneath the springs and sharp burrs at the springs ends. They carve into the plastic and will lead bad usability after a short time and to self destruction over the years, if the user does not stop using them in disappointment. To avoid this, it is not necessary do buy a "flagship" - a little service to the simple cube is sufficient. No magnetic suspension is necessary, the springs are perfect, if the construction and the treatment are done well.

What I find really interesting ist the mathematics of permutation behind the cube. I havent been in contact with this part of math for decades, so I have to learn a lot again. Jamie Mulholland wrote this wonderful book. He is a great didactic professional and the lectures help a lot. For exploration I use SAGE and Cube Explorer. In Sage I see the algebra and in CE I have pictures of the corresponding Cubes.

Im looking forward to an interesting exchange of experiences, knowledge and ideas.
 
Last edited:

Eli Apperson

Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2021
Messages
1,336
Location
Las Vegas, NV
WCA
2022APPE01
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Im an old tinkerer and retired mechanical professional. Its interesting to look inside the cubes. The plastic parts are of high quality. My old cube is some 40 years old. There has been substantial development. But the new ones I bought recently, have severe drawbacks built in. No washers beneath the springs and sharp burrs at the springs ends. They carve into the plastic and will lead bad usability after a short time and to self destruction over the years, if the user does not stop using them in disappointment.

Welcome! Just saying, most cubes without washers will last for thousands of solves, and will be just fine if you are not going for speed. The pressure from the spring is not enough to seriously deteriorate the plastic in the center.
 

CubeExplorer

Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2021
Messages
41
Location
Top of the Hill
Just saying, most cubes without washers will last for thousands of solves, and will be just fine if you are not going for speed.
Then we have a very different perception of what is "just fine". I do not accept a noisy and jumpy mechanism, when I can have a thing working silently, smoothly and that reacts precisely to my touch.
 

Eli Apperson

Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2021
Messages
1,336
Location
Las Vegas, NV
WCA
2022APPE01
YouTube
Visit Channel
Then we have a very different perception of what is "just fine". I do not accept a noisy and jumpy mechanism, when I can have a thing working silently, smoothly and that reacts precisely to my touch.
Do you have a problem with the spring itself, or the performance? As far as noise goes, a bit of silicone lubricant will fix any spring noise.
 

CubeExplorer

Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2021
Messages
41
Location
Top of the Hill
Ok. All I'm trying to say is a 40 year old Rubik's brand is not up to the same level as flagships. It does not matter how much you change it, cubes like the Dayan tengyun and WR M's are simply more effortless and smooth.
What are you talking about? The mechanical properties of the 40 years old cube were not at all the subject in my posting. I mentioned my opinion about this: "But the new ones I bought recently, have severe drawbacks built in." How I corrected the mechanical faults successfully I did write in another thread. So it is unnecessary to discuss technical details here. This is an introduction thread.
 

abunickabhi

Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
6,706
Location
Yo
WCA
2013GHOD01
YouTube
Visit Channel
Hi everyone,

Few weeks ago I found an old cube in a big box of toys I keep ready for my grandchildren. I wondered wether I can solve the thing and searched for an instruction. The beginners method worked but it made me curious to understand what really happens, when I turn the faces of the cube. I just need to look at it and see what is going on. Thats what I thought. But far wrong. I look, I see and get confused. It made me even more courios and I want to understand more. Something working in front of me and I do not understand how it happens is extremely dissatisfying to me. I wanted to explore.

I looked around, and found this forum. I chose the Nick "CubeExplorer" before I saw there is a Program named Cube Explorer by Herbert Kociemba. This coincidence is a honour to me.

Now I am doing the cube with beginners method and got below 3 Minutes. Speed does not matter for me but I like to move the parts fluently so I experiment with the fingering like I did on guitar decades ago. This is slowing me down currently but it will pay back. I want to do the moves subconsciously to get my mind free for watching and thinking of strategy and tactics in the progress of the current solution. In the Beginners Method I use some streamlineing to avoid too many repetitions of maneuvers.

Im an old tinkerer and retired mechanical professional. Its interesting to look inside the cubes. The plastic parts are of high quality. My old cube is some 40 years old. There has been substantial development. But the new ones I bought recently, have severe drawbacks built in. No washers beneath the springs and sharp burrs at the springs ends. They carve into the plastic and will lead bad usability after a short time and to self destruction over the years, if the user does not stop using them in disappointment. To avoid this, it is not necessary do buy a "flagship" - a little service to the simple cube is sufficient. No magnetic suspension is necessary, the springs are perfect, if the construction and the treatment are done well.

What I find really interesting ist the mathematics of permutation behind the cube. I havent been in contact with this part of math for decades, so I have to learn a lot again. Jamie Mulholland wrote this wonderful book. He is a great didactic professional and the lectures help a lot. For exploration I use SAGE and Cube Explorer. In Sage I see the algebra and in CE I have pictures of the corresponding Cubes.

Im looking forward to an interesting exchange of experiences, knowledge and ideas.
Hello there and welcome.

I hope you can find lots of interesting cubing ideas here.
 
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