Older cubers discussions

[pglewis]

@pglewis, @Selkie, @mafergut ... I can definitely say that the Thunderclap springs in the Yuxin Blue transforms the cube into the best 4x4 for me. Out of the box the cube is rubbish, but with the TC springs it's absolutely amazing. It is now my main over the MeiYue and Mini Aosu. I've done a lot of solves over the last 3 or so weeks of having the cube and have not had a single pop ... not one. I can't get through 2 or 3 solves with my mini Aosu without a pop. The MeiYu pops around every 10 solves or so. If you have a TC and a Yuxin Blue ... swap the springs.

My Yuxin isn't the Blue but the bigger 62mm, but I have two sets of TC springs coming from the Cubicle anyway. I figure I'll give it a shot and see; I'm not sure how much I'll use the Yuxin without some tinkering, it just doesn't want to break-in as nicely as the G4 did on its own even though it turned much better than the G4 did out of the box.

The other set of TC springs might go in my Mars just to see. It's a perfectly functional cube as is, but who knows.

 

[Selkie]

number of times: 100/100
best time: 3.07
worst time: 11.92

current avg5: 7.46 (σ = 0.22)
best avg5: 5.92 (σ = 0.34)

current avg12: 7.79 (σ = 0.62)
best avg12: 6.56 (σ = 0.82)

current avg100: 7.29 (σ = 1.02)
best avg100: 7.29 (σ = 1.02)

What a difference a bit of practice has! Same PB single time on both but the ao100 is 0.6 seconds faster.

2x2
number of times: 100/100
best time: 3.07
worst time: 10.49

current avg5: 6.68 (σ = 0.19)
best avg5: 5.11 (σ = 0.54)

current avg12: 6.54 (σ = 0.67)
best avg12: 5.88 (σ = 1.02)

current avg100: 6.67 (σ = 1.05)
best avg100: 6.67 (σ = 1.05)

@earth2dan - Nice F2L video, think I will be using a few of those after UKC.

@pglewis - The spring swap I heard of was for the blue 4x4 but if I were you I would go for it. Don't know till you try

 

[defhacks]

I've been using this for a long time. I think I learned it from one of Chris Olsens's F2L videos. If you haven't seen them he has some really great F2L algs that are good alternatives to intuitive F2L. Some are too fancy for me but some are pure gold.

I totally agree on both accounts, the pure gold, and the too fancy. I think that particular F2L trick I initially picked up from this video (starts at 2:30).

I think Collin's video tends towards the less fancy and more towards just efficient F2L algs. He's also my role model for sledgehammer execution.

edit: unrelated to f2l, but I'm also a thumbs-up on "Cracking the Cube"

 

[pglewis]

@defhacks: added Collin's vid to my pile now as well. I think I picked up the sledge on the upside-down pair from one of CrazyBadCuber's misc F2L vids. There outta be one definitive place for lots of F2L tricks!

 

[mark49152]

There outta be one definitive place for lots of F2L tricks!

www.algdb.net

 

[mark49152]

Some competition woes for your amusement...

 

[h2f]

Some competition woes for your amusement...

It's hard for me to "like it". I know how it hurts:

 

[Logiqx]

Some competition woes for your amusement...

Painful to watch. I can't press "like" in response.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[Selkie]

@mark49152 Ouch mate those are painful. The 4x4 is tricky as it could be internal mech and if it isnt any rough handling could make it internal pop. The 5x5 I would have slammed on the mat on the bottom face = fixed. Who can tell I am a lazy turner and get many lockups I had a 6x6 internal mech pop at a comp in Weston-super-Mare 4 years ago, luckily I deleted the video long ago Fingers crossed none at UKC my friend

 

[mark49152]

@h2f, those cubes hate us sometimes.

@Selkie, I do a lot of table smacking for minor locks and misalignment, but those were jammed solid. Centres had swapped places on the 5x5. On the 4x4, one of the centres had twisted 90 degrees in place.

I blame myself for these, because I lubed these cubes a couple of days before the comp. They had been fine for months but after lubing felt looser and more prone to pops even before these rounds. I had already had to reassemble the 4x4 earlier in the day after an explosion. Moral of the story: don't mess with your cube setup too close to a comp.

 

[Selkie]

@mark49152 - Yeah only thing I do at comp is use Maru Lube. I do not usually use it any other time and consider it 24 hour go faster juice Got a mammoth bottle with me for UKC (100ml). You should try one of my cubes before and after Maru is applied.

 

[mark49152]

@Selkie, yes I have Maru. What I used was 10k shock oil. I expected the same effect - go faster juice. My suspicion is that it loosened up some thicker lube deep inside that was helping to stabilise the cubes.

 

[mafergut]

It really, really hurts. Those were pretty hard cube lockups, my friend. and I hate when it happens in the middle of an alg, like a parity because then, even if the lockup can be quickly fixed, I don't know how to continue solving and the cube is all messed up, as it happened on your 4x4 solve

 

[muchacho]

Ao12 PB: 18.177 (was 18.293)

It could have been 17.993 if I had not DNFed the next solve by stopping the timer with the cube being an M' away from being solved

Spoiler

31378 03-nov-2016 12:39:41 00:18.071 U R2 U B2 U' R2 L2 D' F2 D2 U' F' U L2 U' B2 L2 F L' F2 U2
31377 03-nov-2016 12:39:02 00:16.943 U2 L2 D B2 D' R2 L2 D' B2 D2 F U B2 R F2 R' F D' F' U'
31376 03-nov-2016 12:38:12 00:22.022 L2 D F2 R2 D2 L2 U' R2 F2 D U L F' D2 U2 R' L' B2 L' D' F D2
31375 03-nov-2016 12:37:18 00:19.671 L2 B2 U' R2 B2 R2 D' R2 D2 B2 U' F' D' R F2 U' L2 F D L2 U
31374 03-nov-2016 12:36:40 00:13.662 F2 U' R2 U' R2 B2 D2 U L2 B2 D B' R2 B F' D R2 F L' U'
31373 03-nov-2016 12:35:56 00:18.197 D L2 U F2 L2 B2 D2 L2 U2 R2 D L' D U R F2 U2 F U2 R L'
31372 03-nov-2016 12:35:18 00:17.087 R2 U B2 R2 L2 U' B2 D2 R2 B2 R2 B' L D' R2 D' L2 B' R L2 D2
31371 03-nov-2016 12:34:34 00:20.183 B2 U' R2 U R2 B2 R2 D U2 B2 U' L B' R D2 L' F2 U2 L F L2 U'
31370 03-nov-2016 12:33:52 00:15.735 L2 F2 U' B2 U R2 U2 L2 D' U2 B R' F2 L' U' F' U' F
31369 03-nov-2016 12:33:14 00:15.991 B2 D2 B2 D B2 D R2 D B2 D' U2 R U2 F U2 R2 U L D B U2 L2
31368 03-nov-2016 12:32:33 00:17.877 D' L2 F2 D2 U L2 U' B2 L2 F2 D2 B' U R2 L' U2 F' D2 L2 B' L2 U'
31367 03-nov-2016 12:31:47 00:22.423 F2 L2 F2 R2 U' F2 U' L2 U2 L2 D2 F R2 L F' R' U' R' B2 R F' U'

edit: 2:13 first square-1 solve

 

[Selkie]

Been sent a sneaky preview of my UKCA jacket ready for collection at UKC

 

[One Wheel]

edit: 2:13 first square-1 solve

Nice! I did my first timed square-1 solve two days ago, I think it was about 6:13. I've gotten as low as I think a 2:15 single since then. I could do better if I learned a couple more algs, and could reliably remember my EO alg.

 

[muchacho]

Nice to see more square-1 solvers. I'm liking square-1 so far.

I've learned only 4 algs (I use this method: http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/threads/bristol-spring-2010.18217/page-42#post-353378)... but I'm not sure how to use the parity alg, because it permute 2 opposite edges on top but also the 4 on the bottom, I can finish the solve from there (than solve took me 3:32) but I'm sure that's not the way it should work. Maybe I'm supposed to detect parity before the last steps... @Lid @Selkie help!

 

[One Wheel]

Nice to see more square-1 solvers. I'm liking square-1 so far.

I've learned only 4 algs (I use this method: http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/threads/bristol-spring-2010.18217/page-42#post-353378)... but I'm not sure how to use the parity alg, because it permute 2 opposite edges on top but also the 4 on the bottom, I can finish the solve from there (than solve took me 3:32) but I'm sure that's not the way it should work. Maybe I'm supposed to detect parity before the last steps... @Lid @Selkie help!

The parity alg I use only switches the UF and UB edges:
/(3,3)/(1,0)/(-2,-2)/(2,0)/(2,2)/(-1,0)/(-3,-3)/(-2,0)/(3,3)/(3,0)/(-1,-1)/(-3,0)/(1,1)/(-4,-3).

I don't remember exactly where I got it: a website that comes up when you Google how to solve a square-1, or a related term.

 

[muchacho]

That looks so long and scary, I'll try to make mine work... or I'll use this one I've just found in http://www.cubezone.be/square1step5.html:
(UR UL)
/ (3,3) / (-1,0) / (2,-4) / (4,-2) / (0,-2) / (-4,2) / (1,-5) / (3,0) / (3,3) / (3,0)

 

[h2f]

I was thinking about doing some sq1 solves too. I've learnt some algs from pdf document on this forum - U perms both down and up, H perm and Zperm - and few algs from badmephisto page. For the shape making I follow the intuition and Brandon Lin tutorial.

Have you seen Lid's page: http://hem.bredband.net/_zlv_/rubiks/?