Speedsolving.com Wiki - User contributions [en]

Petaminx

2012-02-11T10:11:59Z

Tuppe: Added petaminx image

[[File:Petaminx.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Petaminx]]
The ultimate in the *minx family, one layer larger than the [[Teraminx]] on each face. Consisting of 4 layers

== See Also ==
* [[Megaminx]]
* [[Gigaminx]]
* [[Teraminx]]
* [[Pyraminx]]

[[category:Twisty Puzzles]]
[[Category:Cubing Terminology]]

{{Stub}}

File:Petaminx.jpg

2012-02-11T10:11:12Z

Tuppe:

Megaminx

2012-02-11T10:06:46Z

Tuppe: Added image to article

[[File:Megaminx.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Megaminx]]
The '''Megaminx''' is a [[puzzle]] in the shape of a dodecahedron that was first produced by [[Uwe Meffert]], who has the rights to some of the patents. Each of the 12 sides consists of one pentagonal fixed center, five triangular edge pieces and five corner pieces. The corner and edge pieces are arranged in a five-pointed star pattern. A variant where the cuts are a little deeper, so that each face has a five-pointed star on it, is known as the Hungarian Supernova, but since it is similar these names are often interchanged.

The way the Megaminx functions is very similar to the [[3x3x3]]: it has fixed centers, edges with two orientations, and corners with three orientations, and each turn moves the same number of edges and corners. Because of this it can be (and usually is) solved with a variant on a 3x3x3 method, either by placing edges and then corner/edge pairs (like the [[Fridrich method]]) or simply building a series of [[Block_building|block]]s (like the [[Petrus method]]). It is also possible to finish using some [[OLL]] and [[PLL]] algorithms. The biggest difference from the 3x3 is that slice moves are not possible and therefore methods that solves edges preserving corners are having much longer algorithms.

== Brands ==

* [[Meffert's Megaminx]]
* [[QJ Megaminx]]
* [[MF8 Megaminx]]
* [[Chinaminx]]
* [[PVC Megaminx]]

==See also:==
* [[Meffert's Megaminx]] (brand)
* [[Megaminx Speedsolving Methods]]
* [[Megaminx Notation]]
* [[Gigaminx]]
* [[Teraminx]]
* [[Petaminx]]
* [[Pyraminx]]
* [[Pyraminx Crystal]]

==External links:==
* {{WP}}
[[category:Megaminx]]
[[category:Meffert's Puzzles]]
[[category:Twisty Puzzles]]
[[Category:Cubing Terminology]]

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Introduction to Speedcubing for Beginners

2012-02-07T19:47:11Z

Tuppe: Added Focalprice and Goodluckbuy. Amazing sites with HUGE range of puzzles

This guide will give you a small introduction to [[speedcubing]].

If you are new to this sport, you will find out there is a lot of information available.. If you are dazzled about the amount of information, just take it one step at a time.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

=== What is the Rubik's Cube? ===

The Rubik's Cube is a puzzle, invented by Erno Rubik in 1974. In 1980, the Cube was marketed world-wide, and 200 million of them were sold. Here you can see what a Rubik's Cube looks like.

=== What is speedcubing? ===

Speedcubing is the art of solving Rubik's Cube (and other twisty puzzles) as fast as possible. I think most people would also say that speedcubing is more than that: Other disciplines, such as one handed cubing or blindfold cubing can also be called "speedcubing".

=== How can I solve the cube? ===

If you are a beginner, there are a lot of websites available that will explain how to solve the [[3x3x3 cube]] in an easy way. (**Please note that there are many different ways to solve the cube. Some of these links will describe different methods**)
[http://peter.stillhq.com/jasmine/rubikscubesolution.html Andy Camann]
[http://grrroux.free.fr/begin/Begin.html Gilles Roux]
[http://www.solvethecube.co.uk/ Joel van Noort]
[http://www.its.caltech.edu/%7Eleyanlo/cube_solution.pdf Leyan Lo]
[http://pjkcubed.com/rubiks-cube-beginners-guide.html Patrick Kelly]
[http://jeays.net/rubiks.htm Mark Jeays]
[http://cube.crider.co.uk/beginner.html Conrad Rider]

=== How does the notation system work? ===

The cube has six sides: Front, Back, Left, Right, Upper and Down (F, B, L, R U and D). A single letter represents a clockwise turn of that face. For this, imagine that every side has an image of a clock on it, and a 90 degree clockwise turn has to go in the same direction as that clock. It might take a while to get used to this, because for the B face, from the perspective of the person holding the cube, a clockwise turn looks like a counterclockwise turn in a way... But after using this system for a while, you will get used to it. A single letter followed by a ' represents a counterclockwise turn of that face. A single letter followed by a 2 represents a 180 degree turn of that face. In that case, the direction of the turn doesn't matter. Many cubers use other notation. Further explanation of symbols can be found on the [[notation]] page.

=== My cube is very stiff... What can I do to make it run smoother? ===

There are a lot of cubes out there that are recommended for speedcubing. However, most cubes will get looser by simply using them very often. Some cubes allow you to take off the center-caps and fine-tune the tension of the screws and springs. By turning the screws, you can make the cube a bit more loose, by turning the springs you can adjust tension with how each side turns. Another idea is to lube your cube with silicone spray. You should be careful with this, because some lubricants can be quite aggressive for your cube. If it say's "WD-40" anywhere on your lubricant, DONT use it to lube your cube. You can read more about [[Lubrication]] on the main article on it.

Making the cube physically smoother requires more effort. One popular method is to sand the pieces and internal mechanism. This can be done by putting the cube in sand, (thus letting multiple grains get trapped in the internal mechanism) and solving the cube multiple times therefore sanding the cube internally. Once the cube has been solved numerous times, the cube must be washed out and cleaned of all sand and cube dust the sand may have left behind.

=== How can I "open"/take apart my cube? ===

You can turn one of the faces 45 degrees, and try to POP out one of the edge pieces, as shown in this picture: http://www.speedcubing.com/ton/3x3x3_dis.JPG. You should be careful with this. With extremely stiff cubes this doesn't work.

=== Where can I learn those fingertricks? ===

There aren't many websites that really have a section about finger tricks. On [http://solvethecube.110mb.com this page], I have one tutorial that explains the basic finger tricks, and gives a few examples. (click tutorials, and search for the "Fingertricks" tutorial). There are some websites with videos that show you how to perform algorithms. www.cubewhiz.com provides algorithms with videos. This can give you an idea about how to execute certain combinations of moves. www.strangepuzzle.com hosts a lot of speedcubing videos. These videos are really fast, but it can give you some inspiration. After watching all these videos for a while, you will probably start doing your own tricks.

=== What is the best method for speedsolving the Cube? ===

I honestly don't know... I wish I knew! I don't really think there is a "best method". I think you should just find a speedcubing method that feels right for you. Below this FAQ, you will find a list of links. Some of them link to popular speedcubing methods. However, before learning an extremely advanced method, I think it's a good idea to first learn a beginners method! The current world record holder uses [[CFOP]], also known as Fridrich.

=== Where can I buy puzzles? ===

http://www.rubiks.com sells a lot of twisty puzzles. I can highly recommmend the DIY kits for speedcubing.

http://www.mefferts.com also sells a lot of nice puzzles. Free shipping to anywhere in the world!

http://www.e-bay.com. Some cubers have luck with finding good puzzles on e-bay. I don't have any experience with this at all... So all I can say is: good luck with searching, and be careful with buying. Look at the sellers message, and other auctions, and try to estimate if he or she can be trusted.

Also these websites offer good deals:

http://www.dealextreme.com/

http://www.dealperfect.com/

[http://www.focalprice.com/buy/magic%20cube.html Focal price]

[http://www.goodluckbuy.com/index.php?target=products&mode=search&subcats=Y&type=extended&avail=Y&pshort=Y&pfull=Y&pname=Y&pkeywords=Y&cid=0&q=magic+cube&x=31&y=11&page=full_list Goodluckbuy]

=== The stickers of my cube are peeling/coming off, how can I solve this problem? ===

This is a well known problem. Most cubes don't have high quality stickers on them whether they be the wrong colors or the laminate peels off. The best solution to this, by far, is to buy new stickers; Vinyl (PVC) stickers are highly recommended, Cubesmith sells high quality stickers and is used by professional speedcubers worldwide. [http://cubesmith.com CubeSmith] Making your own stickers takes a lot of time, and you probably won't make stickers as high of quality.

=== How can I solve higher order cubes? (4x4, 5x5) ===

You can find a method for the 4x4 here: http://www.speedcubing.com/chris/4-solution.html. The same ideas can be used for solving the 5x5. Another website that deals with higher order cubes can be found here: http://www.bigcubes.com.

=== How can I solve the F2L quickly with the Fridrich system/method? ===

The most common answer to this question is to "Slow down and look ahead" essentially that's all there is to it.
For more on Fridrich F2L the links below can be especially helpful.
Erik A. did a nice video on how he does the F2L slowly, check it out here, it should help:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbKvOXE__CM

These two sites basically teach the same thing, but they use different algorithms.
http://www.snkenjoi.com/wikicube/index.php...e=Intuitive_F2L
http://dougreed.no-ip.org/~doug/f2l/f2l.htm

This site lists all 41 cases.
http://www.cubestation.co.uk/cs2/index.php...x3/cfop/f2l/f2l

=== Where can I see all current official/unofficial records? ===

All official records (records that are done at an official competition) can be found here:
http://www.worldcubeassociation.org/results/index.php

All unofficial records can be found here:
http://www.speedcubing.com/records

=== Other Information ===

For more FAQ's, please visit this link (contains general usage FAQ of the forum itself):
http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/faq.php

=== Some useful links ===

Speedcubing Tips
Below is a page containing the most links relating to speedcubing more than any other pages.
*http://speedcubing.com/links.html

=== Puzzle Shops ===

This is where you can find information on where to buy puzzles:
http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/showthread.php?t=117

=== How-To Guides ===

Here is a link to the How-To section, which includes various tutorials and guides. Please check it out when you get the chance:
http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=18 and here's a link to the wiki page for the popular Layer By Layer beginner's method http://www.speedsolving.com/wiki/index.php/Layer_by_layer

[[Category:Competitive Cubing]]

Big cube

2012-02-07T16:08:47Z

Tuppe: Added world record 17x17x17 cube

[[Image:Wiki 7x7x7 solved.jpg|160px|thumb|An example of a (very) big cube.]]
'''Big Cubes''' (also known as ''bigcubes'') are [[cube|cubical]] [[puzzle]]s having an order larger than the usual [[3x3x3 cube]]. Until the release of [[V-cube]]s, the only mass-produced big cubes were the [[4x4x4 Cube]] and the [[5x5x5 Cube]]. With the V-cube technology it is now possible to mass-produce larger cubes, even up to the [[11x11x11 Cube]]; already, it is possible for anyone to buy the [[6x6x6 Cube]] and the [[7x7x7 Cube]]. A cube of any size can exist in theory, but the largest cubes can only be played with on computer simulators such as [[Gabbasoft]] or [[IsoCubeSim]]. In computer simulators, virtually any size is possible (although the larger the size is the slower the program will run), but very few people have ever attempted any cube larger than the [[20x20x20 Cube]].

There are many methods for solving big cubes in general:
* The [[Reduction method]], by far the most common big cubes method, takes advantage of the fact that big cubes are composed of [[corner]]s (three [[sticker]]s per piece), groups of [[edge]]s (two stickers per piece), and groups of [[center]]s (one sticker per piece), arranged in the same way as in the [[3x3x3 cube]]. The solver groups all the centers by color using intuitive [[block building]] techniques, then groups all of the edges by color using [[commutator]]-like moves, and finally solves the rest of the cube by turning only the outer layers and treating it like a [[3x3x3 cube]].
* The [[K4]] method, invented by [[Thom Barlow]], is designed for the [[4x4x4 Cube]] but has been extended to larger cubes. The solver first builds two opposite groups of centers and uses blockbuilding to create a 1x(N-1)xN block (where N is the size of the cube). Then, the solver puts that block on L and finishes the remaining center groups without breaking the block. The next step is to pair up a fourth edge group and finish the L layer, and then place that layer on D. Finally, the solver uses CLL to solve the corners and finishes all of the edge pieces with [[commutator]]s.
* The [[Cage]] method is a method that solves all of the center pieces last, and has the advantage of being able to deal with parity very easily. The first step is to solve all of the edges and corners (relative to the fixed centers if there are any), which can be done many different ways and varies depending on the cuber. After that, the centers are all solved with [[commutators]], typically one or two at a time.
* Less popular (and often unnamed) methods include layer-by-layer solving; using columns to build the first N-1 layers; creating and expanding a block of pieces until only two adjacent layers are left; solving the centers and corners first; and solving the first and last layers, then the middle layer edges, and finally the rest of the centers.

== The largest cube ==
The largest order magic cube is 17x17x17 cubes large and consists of 1,539 parts. It's called "Over The Top" and was created by Oskar van Deventer (Netherlands) and was presented at the New York Puzzle Party Symposium in New York, USA, on 12 February 2011. Record was accepted by Guinness World Records.
[[File:17x17x17.jpg|none|thumb|17x17x17]]

== See Also ==
* [[Big Cube Methods]]
* [[4x4x4 Methods]]
* [[5x5x5 Methods]]

[[Category:Twisty Puzzles]]
[[Category:Cubing Terminology]]

File:17x17x17.jpg

2012-02-07T16:04:17Z

Tuppe: Largest order magic cube.

Largest order magic cube.

V-Cube

2012-02-07T15:52:25Z

Tuppe: Added products, including V-Cube 3(feel free to improve) and corrected many typos.

{{Manufacturer
|NAME=Verdes Innovations S.A.
|LOGO=Vcube_logo.jpg
|YEARFOUNDED=2000
|LOCATION=Greece
|YEARSACTIVE=2008-present
|AREASSERVED=Worldwide
|WEBSITE=http://www.v-cubes.com
|PRODUCTS=V-Cube 2, V-Cube 3, V-Cube 5, V-Cube 6, V-Cube 7
}}

'''V-cube''' is a brand of [[cube]] [[puzzles]] which started selling cubes in June 2008. For the moment they only sell the [[2x2x2]], [[3x3x3]], [[5x5x5]], [[6x6x6]], and [[7x7x7]] puzzles, but they have plans to go all the way to 11x11x11.

V-cubes were invented by [[Panagiotis Verdes]] and are produced by Verdes Innovations S.A., Verdes's company located in Greece. The design of these cubes is completely new and different from all pre-existing designs, as it is based on the cone and as the pieces hook together instead of simply being held together by the centers. In addition, the plastic used for the V-cubes is a bit more elastic than the normal plastic for cubes. This leads to several advantages:
* V-cube pieces are much less likely to break than pieces of any other cube, and several people have tested this by drop-kicking the cubes, throwing them across the room or onto concrete, and so on, and then immediately playing with them afterwards. This would destroy a normal cube.
* When one piece of a V-cube pops out, the remaining pieces are still held in place, so the puzzle does not collapse like an [[Eastsheen]] 4x4 or 5x5 typically does. Because of this, even if a V-cube is loose enough to pop frequently, it will remain stable until the piece is placed back in, and it is even possible to do turns (such as finishing an algorithm) while the piece is missing.
* V-cubes seem to be significantly smoother than other brands, even out of the box, and their design allows them to cut corners and be fingertricked on without any lubrication or wearing in. This makes them excellent for speedcubing.

It is very important to note that V-cube was also the first company to ever mass-produce the 6x6 and 7x7 puzzles. In fact, only a handful of these higher-order cubes have ever created by anyone else, and none of those designs were stable enough to be mass-produced. Not only are the V-cubes the first to have such large sizes, however, but every size of V-cube can be speedsolved, and the V-cube 5x5 is far better than any other brand on the market. In short, buying a set of V-cubes is very highly recommended for anyone who is interested in solving [[big cube]]s.

== Products ==
=== V-Cube 2===
The V-Cube 2x2 is seen as a good 2x2 by any people, but it's more expensive than the LanLan. It has a core similar to a 3x3, with many inner edges. The black V-Cube 2a is generally regarded as the best of the V-Cubes, although most people prefer the WitTwo, or Witeden 2x2, or Type C 2x2. It is much cheaper, and is known for its corner cutting and crispness.

=== V-Cube 3===
V-Cube released their first 3x3x3, the highly anticipated V-Cube 3 in January 2012. Like many V-Cubes, it's is also available as a pillow-shaped version, called V-Cube 3b.
The mechanism resembles a lot of the new [[DaYan]] cubes, including use of "torpedoes" to prevent popping.
Although V-Cube 3 has been rated as a decent cube, many reviewers and cubers still prefer DaYan ZhenChi because of smoothness and somewhat better corner cutting.
V-Cube 3 is available assembled and DIY, which comes with 3 sets of springs with different tensions.

=== V-Cube 5 ===
This is almost certainly the best type of 5x5. The mechanism incorporates new principles which allow it to have low friction but also to remain intact even when several pieces are removed.
V-cube 5x5 will easily cut corners without being broken in or lubed at all. This puzzle needs to be broken in to make it easier to turn. However, some people prefer the ShengShou 5x5. It is less than a third of the price, and currently holds the unofficial world record. However, for people who excel at 3x3, the V-Cube is probably better, because the ShengShou's outer layers are its weak spot.
[[Image:Vcube5.jpg|none|thumb|V-Cube 5]]

=== V-Cube 6 ===
This cube has a clicking mechanism to keep a hidden inner layer it has from coming out of alignment and it does pop quite frequently. This puzzle does require breaking in & lubrication, but the outer layers are very fast when this is done, Out of the box, it has a tendency for minor lockups, and to improve the performance, it needs be modified. Also, with modification, the clicking in the middle layer can be removed.
[[Image:Vcube6.jpg|none|thumb|V-Cube 6]]

=== V-Cube 7 ===
V-Cube is currently the only manufacturer of 7x7x7 cubes.
[[Image:Wiki 7x7x7 solved.jpg|none|thumb|V-Cube 7]]

== History ==
V-Cubes were initially announced in 2003 as Olympic Cubes.[http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/speedsolvingrubikscube/message/5194] It was initially believed to be spam on the Yahoo! speedsolvingrubikscube forum. Although patents were announced in 2004, there was little information about V-Cubes even in early 2007.[http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/speedsolvingrubikscube/message/32502] Later in 2007, prototypes of V-Cube 5 through 7 were sent to [[Frank Morris]], the world record holder for 4x4 and 5x5 at the time.

== Patents and controversy ==

The V-Cube is protected by patent in many parts of the world, which has led to some controversy regarding knock-offs. Even puzzle types that are not available, such as the Maru 4x4x4, are considered in violation of patent, as the mechanism is inspired by V-Cubes. See for example the Speedsolving thread [http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/showthread.php?26141-Dayan-Guhong-vs.-V-Cube-Patent-Infringement Dayan Guhong vs. V-Cube Patent Infringement]

The US patent can be found on Google Patents.[http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=SRDJAAAAEBAJ]

== See Also ==
* [[Bigcubes]] (brands)
* [[Puzzle Hardware]]

== External Links ==
* http://www.v-cubes.com

[[Category:Cubing Terminology]]
[[Category:Puzzle Manufacturers]]
[[Category:Puzzle Shops]]
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