*Ace* Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 http://www.ballbindings.com Currently testing the prototype. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumpyride Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 Looks pretty interesting if the torque on the ball can be controlled. I like the looks of the rings. Looks like a lot of variation possible for all types of riding. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nils Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 way way too high on the board....but could be usefull to people that like huge lift and cant... nice mechanical aspect ( lock on the ball)..I see maybe an issue with getting all the pressure distributed to the mast under the ball, then redistributed on the disc...wonder how they will prevent it from breaking ( the mast). Nils Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b0ardski Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 I can't see the mere friction of the ball & socket joint holding position under the leverage & vibration it will be subjected to, without some sort of set screw to lock it in position. At least they source somed high end parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dingbat Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 Ace, Nice job dude. It looks to me like the ball has a square recess in the bottom that indexes around the square piece on the base. Am I seeing it right? They look cool. I'd love to see a set in person.;) Two weeks to the Rally Ace. You get your plane ticket yet?:p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingCrimson Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 way way too high on the board....but could be usefull to people that like huge lift and cant... nice mechanical aspect ( lock on the ball)..I see maybe an issue with getting all the pressure distributed to the mast under the ball, then redistributed on the disc...wonder how they will prevent it from breaking ( the mast).Nils It can't be thatmuch higher than TD3 SWs and its probably lower than a Hangl with F2s..though without the benefits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 what's the advantage over cateks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 what's the advantage over cateks? The loss of ability to easily measure the setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Tat Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 Interesting in terms of easy adjustibility, but I'm not sold that the ball--> plate friction interface used to maintain the binding angle and cant wouldn't loosen up. If it did loosen there is no machined stop either so the binding is free to rotate to any position. I like the idea though. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik J Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 That thing could work like a giant sidewinder if there was a big elastomer under the top plate. Or maybe a 4 piece elastomer that could be tuned for stiffer fore and aft flex vs, side to side. That's if the ball allowed for rotating while riding, but then you could also spin the binding to different angles while riding - I'm talking to myself here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emorris Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 Hey! Design is an iterative process. Sometimes you have to step away from the computer and make the part. Look at it and move on to the next area. It does not all spill out as a complete product! Ace, how many iterations do you have so far? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp1 Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 *Ace*, Awesome Idea . While I am NOT an Engineer, my industrial experience tells me the 'Locking Ball' will NOT be a problem if designed properly. I also don't see any advantage though over a Catek, maybe more angle, but how many need more? Heavy Duty for sure, Good Luck with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeho730 Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 Well, with Cateks I had to rotate 4 cant screws to adjust the cant/lift. For me, it was a chore. And both TD2 and OS2 lack ability to adjust angle and cant/lift at the same time. So with this binding, a rider can adjust cant/lift as well as angle simultaneously without needing to disassemble any part. Rather neat. Problems? Height, reproducibility of the settings, and lack of indicators I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utahcarver Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 I'm trying to figure out how to 'splain to the missus why I need ball bindings now. I like seeing this kind of stuff. People on their toes, thinking, doing, in spite of all of the downward spiral crap that we usually see in the world. I just had a great day on the hill, discovery, recovery, and some wild times. To come home to see that someone else is thinking and doing, cool. OK, the beer(s) is starting to take effect now and my hands feel like two balloons. Headed to the family room for the Stupor Bowl and my Jimmy Dean Sausage dip, wings, pizza, beer, beer, 7-layer bean dip, roasted chicken, rib-eye steaks, dutch oven potatoes, pot-stickers, egg rolls, fried rice, and oh, beer. Go Saints! Mark B double E double RUN Beerrun, Beerrun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Ace* Posted February 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 Thanks for the input guys. It has been an idea I've had for a long time. Finally took the courage to make it a reality. I am by now means an engineer. I had a good idea that I thought would work. Designed it myself... Prototyped it myself... Only way to see if it works is to test it out. That thing could work like a giant sidewinder if there was a big elastomer under the top plate. Or maybe a 4 piece elastomer that could be tuned for stiffer fore and aft flex vs, side to side. I've thought about a layered ball, much like the composition of a golf ball. Two solid layers with a flexible layer in between. Soft, medium, and stiff of course. soooo, why does it use TD3 parts? Because thats what I had available to me. Oh, and they work....really good. Problems? Height, reproducibility of the settings, and lack of indicators I guess. I've thought about indexing the ball, much like a globe. You would be able to reproduce angles by matching index points, ie, lat. long. I've also thought about a leveling, cant/lift... Ace, how many iterations do you have so far? What you are seeing now is v1.3 So with this binding, a rider can adjust cant/lift as well as angle simultaneously without needing to disassemble any part. Rather neat. You can also remove the plate AND ball together as one piece. This allows you to transfer it to another board while maintaining angle, cant, and lift. All by releasing one screw! Anyways, thanks for the input guys! Keep it comming. On my way to test as SES!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateW Posted February 8, 2010 Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 Neat. Consider tapping holes in the main plate, similar to what Catek does, to make it easier to get consistent cant/lift/rotation angles when the bindings have to come off or come apart. Catek uses those screws for support but in your case it seems like they might just be there as feelers. I can imagine that setup holding just fine without them. If the ball and the sandwich plates are off two different types of metal you might be able to use corrosion to stiffen up the joint. It's a real pain with some car parts, but here it could be a blessing. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Houghton Posted February 8, 2010 Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 With all the issues people have had with Cateks by not assembling/torquing them properly, I can see that this binding will be an even bigger challenge. The allen bolts securing the ring have to be torqued evenly and there can't be any dirt or sand in the socket when tightening.......great concept though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted February 8, 2010 Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 Well, with Cateks I had to rotate 4 cant screws to adjust the cant/lift. For me, it was a chore. With this you'll have to loosen and tighten 8 screws per binding to adjust, so I don't see this as being easier. It is neat though. File this in the (large and discouraging) "why didn't I think of that?" folder. Height does look like an issue, and Sidewinder toe/heel pads will be required for racing and anyone who wants that. If that non-metal riser is supposed to be a suspension system, I hope you're not only using the board screws to directly capture it. "That would be bad." - Egon. I'm not confident the ball interface will stand up to the load, but it might. Off the top of my head, I've seen ball clamps used on drum sets and camera tripods, but those are hardly comparable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pebu Posted February 8, 2010 Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 Ok, normally I'm pretty good at this sort of thing (engineer), but is anybody else not entirely sure what they're looking at? I mean, I can see some things going on, and by what everybody is saying I can understand the jist of it, but as far as I'm concerned, this one picture isn't very descriptive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted February 8, 2010 Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 Ok, normally I'm pretty good at this sort of thing (engineer), but is anybody else not entirely sure what they're looking at? I mean, I can see some things going on, and by what everybody is saying I can understand the jist of it, but as far as I'm concerned, this one picture isn't very descriptive. it's animated. like 20 frames. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pebu Posted February 8, 2010 Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 That would explain it. I'm at work where the firewall is blocking that sort of thing. I'll have to view it at home. Thanks bob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotbeans Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 I'm seeing this as just the type of interface I'd like if I had prosthetic legs/feet.gine the ball locking into a socket at just the right angle.. isn't there a socket that locks down with some type of twist ring? I'm not remembering where I've seen that before, but I'm pretty sure it's out there. btw, the interface between the ball mount post and the board appears to be an elastomeric ring? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mtrappy Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 I am not going to try and burst any bubbles but I have my doubts............. But would love to see at SES and talk about your theories and results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pebu Posted February 12, 2010 Report Share Posted February 12, 2010 Man, that makes a huge difference watching it in all it's animated glory. Cool idea. I agree about the rather large rise. I also think that to deal with the kinds of forces that are seen in snowboarding, the globe will need to be bigger, which, unfortunately, would only increase the rise. Anyway, I do like the idea. I look forward to future iterations. It all starts with an idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Buggs Posted February 12, 2010 Report Share Posted February 12, 2010 How much will it weigh:eek: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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