Are the tracks submitted by individuals tested for bugs? I have a 3 foot coffee table. I entered into "all tracks" and selected one (not entirely sure which one. I don't want to provide inaccurate information). The smaller ball joined the larger one. It appeared as if a magnetic force attracted, and held them together. While "attached", they both began drawing. Frequently, one ball jumped/rolled over the other one, while they still remained "attached". It didn't appear correct. Turning the power off did not result in the smaller ball returning to its proper position. Both balls remained together, touching each other. I had to remove the cover glass and manually return the smaller ball to its proper resting position. Any thoughts?
Hard to know what was the specific cause of both balls being together - but almost certainly could not be related to which track you played. More likely, sand may have built up around the "ball-park" (barrier under the shade ring where the second ball is parked and picked up). This can prevent the second ball from going all the way into the park - if so, it can accidentally be picked up by the main ball as it goes by. There's no automated way of separating them - so the fix is removing the glass and doing it manually. Make sure you brush the sand around the ball-park to remove and build up. 2-ball mode is still somewhat new, and we're working on optimization to prevent this.
Just letting you know I saw this behavior too. I ended up removing any playlist that activates two balls for this reason.
One theory I had was if the table loses power or is rebooted for some reason while in two ball mode, I suspect it goes back home and doesn't have the 2nd magnet activated - which means the 2nd ball is left behind and may get picked up with the 1st magnet causing this problem. In my case it definitely wasn't sand build up.
In any event, seemed like the safest course of action was to just remove the 2nd ball activating patterns until the corner cases are a bit more supported.
> doesn't have the 2nd magnet activated
The Sisyphus magnets are permanent; they don't deactivate (they are not electromagnets).
As @dithermaster says, both magnets are permanent. @sisyphus5 - when the table reboots (for any reason), the first thing it does is go home, and then it parks the second ball - since it doesn't know whether it's attached or not (and a "phantom" parking does no harm). We're still actively working on "hardening" 2-ball mode so it is more reliable in avoiding 2-balls on one magnet.
In my experience. This is happening with some tracks. It’s as if some tracks are programmed for the larger table. The track will extend out to the ball catch causing the big ball to get stuck
That "shouldn't" happen (tracks are automatically scaled to the radius of the sand-field) - but - Murphy (as in his Law), is always at play. We're still working on making 2-ball mode more robust. Anything that causes either ball to become unattached from its magnet, may lead to two balls on one magnet. The two causes of ball-cleaving are crossing a sand mound that's too deep, and a ball hitting the ball park (not during attach / detach track). The latter means Sisyphus is out of position. Position errors can add up when running at higher speeds. Like I said - we're working on it. Now that many more Sisyphi are 2-ball enabled, we will have far more feedback to help us figure it out.
how can one correct the sisyphus positioning so the main ball does not get stuck in the ball catch.
@op
if this problem persists I have been just sending my table to “home”. Unplugging the unit and manually moving the arms so that the ball or balls are in the correct spot.
how can one correct the sisyphus positioning so the main ball does not get stuck in the ball catch.
Position accuracy comes from "homing" (sensors are activated when both axes are at the home position - what you see is the ball moves to the center). For stepper systems (all Sisyphi except for wood tables,) from there, position is "dead reckoning" - meaning, every step the motors take is kept track of. But if steps are lost (motor should have taken a step but didn't), position error builds up over time. We are continually working on minimizing the likelihood of position errors, but the surest way is to choose slower speeds.
I've experienced this, as well. After putting the large ball in the center and the small in the ball-catch, the first thing the table seems to do is grab the large ball, and put it in the ball-catch on the same side as the small ball, then they're both dropped off, stuck together, and aren't driven around the field. I fixed it manually by starting the erase track, then placing the large ball in the center again.
I am having issues with some of the downloaded community tracks accidently placing the main ball in the ball catch. Are you guys hearing other reports of this?...if so i assume its being looked into??? anything to do in the mean time?
slowed my speed down and have not had an issue with the balls in a few days.
I have noticed a big increase in ticking, clicking, and even heard a couple beeps the other night. Seemed better after a reboot but was just noticing it again this morning. More diagnostic work this weekend i guess.
@mazdog - If the noise production continues, please contact our support staff at: support@sisyphus-industries.com. Troubleshooting is far more efficient there.
oh absolutely, just seeing if its more than a very random thing and going thru what I know the first things on the "try this" list would be before i submit a ticket. Support staff is always great when i have gotten to that point in the past.
Glad I found this, I've been having a problem with the large ball getting knocked off the magnet by the ballpark. This started when I increased the speed to full. I will lower the speed and hope it eliminates the issue.
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