Measuring your scores

Well, you have started to spin this little thing.
But how good you are? Who is better you or friend of yours? How far are you from World Top 100? How strong are you? How fast are you? How well are you progressing? All these questions can be answered if you not just only spin the ball, but also measure the speed.

There are three main Powerball speed measurement methods:

1. Sound frequency

This one was used even before counters and speedometers appeared on the market. It is measuring the frequency of sound you Powerball produces. This method also can be used if you have Powerball without speedometer. Also this method is used for your video authenticity verification, if you will decide to send your qualification request to RPM Sports Official Scoreboards.

Here you can download nice Windows Application which does this measurement.

Powerballalyzer

Main disadvantage of this method is that measurement is indirect, it doesn't measure the speed or actual number of rotor revolutions. It correlates the sound frequency with the speed through formula. So mistakes of about 100-300 rpm(revolutions per minute) are possible. Also it requires having computer around and very quiet environment because any additional noise disturbs it. And, hey, you need a microphone.

2. Speedometer



The digital speedometer allows you to keep an accurate record of your performance on the Powerball. The speedometer simply clips onto the top of any regular Powerball after first removing the hard plastic cap.

It has several useful modes of operation:

- The number of revolutions made. Useful for relaxation, rehabilitation and long runs like Powerball Marathon - 1,000,000 revolutions, takes about 2-3 hours of continuous run and SuperMarathon - 10,000,000 revolutions which takes about 24 hours of non-stop spinning. Measurement unit is 100 revs, so if it shows "10" it means 1000 revs are made. Last measured result is saved in internal memory and remains even if counter is off. If you want to reset the counter, press CLR button.



- The real time revolution speed of the rotor. Simplest mode, just shows what is your current speed in rpm.



- The highest achieved speed in a given session (this will remain in the speed meters memory until either manually cleared or until surpassed by a faster score - it add's serious fun to your Powerball and brings out the competitive edge to all as you set about trying to beat either your own high score or that of your colleagues. This mode is actually 2 modes in one. It works like that - once you started the rotor it starts measuring the speed, it measures highest speed you achieved and if it is higher than recorded highest, recorded highest score is overwritten. Current high speed score remains in the memory until you press CLR (while rotor is spinning) or you switch the mode. If counter goes off, it still remembers the recent high speed. If you will press CLR button when rotor is NOT spinning - your recorded highest score will be erased. So again, there are 2 numbers: your current high speed and your recorded highest, first is erased when rotor is spinning, second when rotor is not spinning. First is you current most recent measured speed, second is all-time the best score you have ever achieved. Little complicated, but you will get use to it very quickly.



- The Physical strength mode - this counts the number of revolutions made by the rotor in a 30, 60 and 90 second period and makes for a worthy stamina challenge to help indicate just how strong you are becoming from using the Powerball. This is real exercising mode. Number of revolutions in 30, 60 and 90 seconds. These are as good as hours of your gym workout. The whole body becomes wet. This is MAIN Powerball mode. It is good and for your body and for health of your Powerball.



Unfortunately nothing is perfect and Powerball Counter sometimes makes errors. Most common is 15360 (256Hz) speed measured in Highest Speed mode while rotor was running about 8000 or 9000 rpm. This is firmware bug and if you will get it don't take it too emotionally( like I did ), just repeat the run and see what is your actual result is.
To be 100% sure about measurements you can combine together first and second methods (counter + sound), so when you will see similar results you can be sure about accuracy.

3. Bluetooth Speedometer



The Bluetooth Counter is good to monitor Powerball runs on computer screen. The software allows up to four players to compete simultaneously with both the high-speed and strength index runs supported. It is very good for mass competition. It also allows some additional types of challenges.

Disadvantage is that yet it requires having computer around and you can't see scores on the Powerball itself, so you will have to switch counters all the time.


HHH

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