Cleaning a NSD Powerball.

I have had a NSD Powerball  for a few years, and even though you try and keep it clean and dust free it still picks up dust and pocket lint etc and sooner or later don't sound so good and may even be difficult to start.

I started using the Powerball again recently, my shoulder and left arm has been playing up badly due to the extreme cold weather we had over the Christmas period.  The Powerball is great for low impact exercise but i found that it was a bit raspy and sounded funny and was difficult to keep going at low revs.

After searching online as how to go about cleaning the Powerball it turned out to be a simple job well worth doing.

The entire process takes about 5 minutes to do and requires only a fine Phillips head screwdriver some cotton buds and a very mild cleaner ( I used lens cleaner)

After cleaning your Powerball will run smoother and not sound so raspy.

I only posted this as no one else has done an Ible on this yet.

Thanks for looking.

Step 1: Taking It Apart.

Remove the rubber ring and the 2 screws.

Place the ball on a solid surface and give it a firm clonk with the heel of your hand and it should pop apart.

One the ball is open it on to the cleaning stage.

while the ball is open be very careful with it as some of the parts are quite delicate and if damaged the ball will end up worse.

Step 2: Cleaning.

I used a cotton bud and some lens cleaner to clean the runners and the shell.

the Powerball has a ptfe runner that does not require any lubricant.

Do not be temped to use any lube as it will wreck the Powerball

Step 3: Put It Back Together.

Once you are happy with your cleaning job it time to rebuild it.

Place the rotor into the shell and make sure the runners are well seated.

Align the 2 halves of the shell  and squeeze the ball until the 2 halves snap into place.

Replace the 2 screws and the rubber grip.

Job done, your Powerball should now run much smoother and also sound much less annoying.

Comments

[AleW4]

I followed your method and it works great, i only used the cotton heads and no fluid (had none at home) and that seems to work too! Thanks for the instructions!

[Laral]

Nice i'ble Dr. Qui. You are lucky that the NSD Powerball conveniently opens with two screws to remove. I only recently found this out.

I took my 20-years-old+ DynaFlex Powerball out of a storage box and it was so gritty, it would not spin fast enough to start. As you probably know, the old DFs were cemented shut so you didn't have the luxury of opening them for cleaning. So what to do? The first thing I did was to inject some of my special micron-particle-size PTFE lube that I use for plastic, into the housing, over the two ends of the axle. This worked well at first. The rotor spun freely so I could start the gyro, and the movement was much smoother than ever before. Great. Only one problem. After revving it up to a high speed for several minutes, and then quitting, it again would not spin smoothly enough to start up. I rested it for about 5-10 minutes and it again started. But after a few more starts and stops, I couldn't get it to start at all. I searched online for a solution. The best advice comes from NSD: Maintenance : https://nsdspinner.com/support/maintenance.html. First I read about not using it in dusty environments, or placing it on carpets or any fabric, that dust would eventually cause the rotor to make noise as it spins. OK, check… Then I read that you should wash your hands because oily sweat or lotion would get into the inner tracks and reduce friction, slowing it down. Then I read this: "Never lubricate your Spinner. Oil is the killer of its friction." Oh great. Now you tell me. So I injected a little isopropyl alcohol into the shell, several times, and blew it out with compressed air at about 80-90 psi. I drove the rotor around the track as it spun, to clean out any dust in the tracks. Now this worked great. For a while… But after a few rounds at high speeds, the rotor again was stuck, and there were pieces of something inside that I could hear rattling around when I shook the ball. Worse than ever. Then I read: "use water ONLY to clean the tracks and shells and then dry the parts before re-assembling." I had no options left, so I took the thing outside and sprayed the interior with water from a high-pressure nozzle attached to a garden hose. Again I drove the rotor around the track while it was spinning, but it was harder with water. I then blew it out with air until all was dry, inside and out, and the rotor was easily driven around the track. Now it works great. It is smoother than it ever was and starts up with a light swipe of the palm of my hand. I never use the cord. I don't know how long this will last, but I am buying an NSD this time. The ability to open the shell, alone, makes it superior to the DF. No one should have to go through what I went through.

[stuffman366]

Great Instructable, I really have been needing to clean mine.
On a side note a "star" shaped screwdriver is called a Torx driver or Torx bit.

[Dr Qui]

Thanks, It makes a world of difference to your powerball.

I need to change star to Phillips head that's what I meant by star. In Ireland and the UK phillips head screw drivers have been referred to as star heads way before the torx bit ever was thought of.

[stuffman366]

Ah, well then disregard my previous statement.