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All people’s picked up a Rubik’s dice earlier than. Although the idea of a Rubik’s dice might seem easy, the complexities concerned in fixing the puzzle have entertained logicians for many years. In recent times, the recognition of cubing, during which gamers compete to see who can clear up a Rubik’s dice the quickest, has swept throughout the web.
Should you’re a logical-minded puzzle fanatic like myself, you might know easy methods to clear up a Rubik’s dice or might have even began a group of twisting puzzles of various geometries as properly.
The idea of every of those cubes is all the time very easy. Flip the faces till every face is similar coloration – that’s all of the dice has ever finished. The Heykube, nevertheless, makes use of inside processors to carry the Rubik’s dice in control with trendy know-how.
The Heykube
The Heykube is similar dimension as every other Rubik’s dice – concerning the dimension of a fist. The colours on the Heykube are the usual white, yellow, crimson, orange, inexperienced, and blue. Reverse sides are the identical colours as an everyday Rubik’s dice as properly, which makes it simple to choose up and begin utilizing.
The Heykube communicates with the person through light-up circles on the middle of every face. These circles will gentle up in a rotating sample to point which strategy to flip every face. This idea could be very intuitive and never tough to be taught.
The Heykube is available in a pleasant field with an instruction guide that’s simple to observe and the charger for the dice.
Features
The Heykube has three primary capabilities: Easy Resolve, Be taught to Resolve, and Sample Resolve.
The Easy Resolve operate acts as an “undo” for as much as fourteen 90-degree turns of any face on the dice. As you make quarter activates any of the faces, the Heykube makes use of the circles to direct you easy methods to undo the strikes you will have made to get the dice again to the solved state.
Whereas I didn’t discover this operate significantly helpful, I suppose it could possibly be neat in the event you have been making an attempt to see the results of a sure algorithm with out having to unravel all the dice afterwards. It also needs to be famous that the circle guides could be turned off by rotating a solved dice via a sure set of strikes if they don’t seem to be desired.
The Be taught to Resolve operate is activated when the faces of the dice are turned greater than fourteen instances. This operate prompts the person to unravel the dice utilizing a seven-step technique. Whereas this technique will not be what I’ve discovered to be referred to as “The Newbie’s Methodology”, it’s a quite simple strategy to clear up the dice.
The steps are white cross, first layer, second layer, yellow cross, orient final layer, permutate corners on final layer, and permutate edges on final layer. Whereas this technique gained’t set any world information, this was the primary method I discovered to unravel the dice by myself and it took my clear up time under one minute.
I imagine that the Be taught to Resolve operate could be helpful for any person who desires the satisfaction of fixing a Rubik’s dice with out having to memorize any algorithms (the enjoyable jingle that the dice performs once you end a clear up is certainly very satisfying), or any person who desires to unravel the dice on their very own and is keen to observe together with the strategies described within the app to know why every transfer is made.
It is very important observe that there is no such thing as a method for the dice to point a flip of the center layer of a dice. Whereas that is usually thought of one flip by most cubers, it’s thought of two by Heykube (by turning every of the outer faces surrounding that center layer).
The Sample Resolve operate of Heykube was completely different from what I anticipated. After making a sure set of strikes communicated through the circles on the dice or the Keykube app, the colours on the Heykube would make a close to sample throughout all faces. Whereas that is technically of no worth to speed-solving a dice, it’s undoubtedly a neat characteristic that’s enjoyable to mess around with.
Heykube App
If Heykube was a standalone dice, I’d have been comparatively underwhelmed by its capabilities. Connecting the Heykube to the Heykube app on my smartphone, nevertheless, added a number of options that I fairly loved.
For learners, the Heykube app has video tutorials on “The Newbie’s Methodology” that’s programmed into the dice. Watching the video tutorials on the app makes the methodology a lot simpler to know than making an attempt to observe alongside and acknowledge the patterns from the lights on the dice itself.
The characteristic within the app that caught my eye essentially the most, was the timer. Like many different cubers, prior to now I used to be compelled to attempt to use my telephone timer to time my solves. Whereas this technique is extra much like the timing technique utilized in a event, the built-in timer within the Heykube app was undoubtedly one thing that I desired.
After the dice is scrambled, the person hits the beginning button within the Heykube app, and the timer begins. Because the person solves the dice, the app retains monitor of knowledge corresponding to what number of strikes have been taken to unravel the dice.
As soon as the Heykube has been solved, the app mechanically stops the timer and shows the time taken for that clear up. Then dice is able to be scrambled, and the app is able to time one other clear up.
The app additionally shops the information from each clear up you’ve made, so you’ll be able to analyze developments and see enchancment. Challenges are additionally obtainable for particular timed solves.
The leaderboard part of the app reveals how the person has carried out in these challenges over time. It is usually essential to not that the lights and sound on the Heykube could be turned off through the app (these options could be distracting throughout timed solves).
If there was one factor left to be desired within the Heykube app, it could be the flexibility to apply completely different algorithms. One of many hardest components of bettering previous “The Newbie’s Methodology” is memorizing all of the algorithms for each scenario throughout a clear up.
If this have been a characteristic within the Heykube app, I imagine there could be little extra to ask for. One characteristic of the Heykube that I didn’t get to strive, nevertheless, was its means to be programmed via a Raspberry Pi.
In accordance with the instruction guide, this enables a person to “code your individual options” and I imagine would give the flexibility to apply completely different algorithms. I assumed this characteristic was very cool, and the instruction guide even lists a library that can be utilized to program the Heykube.
Mechanics
The mechanics of the Heykube have been smoother than I anticipated. I didn’t have excessive expectations for a dice filled with electronics, however I used to be pleasantly stunned.
The dice could be very malleable, much like what could be anticipated from a speedcube. It could actually nook minimize about twenty or thirty levels, and it’s put collectively properly sufficient that I used to be not afraid of the dice falling aside.
The Heykube feels prefer it’s made with magnets to lock every flip into place which is technically slower than a speedcube however was one thing that I didn’t thoughts. In comparison with a speedcube nevertheless, there was fairly a little bit of friction between the components, which is what I imagine sluggish the dice down essentially the most. This additionally causes the dice to generally squeak because it turns, which I discovered to be disagreeable.
I couldn’t discover a strategy to loosen the Heykube to stop this, however I do imagine that it could possibly be lubricated (there are audio system someplace in there although, so watch out). It is usually slightly heavier than a speedcube (and even slightly heavier than a Rubik’s model dice), however that too was one thing that didn’t bug me throughout solves.
I believe that a very powerful factor to notice concerning the mechanics of the Heykube is that it was quick sufficient for the timing to be price it. If the dice was too sluggish and inflexible, it could not be price taking the time to unravel. As any person who’s common clear up often hovers round 45 seconds, I used to be capable of get a 42-second clear up rapidly, with out counting on having a fortunate clear up.
Battery Life
The Heykube expenses with a clip that connects to the yellow and orange facilities. Though this prevents the dice from getting used whereas it’s charging, I discovered that the Heykube solely takes an hour or so to completely cost when plugged into the wall.
The clip that expenses the dice does so through a micro-USB port, which is straightforward to interchange if misplaced. The battery life itself was very good.
After utilizing the Heykube a number of days in a row, I discovered that the battery life had depleted to solely 50% (there’s a handy battery gauge within the Heykube app). By means of my estimation, I’d say that the battery would final for at the very least 5 or 6 hours of steady use.
Takeaways
General, the Heykube had many extra options than I first realized. Once I performed with simply the options of the dice itself and felt that it was slower than a speedcube, I used to be unimpressed.
Connecting to the Heykube app and being able to simply time solves and monitor progress turned the Heykube right into a dice that will be unable to take a seat on my shelf lengthy sufficient to gather an excessive amount of mud.
Understanding that it may be programmed to my wants is a characteristic that I’m excited to strive. I’d advocate the Heykube to anyone who enjoys cubing. If all you need is to have the ability to clear up a Rubik’s dice one time or, on the opposite finish of the spectrum, try to set world information, then the Heykube might be not a very good funding. However for any cubing hobbyist that’s searching for a dice that’s enjoyable to unravel and has the potential to advance their expertise, don’t cross your eyes over the Heykube.
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