View Full Version : Source for Orbit Ball
The Orbit ball is not sourced in the KOP. Can anyone find it? 3 people googling has yielded no results.
It would be nice if FIRST listed a manufacturer.
Brandon Martus
03-01-2009, 15:09
$9.97 at our local WalMart .. they had 4 in stock.
Tom Schindler
03-01-2009, 15:35
Found 6 at a local walmart.
I just uploaded a photo (awaiting approval) of the packaging to make the shelf-hunting go easier.
NorviewsVeteran
03-01-2009, 15:37
it has a tag on it
Demon Slayer
03-01-2009, 15:37
We got seven of them in Wal-Mart's toy section for about $10 each. The full name is "Wild Time Orbit Ball" made by Blip Toys, although their web site seems to make no mention of them.
Bought this ball last year for my dog in Walmart. It is made by Blip Toys 15255 Minnetonka Blvd Minnetonka, MN 55345.
NinJA999
03-01-2009, 16:10
We just opened our KOP and it includes one ball.
The KOP Balls are from Wal-Mart.
For those of us without access to Walmart, please do share if you find an online source. I just spent an hour looking to no avail.
I guess I'm just getting started on much harder it is for UK teams. As of Wednesday, our KoP hadn't shipped yet. :(
Wetzel
Brandon, or anyone else who got it at walmart:
Can you tell me the ISP?
ATannahill
03-01-2009, 17:40
Brandon, or anyone else who got it at walmart:
Can you tell me the ISP?
658382820404 as seen in this picture in CD Media http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/img/7a2/7a26762ecb4831364b5189d4e2b978c1_l.jpg.
Lowfategg
03-01-2009, 17:44
There available at wall-mart, we have 7 as of now.
6-5838282040-4 is the bar code, just to confirm.
Pat Arnold
03-01-2009, 18:01
I just picked up 2 of the 3 available on the shelf at our local Walmart. Only one was still in its box base packaging, and the 2nd was used & dirty (so the manager approved selling it at a 10% discount - $8). The 3rd ball was badly damaged; the cloth covered frame was broken internally in 2 sections. It will be interesting to see how well these hold up in play, particularly if they are run over, pinched or squashed.
cbudrecki
03-01-2009, 18:03
Bought this ball last year for my dog in Walmart. It is made by Blip Toys 15255 Minnetonka Blvd Minnetonka, MN 55345.
drive by and make a pickup on Minnetonka in Minnetonka;
So that's where they were leading us!!!
658382820404 as seen in this picture in CD Media http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/img/7a2/7a26762ecb4831364b5189d4e2b978c1_l.jpg.
Thanks.
I managed to track down 6 between 13 different stores. I can tell you that Toys R' Us Carries/Carried them, Found one at a K'Mart, None at 2 different Targets, and 5 at Walmart. So Walmart would probably be your best bet.
maltz1881
03-01-2009, 18:08
When I went to Blip Toys website it stated that there products are also sold at a few other stores such as Target. I went to 2 different Walmarts and was able to grab 6 total in the different colors in the game. I found it strange that Blip Toys doesn't mention these balls on thier website at all. Wonder if it was taken down for the kickoff and be put back up on Monday?:confused:
Alan Anderson
03-01-2009, 18:53
I heard from a reliable source that Blip has discontinued these balls. Wal-Mart said they won't be getting any more. FIRST has enough for the season, but teams (and offseason competitions) are likely to find them hard to come by for a while.
cbudrecki
03-01-2009, 18:57
I think FIRST needs to start finding it's own manufacturer to stock-pile game pieces!
dtengineering
03-01-2009, 19:06
I heard from a reliable source that Blip has discontinued these balls. Wal-Mart said they won't be getting any more. FIRST has enough for the season, but teams (and offseason competitions) are likely to find them hard to come by for a while.
That would explain why they didn't show up on the Blip Toys website when I went there to look for a source.
I'm withholding a few choice comments in the hope that FIRST has realized that teams will need at least a half-dozen orbit balls each in order to get some decent shooting practice in and refine their robots to make them work and has made sure that a reliable source is available.
Jason
Mike Martus
03-01-2009, 19:09
Wal Mart ( I as tell my students Wal Martus) has them just wiped out the Auburn Hills, MI store that had 13 of them $9.99 each.
I think that sometime FIRST will provide them on their website for purchase eventualy, once they switch out the trackballs(yes, they are still selling them)
Just cleaned out the Canton Walmart of their last 8. $9.97 a piece.
I think FIRST needs to start finding it's own manufacturer to stock-pile game pieces!
This seems to have become an annual ritual, an introduction to the concept of Unobtainium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium).
Chris_Elston
03-01-2009, 19:33
We got 12 of them at our local walmart:
http://twitpic.com/zevd
$10 each
I heard from a reliable source that Blip has discontinued these balls. Wal-Mart said they won't be getting any more. FIRST has enough for the season, but teams (and offseason competitions) are likely to find them hard to come by for a while.
That's unfortunate if true.
So much for buying 150 of them and making a competition legal playing field. :rolleyes:
sayso_411
03-01-2009, 19:44
well that kind of stinks...i was hoping that it would be easy to find; its going to be like trying to find pool noodles in February
Sayso: Check ebay for the noodles, we've gotten em from there before because they're hard to come by. And good luck finding the balls in Richmond... we're having trouble...
artdutra04
03-01-2009, 20:24
To anyone who has already broken one of these: can you find out what plastic material they are made of? I'm looking for an exact answer (such as acetal, PET, etc), not just something like "Its plastic, duh".
The reason I ask, is that after finding only four of them between two local Wal-Marts, the engineering and New England frugality instincts inside of me rang out. The orbit balls don't look very hard to [re]produce!
Using calipers, the interior plastic material is about 1" wide by about 0.1" thick (cannot tell for sure due to felt thickness), and the material they are coated with seems to be identical to the material used on stretchable Book Socks. The plastic (depending on the actual material) should be easily source-able through McMaster, and book socks aren't that difficult to find.
If someone can get me an [exact] answer within the next few days, I'll immediately place an order into McMaster to make about twenty or thirty of these balls, and then I'll raid the school supply sections of every store in the area like a loaded refrigerator.
We got 4 of them from our local Wal-Mart, making it 5 total that we have. but we should pick up some more if they have discontinued them :(
As far as noodles go, well we where waiting for them to go on sale, and when they did, they where gone, :( well it looks like we will need to buy them online :(
EDIT, we bought one of ours, wrote our team number on them, and then flipped it around, and guess what, the plastic was broken, but the "silkish" outside is still intact, so still useable. once fully broken, i will post it up!
Has anyone found them anywhere other then Walmart?
Alex Dinsmoor
03-01-2009, 20:30
Two Wal Marts and I found none :( I guess that's the curse of living in such a FIRST rich area.
waialua359
03-01-2009, 20:39
1. Walmart may have them. 4 on Oahu, we found a total of 5 in 4 Walmart stores. :eek: 3 were about to fall apart.
2. Walmart said it was a discontinued item and they were no longer getting more of them, according to one Walmart manager who looked it up.
3. They are not durable, especially that fabric. We already plan on using duct tape to hold it together after everyone kept touching it. :mad:
4. Based on initial robot design ideas our team threw around, we need a whole lot more than 5 + 1 that we got to be able to effectively design, build and test a robot.
5. I'm worried about the availability if even the original manufacturer dont have them at the moment.
I have just checked out the WalMart in Ottawa, Ontario. They do not have any orbit balls. Has anyone found a source in Canada for these things? Or is it another case of having to drive to the states and do some shopping???
pogenwurst
03-01-2009, 20:52
Just a word to the wise for teams in the Gwinnett County, GA area: we (well, I) just cleaned out the Wal-Mart on Pleasant Hill.
Like the ones waialua359 picked up, several were broken already. That said, if they've been broken in-store the will be broken on-field, so we may as well be prepared to deal with them in that condition.
The Orbit ball is not sourced in the KOP.
I have not personally seen the KoP yet, but I was reading through the manual and it does say:
Taken from 2009 FRC Competition Manual: PG 2 of SEC 10
10.1
KIT OF PARTS- GENERAL
Some of the exciting and important additions found in the 2009 KOP include the following items:
−
Complete control system (including Axis 206 camera, WiFi hardware, cRIO controller, two kinds of motor controllers, power distribution board, and more)
−
AndyMark, Inc. C-base chassis kit
−
AutomationDirect push button
−
BaneBots RS-545 motors
−
Orbit ball
−
2009 Rover Wheels (aka FIRST Slick wheels)
−
Sprocket spacers
−
Camera pan/tilt kit
−
Trailer hitch spacer
−
Gloves
−
Lazy Susan
−
Optical encoder
Are we talking about the same "Orbit Ball"??
Has anyone tried E-mailing Blip Toys?
I have phoned them and am awaiting a call back, hopefully early Monday morning. Have requested information about Canadian locations..
I have not personally seen the KoP yet, but I was reading through the manual and it does say:
Taken from 2009 FRC Competition Manual: PG 2 of SEC 10
10.1
Are we talking about the same "Orbit Ball"??
Yes Orbit ball is what they are called in the non FIRST world.
Kims Robot
03-01-2009, 21:33
We had a similar issue at our Walmart, they had 3 in stock and said it was a discontinued item so they couldnt order more. But I think we can all just be patient, as I remember the same issue with the Poof balls, everyone was panicking over them, but we were all finally able to order them online (I dont remember if it was direct from the manufacturer or through a FIRST source). I would hope its going to be the same here. Give them a couple of days, they will have something I bet.
George Wickswat
03-01-2009, 21:33
We just purchased 4 each at two different Walmarts. One Walmart did not have any. An assistant manager told us they are a deleted (discontinued item), but the store can still order them. Once they are ordered, if the warehouse has them they will be shipped, if not we are out of luck. She indicated there is no way to check what the warehouse or other stores have due to the deleted status. It appears the only way to hunt them down at Walmart is to check individual stores. If they have the cardboard base (packaging) on them yet they may be on a shelf. If not, they are in the loose ball bin.
Elgin Clock
03-01-2009, 21:42
To anyone who has already broken one of these: can you find out what plastic material they are made of? I'm looking for an exact answer (such as acetal, PET, etc), not just something like "Its plastic, duh".
http://www.bliptoys.com/aboutus.htm
They should have an engineering department you can ask right?
techkid7
03-01-2009, 21:56
The Orbit ball is not sourced in the KOP. Can anyone find it? 3 people googling has yielded no results.
It would be nice if FIRST listed a manufacturer.
There really kind of hard to find on the internet. I think first purposely did this. But Target, Walmart, Toys-R-Us, and many other toy stores sell them.
one of our Mentors at 1189 found some at a wal-mart I believe, although they are supposed to be of inferior quality to the ones we received in our kits.
T3H_K3YM45T3R
03-01-2009, 22:16
I think you guys got ripped off that got them for $8 or $9, I found two at my walmart, I live near Kansas City Mo, and they were out of the packaging in the like "ball bin" where they have random loose balls and they were $4 a piece, they were however the only 2 they had and the walmart in the next town over had none...
techkid7
03-01-2009, 22:16
To anyone who has already broken one of these: can you find out what plastic material they are made of? I'm looking for an exact answer (such as acetal, PET, etc), not just something like "Its plastic, duh".
The reason I ask, is that after finding only four of them between two local Wal-Marts, the engineering and New England frugality instincts inside of me rang out. The orbit balls don't look very hard to [re]produce!
Using calipers, the interior plastic material is about 1" wide by about 0.1" thick (cannot tell for sure due to felt thickness), and the material they are coated with seems to be identical to the material used on stretchable Book Socks. The plastic (depending on the actual material) should be easily source-able through McMaster, and book socks aren't that difficult to find.
If someone can get me an [exact] answer within the next few days, I'll immediately place an order into McMaster to make about twenty or thirty of these balls, and then I'll raid the school supply sections of every store in the area like a loaded refrigerator.
They are made of 1" polymer strips that are woven together
Chris Fultz
03-01-2009, 22:18
i found a few at three different local wal-marts.
Luckily there are several walmarts in Indy area - but with 9 local teams, it could turn into a race to the toy department! :)
We got 2 for $3 a piece, but they didn't have price tags on them. If you encounter this just keep bugging people about them.
Also maybe its time we started looking for some materials to construct them. Its basically just a bunch of intertwined 1 inch wide flexible plastic strips. That has to be much easier to find than the orbit balls themselves and cheaper too.
Tom Hand
03-01-2009, 22:30
Just bought seven at a local Walmart. I refuse to shop at that store chain but did it for the daughters; $9.97 in the Harrisonville store. Our Team PR person has already notified two other local teams to see if they need them. Our local city teams got some to use so they are sitting well.
BeckyHand
03-01-2009, 23:02
http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/9181/dsc08268ad9.jpg
:)
Chris Marra
03-01-2009, 23:17
To anyone who has already broken one of these: can you find out what plastic material they are made of? I'm looking for an exact answer (such as acetal, PET, etc), not just something like "Its plastic, duh".
The reason I ask, is that after finding only four of them between two local Wal-Marts, the engineering and New England frugality instincts inside of me rang out. The orbit balls don't look very hard to [re]produce!
Using calipers, the interior plastic material is about 1" wide by about 0.1" thick (cannot tell for sure due to felt thickness), and the material they are coated with seems to be identical to the material used on stretchable Book Socks. The plastic (depending on the actual material) should be easily source-able through McMaster, and book socks aren't that difficult to find.
If someone can get me an [exact] answer within the next few days, I'll immediately place an order into McMaster to make about twenty or thirty of these balls, and then I'll raid the school supply sections of every store in the area like a loaded refrigerator.
I wouldn't bother with buying up book covers for this purpose. Admittedly, I handled the orbit balls very litte despite taking dozens of photos of them, but I believe the outer skin was basically a spandex material, as are those book covers. It would be much more efficient to just purchase a few yards of fabric from your local Joanne's, or, McMaster might even stock sheets of spandex.
jojolawebb
03-01-2009, 23:21
This ball is similar to a Sepak Takraw ball. These balls are a bit expensive $16 to $20 each from sport suppliers. If you go to Instructables.com and search for - How To Weave A Greek Paper "Football" - you will find a video that shows exactly how to construct this ball out of paper, just use the same principal using the material of your choice.
neoshaakti
03-01-2009, 23:59
Anyone try KB Toys?
Or toys R us
Anyone try KB Toys?
Or toys R us
Yeah I tried all the ones here in Richmond.
KB toys says they've never carried them, but the guy from Toys R' Us said he'd seen em on their shelves before. Maybe you'll have better luck with yours.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyurethane
The balls structure is made out of PU foam(Check link above)
Also walmarts are running low, when i went there were only 4 of these balls left and that was the largest walmart in the country.
chapm436
04-01-2009, 01:07
According to the blip toys site their products are distributed at Kmart, Wal-mart, Target, Toys R Us.
Hopefully that helps
JamesByrne
04-01-2009, 03:08
I have been to 3 walmarts. No where else seems to have them by us. We got lucky and got 6 at one of the stores. So we so far are at 10.
Has anyone found them anywhere other then Walmart?
I found one at KB Toys on sale for $6 at our local mall.
KB toys says they've never carried them...
I’ve found one at that store.
sanddrag
04-01-2009, 03:43
Didn't find any at Toys R Us. Got 5 at one Wal Mart, and they manager checked the computer and they show up as discontinued not able to reorder.
SammyKay
04-01-2009, 08:53
One of our mentors was able to reserve 2 of them at the Walmart in our county. Another one of our mentors is gonna hit the Walmart on his way to the workshop today before he comes over the bridge. And I think a few parents (including my own mother) are dropping off their kids and then going to another Walmart just to try to find these things. We know that we're going to have at least 3. If anybody finds them online, please tell us!
Our local walmart had four in stock. When we looked at them, we realized they were all broken. We talked to the manager and got them for $2 each. Not a bad deal.
dipmeinaluminum
04-01-2009, 10:49
For new York teams, I just visited 2 walmarts the one near Hofstra university in Uniondale and green acres and they have nothing in stock. I live near team 369 grady so those where the closest to me : (
Dear FIRST
pick an item in stock!!!
Love team 354
Kyle Love
04-01-2009, 11:23
We are rocking our way back across PA and OH stopping at every Wal*Mart we meet, so far, we have found one. It would be great if FIRST had an online supplier that we all could buy from, and they would have big quantities.
AllieR2012
04-01-2009, 11:42
Did yall find it on the Wal-Mart website or just in the store?
cbudrecki
04-01-2009, 11:59
Did yall find it on the Wal-Mart website or just in the store?
tried the website, nothing:(
AllieR2012
04-01-2009, 12:34
This is just a thought but the balls might've been discontinued since FIRST bought them all. Since there's like 120 plus balls in the game then every regional has the have them.....surely FIRST will have extras to sell since there are so many post-competition matches.
NinJA999
04-01-2009, 13:54
We found 5 at a local Walmart -- three were missing packaging and broken and two were intact and in packaging. Walmart gave us the broken ones at only 10% off, grr.
Emily269
04-01-2009, 14:55
went to the local walmarts, the balls were sold out. the manager said that they cant order anymore because balls are no longer in production, any ideas??
I have a question, what is the material of the moon rocks and is there any chance that they could be squished, like if for example someone ran it over with the robot?
Team1710
04-01-2009, 15:14
I think we will have to contact the manufacturer to actually obtain these orbit balls. Plus these balls have become a commodity. I bet someone would put it on ebay eventually and the price will just rise.
samir13k
04-01-2009, 15:18
we got 12 at walmart!! yay Chris Elston! anyways, the Blip toys website said they are available at wal-mart, k-mart, target, radioshack, and toys-r-us.
http://www.bliptoys.com/wheretobuy.htm
we did end up paying 10 dollars for all 12, but from my calculations (by playing half an hour of basketball with a tote and the ) these things are going to have a hard time making it through the season,
scirobotics
04-01-2009, 15:23
yeah they snap real quick, o well, at least they can't deflate like those tubes 2 years ago, we went through 14 of 'em
AustinDpOwers89
04-01-2009, 15:29
i looked at our local walmart and a guy from 360 was there taking the last of them they had... but that was only 2 broken ones so i went to another one about 20 minutes away and snagged 9 brand new ones... :) but yeah, they were about $9 a piece tho :/
Team1710
04-01-2009, 16:27
Hopefully Blip will offer these things online.
nahstobor
04-01-2009, 16:30
My mentor and I were able to get 5 from multiple different walmarts. A little advice for finding them in the store, Check the ball bin! We could not find them in the packaging that the picture shows on chief delphi but if you search through the ball bins they might be there. That's where we found our 5.
xxpingphuongxx
04-01-2009, 17:36
I know that every team is in search for these lovely balls. Has anyone located a bulk amount of them yet? We read some where on Yahoo Answer that they found some at Wal Mart. One ball at $9.95 each.
Please post a comment or so if you have a way to get a bulk order.
Pat McCarthy
04-01-2009, 17:41
As of 5pm today, there are 5 Orbit Balls at the Wal-Mart in Alpine, MI! West Michigan teams should make their move before other teams do!
I'd have bought them, but I'm not in the business of extorting FRC teams, even though I could probably use the extra money. :rolleyes:
http://pcpat67.googlepages.com/orbit_balls.jpg
Now the question comes up: How many did FIRST buy to cover the number that will be broken during competitions?
And $2 says Blip Toys removed the balls from their listings until the end of the competitions, when we'll see them put back up on them...
edit: the Wal-Mart in Lafeyette/Erie (in Colorado) had six as of yesterday, so if you're near that area looking in stores around it might be a good bet...
jtdowney
04-01-2009, 17:48
I know that every team is in search for these lovely balls. Has anyone located a bulk amount of them yet? We read some where on Yahoo Answer that they found some at Wal Mart. One ball at $9.95 each.
Please post a comment or so if you have a way to get a bulk order.
My local Walmart had about 10 of them back in the Toys section.
MrForbes
04-01-2009, 17:51
Our local WalMart has one, it has three broken straps. We didn't buy it.
Mike Schreiber
04-01-2009, 17:56
We found ours at a local Walmart, sounds like everyone's getting them for $10, but nothing in bulk.
On another note, this is already being discussed here (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=71036). Please move discussion to the other thread so we don't have multiple threads on the same thing. In the future try to look for the topic before you start a new thread on it.
i doubt Blip will be bringing them back after the competition, the fact that the Walmarts are calling them a discontinued item makes it sound like its not just them putting a hold on the product. And im kinda iffy about if they'll make more of them. i mean, between acquisition time for materials, processing, and then shipment, it'd take (my guess) no less than 3 or 4 weeks to get shipments to teams. but i dont foresee them putting them back on the shelves.
one thought is that when FIRST had decided on their idea, the balls were still in production, but since then, Blip has since discontinued them. i really hope thats the case, cuz then, at least, it wouldnt be FIRST's fault for using a discontinued item...
on a side note, the Toys-R-Us by us said that they'd had them over the summer. (and that it was more of a summer-time item) we found two non-broken ones at the walmart in town.
To anyone who has already broken one of these: can you find out what plastic material they are made of? I'm looking for an exact answer (such as acetal, PET, etc), not just something like "Its plastic, duh".
The reason I ask, is that after finding only four of them between two local Wal-Marts, the engineering and New England frugality instincts inside of me rang out. The orbit balls don't look very hard to [re]produce!
Using calipers, the interior plastic material is about 1" wide by about 0.1" thick (cannot tell for sure due to felt thickness), and the material they are coated with seems to be identical to the material used on stretchable Book Socks. The plastic (depending on the actual material) should be easily source-able through McMaster, and book socks aren't that difficult to find.
If someone can get me an [exact] answer within the next few days, I'll immediately place an order into McMaster to make about twenty or thirty of these balls, and then I'll raid the school supply sections of every store in the area like a loaded refrigerator.
I second the motion to getting exact specs on the materials and when i inspect the ball on monday i will post as detailed of info as i can.
the other logical way to get around the problem of unobtanium balls would be to find some sort of substitute (obviously there will be complications but its worth trying)
so far i have found this
http://www.amazon.com/Rhino-Toys-1001-Oball-Original/dp/B000BNC9DM/ref=pd_sim_dbs_t_3
good luck to everyone! this is gonna be a challenging season
dirtbike59
04-01-2009, 18:13
all the walmarts in NH are sold out. from what i understand is this is a discontinued toy. i bought 4 broken ones. it isnt hard to fix them but we also want our robot to be able to handle broken ones seeing how they will break on the field.
I second the motion to getting exact specs on the materials and when i inspect the ball on monday i will post as detailed of info as i can.
the other logical way to get around the problem of unobtanium balls would be to find some sort of substitute (obviously there will be complications but its worth trying)
so far i have found this
http://www.amazon.com/Rhino-Toys-1001-Oball-Original/dp/B000BNC9DM/ref=pd_sim_dbs_t_3
good luck to everyone! this is gonna be a challenging season
I have one of the balls mentioned in the post. Though it is of similar weight, and might I say much more durable, its dimensions are much smaller. The ball that i have is about half the size of the Wild Time Orbit Ball and would not sufice for the actual game piece.
I'm hoping all my concerns about the orbit balls is answered by Monday or Tuesday after corporates have a chance to respond to this increased demand. :/
Enigma's puzzle
04-01-2009, 19:06
Thanks Pat McCarthy, team enigma was able to get those!!
Team1710
04-01-2009, 20:15
I wish FIRST supplied more of these things. Its now impossible to get some in the kc, ks area.
Bob Koch
04-01-2009, 20:16
To help you find orbit balls at Wal-Mart:
Go to your local Wal-Mart and ask to see an assistant manager, one over toys would be best.
Ask them to please look up the UPC code or the Wal-Mart number for you in their Telxon (pronounced Tel Zon)
UPC 65838282040
Wal-Mart number 784170
This will tell them if they have any in stock in their store.
They can also do a search of other stores using these numbers. They can search in say a radius of say 50 miles (there are over 100 balls in stock within 40 miles of Middletown, Delaware as of tonight.
They can give you the store numbers and the number of balls on hand. I then went to the Walmart web site and got a listing of the stores in the area. The store number will print out with each store.
I also found that many times not all of the product is out on the shelf. They come in boxes of three so many times they are still in boxes in the back room.
It should be noted that this inventory system is not perfect, but is really pretty good at finding product. I also took along a picture of the product when I went to visit the stores to buy them. It often helped the employees find the products once they could see it.
Team1710
04-01-2009, 22:35
To help you find orbit balls at Wal-Mart:
Go to your local Wal-Mart and ask to see an assistant manager, one over toys would be best.
Ask them to please look up the UPC code or the Wal-Mart number for you in their Telxon (pronounced Tel Zon)
UPC 65838282040
Wal-Mart number 784170
This will tell them if they have any in stock in their store.
They can also do a search of other stores using these numbers. They can search in say a radius of say 50 miles (there are over 100 balls in stock within 40 miles of Middletown, Delaware as of tonight.
They can give you the store numbers and the number of balls on hand. I then went to the Walmart web site and got a listing of the stores in the area. The store number will print out with each store.
I also found that many times not all of the product is out on the shelf. They come in boxes of three so many times they are still in boxes in the back room.
It should be noted that this inventory system is not perfect, but is really pretty good at finding product. I also took along a picture of the product when I went to visit the stores to buy them. It often helped the employees find the products once they could see it.
Thanks this really helped! Here is an image i took of the label in walmart.
http://bayimg.com/image/eamhoaabm.jpg
fordchrist675
04-01-2009, 22:37
Yeah we got ours at Wal-Mart. got about 10 of them figured we could play some hoops haha
Elgin Clock
04-01-2009, 22:44
I found one at KB Toys on sale for $6 at our local mall.
Hurry up & check those KB stores folks, as they are the next retailer to go out of business from their latest numbers they give to their shareholders!
(But, then again, every time I go into a KB, they are "going out of business", so who really knows how long they are going to be around. HA!)
Thanks for the confirmation of the alternate source (other than Wallyworld) though Jaime, I'll have to check there as well tomorrow for some more.
Swerting
04-01-2009, 22:52
My team has found these orbit balls by blip toys (which are not to be found on Amazon or Blip's site, or Walmart, or Target, or...) at Walmart's and claims at Target and Toy-R-Us. We'll know more midweek.
These balls can be bought brand new, but more often than not, there will be some broken or damaged ones. Pick these up and go haggle with the manager, then just bring them back to where you all are working, glue the plastic back together and ducktape the fabric. In competition, the balls aren't going to be 'fresh' in every single match, so we should get used to dealing with fixed up orbit balls.
cbudrecki
04-01-2009, 23:00
I checked one of my local Wal-Marts today. They said they were sold out, but not from the game, they told me they sold out just after Christmas!?!? Is FIRST now sending out scouts to buy all the game pieces ahead of time, just so we can learn the meaning of 'unobtainium':eek: (I must say, that's my new favorite word, next to 'specificity.')
andrew348
04-01-2009, 23:34
We finally found 4 Orbit Balls at a Walmart about 45 minutes away after 6 hours of searching at 6 Walmart's, 2 Toys "R" Us, 1 Target, 1 Toy Box, 1 KB Toys, 1 Pet's Mart, 1 Sears, 5 different malls, numerous internet searches and an hour of getting lost.
I think the best way to find them is to just go Walmart hopping to find them. Lucky that gas prices are low now for these kind of trips. Also, it might be a good idea to go to an area where there not alot of FRC teams.
Ok. I am in a smaller town (100,000) compared to most of the teams out there, (we are in like the 5th biggest town in Idaho...) and I went out to Walmart to get some of those balls. As to what I expected they haven't carried them for almost four years..... I was talking to a manager and she went to order some for me and another team and come to find out they cant even order more of them because of how long it has been since they have had them. I just want everyone to know this: Not all Walmarts carry these balls and can't even order them!!!! Lucky for me the manager of this Walmart guaranteed me 20 balls for our two teams so I will hopefully have them at least by tuesday. This is bad news for all teams in smaller and less populated states like us in Idaho. Best bet... go to washington.... Good Luck to all that need it. :)
Oh, and one more tip. You better bring the ball with you that you got, or else the person you talk to will give you a look similiar to call the asylum, another one escaped. I talked to the manager of the store I was at and it took two rough sketches, and about 20 of explaining for her to know what I was talking about. If you cant bring the ball, take a picture or even better the animation of the game.. Good Luck.
flubber3m
05-01-2009, 00:44
For new York teams, I just visited 2 walmarts the one near Hofstra university in Uniondale and green acres and they have nothing in stock. I live near team 369 grady so those where the closest to me : (
Thats really interesting b/c I think that the walmart in uniondale is where I ended up finding 3 of them. The other 2-3 walmarts and a target or two didn't have any. Neither did Toys 'r' us. We're gonna check out KB tomorrow.
I just have a quick comment. Unless I am missing something, the orbit balls should be made in Minnesota, so why does the packaging say made in China? You can see the picture in the very begginning of the thread.
Elgin Clock
05-01-2009, 01:06
I just have a quick comment. Unless I am missing something, the orbit balls should be made in Minnesota, so why does the packaging say made in China? You can see the picture in the very begginning of the thread.
The Minnesota address is their distribution center for the USA.
The about page on their website shows both the USA address, & the China one.
http://www.bliptoys.com/aboutus.htm
Oh, and one more tip. You better bring the ball with you that you got, or else the person you talk to will give you a look similiar to call the asylum, another one escaped. I talked to the manager of the store I was at and it took two rough sketches, and about 20 of explaining for her to know what I was talking about. If you cant bring the ball, take a picture or even better the animation of the game.. Good Luck.
I took a picture with me on my rounds of major stores here in London, and none of the staff at any of them had ever seen it before. I can imagine trying to explain what I wanted to the staff. :yikes:
Wetzel
My local walmart had about 20 in stock I bought seven. They had the green & purple and orange & purple. Still looking for an orange & blue.
I'm in the Central florida area.
RayleighxFace
05-01-2009, 10:28
Walmart is everyones best bet.
We bought a few but the material is already coming off.
I think this may be a problem
I've got to say, this is a pretty big faux pas on behalf of FIRST.
dipmeinaluminum
05-01-2009, 10:46
Thats really interesting b/c I think that the walmart in uniondale is where I ended up finding 3 of them. The other 2-3 walmarts and a target or two didn't have any. Neither did Toys 'r' us. We're gonna check out KB tomorrow.
i gave the guy the bar code number for it and he tells me that he got nothing, maybe i showed up to early in the morning and he didnt want to bother with me. tell your math teacher Ms Fanelli that i said hi!!!!:)
Team1710
05-01-2009, 11:10
Called Blip. Looks like they are still manufacturing the balls. Walmart might be discontinuing the item at some stores. Didn't ask about directly ordering them though.
jester357mom
05-01-2009, 11:18
After dozens of phone calls and many miles searching various Walmart's in PA, I finally called Blip. According to their representative, they do not sell to the public (ugh:ahh: ) and the only store that will carry them is Walmart.
Good Luck teams!!!!!:rolleyes:
Called Blip. The lady sounded tired. She said that FIRST will have something up on their website within the next 24 hours. Your guess is as good as mine as to what that means.
Greg Marra
05-01-2009, 11:22
Called Blip. The lady sounded tired.
Probably has to do with the thousand or so voicemails she got over the weekend. :ahh:
i gave the guy the bar code number for it and he tells me that he got nothing, maybe i showed up to early in the morning and he didnt want to bother with me. tell your math teacher Ms Fanelli that i said hi!!!!:)
I had the same problem. The manager I talked to gave me the upc code for it, but when I had another associate look for the ball, it didn't even come up on their computer, and when it rang-up at the register it was rung-up as a play ball...
Called Blip. The lady sounded tired. She said that FIRST will have something up on their website within the next 24 hours. Your guess is as good as mine as to what that means.
Probably has to do with the, how many teams are there, like 2900 or so teams all calling her for the same reason: How do I get about ten to fifteen balls. She was probably more than tired, she has probably already fried about three coffee makers... I feel bad for her, that company has probably had more complaints in the past 72 hours that they have had ever since they opened...
purduephotog
05-01-2009, 11:59
Probably has to do with the, how many teams are there, like 2900 or so teams all calling her for the same reason: How do I get about ten to fifteen balls. She was probably more than tired, she has probably already fried about three coffee makers... I feel bad for her, that company has probably had more complaints in the past 72 hours that they have had ever since they opened...
Once again I call on FIRST: BAD FORM!
You did this with those stupid exercise balls last season. If you have a sourced product PUT THESE AGREEMENTS IN PLACE FIRST and then negotiate source purchase methods.
Do they not realize what happens each time they do this?
All of our area (as far as I can tell) has been bought out by one team. From a note I received they seem rather pleased by the fact that they cleaned out all the local WalMarts of balls.
Gracious professionalism at its best.
Kingofl337
05-01-2009, 12:31
I don't believe FIRST knew about this issue until right before kick off and didn't have time to react to the news that they were discontinued.
dipmeinaluminum
05-01-2009, 13:33
this is a shot in the dark but:
can anyone who baught the orbit ball at your walmart take a very detailed picture of the UPC barcode, cropped out to fill the entire screen so i could download it to my iphone and just scan it when i travel over a million miles across the east coast looking for this thing? i know it comes in a box.
Love Team 354 Mentor. : )
Team1710
05-01-2009, 13:44
Someone did post pictures of the box earlier.
Elgin Clock
05-01-2009, 14:06
I don't believe FIRST knew about this issue until right before kick off and didn't have time to react to the news that they were discontinued.
If that's the case, (and I'm willing to believe that it is, if only for granting FIRST the benefit of the doubt) then I'm sure they will be calling the supplier of next year's game item AHEAD OF TIME like they should do with everything (we need) to be sure it's available.
At least every team got one of each though, I will give them that.
Why they say 2009 on them, when they are supposedly discontinued at the end of 2008 is the real mystery.
Team1710
05-01-2009, 14:08
I don't know if this could help but I found a list of walmart distribution centers.
http://www.algulfcoastvideo.com/Walmart1.htm
I don't believe FIRST knew about this issue until right before kick off and didn't have time to react to the news that they were discontinued.
Define "right before." I talked to someone from GDC at kickoff and they knew about it. My guess is that FIRST has known for at least a week but has been trying to figure out a way to fix it without alerting people to the nature of the balls.
This is something that happens with FIRST routinely. Remember all the fuss in 2003 about the storage bins? And then how hilariously overstocked WalMart was with bins in 2004, and how furious they got?
FIRST needs to take over the wholesale redistributing of their game pieces. Obviously this has a lot of attendant problems and is not the most efficient way to run things. However, it A) keeps stuff like this from happening, B) is the only thing that will work if FIRST truly grows to varsity level, and C) would be in keeping with Dean's message about positive social change to keep people from patronizing WalMart (but that's getting political...)
NinJA999
05-01-2009, 16:09
If you have a sourced product PUT THESE AGREEMENTS IN PLACE FIRST and then negotiate source purchase methods.
I do somewhat agree, but FIRST probably needs to consider the possibility of leaks.
Team #1502
05-01-2009, 18:51
We finally tracked down some orbit balls.
Called 5 Wal-marts 6 Toys R us and some Targets and finally tracked down three at a Wal-mart close by. We bought them even though they were all broken. Then we called some more and found another Wal-mart that had five in stock and so purchased them. they appear to be unbroken.
So my suggestion is call stores first then go look for yourself.
Also Toys R us and Target in our area said they never carried them.
Haha, the only balls I could find were hidden and mislabeled in the back storage of a WalMart 80 miles north of me in the mountains.
What a debacle.
timmmoore
05-01-2009, 19:29
http://www.logoloc.com/first/
top right corner of webpage
purduephotog
05-01-2009, 19:36
I do somewhat agree, but FIRST probably needs to consider the possibility of leaks.
The first clue was a moon fish.
The leak would have been "FIRST announces commitment to buy 28000 POOF Orbit balls".
We already had a 50/50 bet that it would be something to do with balls this year. That would have narrowed it down the manipulation to do something with a ton of holes in it.
Either way: I'll say it again- Give me the opportunity to 'pre-buy' game pieces, tell me how many, don't tell me what they are, and let me give you a CC to ship them out. I'll spend an extra 100$ if it means I don't have to waste 3 hours calling and driving all over God's Country to find something that was made in China and sold at our local WalMart.
Newzealand38
05-01-2009, 20:22
Team 2102 has managed to obtain 18 so far target seems to have them but they are never on the selves walmart can't keep track of there items and i refuse to go to anymore walmarts. we wenty to a total of 10 just to find the ones we did.
*gets down on his knees and thanks the gods for the "Wild Time Orbit Balls" they found*
http://www.logoloc.com/first/
top right corner of webpage
i knew first was going to be working on this... btw umm karen in canada seems to be doing a bulk order i guess when they are available. I just got my teacher to make a call to her and see wether or not we can get them from her... cus nowhere down here in toronto has them so far...
To all First competitors,
I would like to take this opportunity to clarify many of the rumors regarding the Blip Toys Orbit Ball. At this time Blip Toys does not have any stock of the Orbit Ball to sell to competitors directly. First has purchased extra units for the competition and has informed us additional balls we will be sold via their website in the next 24 hours. To date Walmart has been the only retailer to carry the Orbit Ball and has elected to not purchase the ball for the upcoming spring season. All remaining orbit balls through Walmart are available in their stores and are being sold on clearance. They were not offered by Walmart via their website or in any other countries. Our analysis shows around 14,000 pieces throughout their stores across the U.S.
Customer Service
Blip Toys
flubber3m
06-01-2009, 01:17
After searching about 4 walmarts, 2 targets and a toys r us, we found 3. Between 1468 and 353 there are now 5 orbit balls. After calling Blip and FIRST this is what we've found out. Blip is not selling them to stores right now to stock up for FIRST. If you check out the FIRST e-mail blast it mentions a Q&A on wednesday at noon. THAT is where the info will be released on how to get these balls. FIRST will be selling them and it will be possible to get more than the 2-3 many of us have been finding. :D
I found one at a local WallMart....
Manager did a SKU check and found me a bunch at a few other local stores...
SKU is 6583 8282 040 call customer service and ask them to do a check...
A lot of them were broken on the shelf, got them for $5 each...
tom lafleur
mentor team 812
To all First competitors,
I would like to take this opportunity to clarify many of the rumors regarding the Blip Toys Orbit Ball. At this time Blip Toys does not have any stock of the Orbit Ball to sell to competitors directly. First has purchased extra units for the competition and has informed us additional balls we will be sold via their website in the next 24 hours. To date Walmart has been the only retailer to carry the Orbit Ball and has elected to not purchase the ball for the upcoming spring season. All remaining orbit balls through Walmart are available in their stores and are being sold on clearance. They were not offered by Walmart via their website or in any other countries. Our analysis shows around 14,000 pieces throughout their stores across the U.S.
Customer Service
Blip Toys
This shows that maybe with FIRST expanding into more countries the game designers need to check that playing pieces / field parts are available in all competing countries.
We don't have Walmarts in New Zealand. Also a google search failed to show anyone in NZ selling the field material. There maybe an equivalent but it will take a lot of time to find a suitable one.
So maybe in the future once the GDC have worked out what is needed for the field and pieces they could contact a FIRST rep in each country to confirm the item or exact equivalent is available. So on kickoff day a list of all equivalent parts are in the manual. The FIRST rep would have to be signed to a confidentiality clause.
How are the teams in Israel / England / Germany doing at getting the field floor and game ball?
Some years depending on the game it might not be so critical but the field for this year definitely is.
Any thoughts?
Any thoughts?
Make your own game pieces (white paper comming soon in another thread)
drive on some slick plastic that you have in your bathrooms or commercial kitchens or any other slick surface
other then that good luck,
This shows that maybe with FIRST expanding into more countries the game designers need to check that playing pieces / field parts are available in all competing countries.
We don't have Walmarts in New Zealand. Also a google search failed to show anyone in NZ selling the field material. There maybe an equivalent but it will take a lot of time to find a suitable one.
So maybe in the future once the GDC have worked out what is needed for the field and pieces they could contact a FIRST rep in each country to confirm the item or exact equivalent is available. So on kickoff day a list of all equivalent parts are in the manual. The FIRST rep would have to be signed to a confidentiality clause.
How are the teams in Israel / England / Germany doing at getting the field floor and game ball?
Some years depending on the game it might not be so critical but the field for this year definitely is.
Any thoughts?
I feel for you. I sense that this problem has been consistently overlooked in the past few years.
How are the teams in Israel / England / Germany doing at getting the field floor and game ball?
Some years depending on the game it might not be so critical but the field for this year definitely is.
Any thoughts?
Well, we have multiple problems this year.
The crater flooring is a problem. if we would have gotten a sample in the kit we would know if we have anything compatible here, but we didn't.
(just got off the phone with our regional director, she ordered a sample and will find a solution for the Israeli teams <-- she's awesome if you didn't notice :) )
Orbit balls are a problem. the poof balls were available for purchase online in 2006 so that the shipping was a killer, but at least we had balls. we're looking into where to get these as well, because we don't think FIRST is going around wallmarts and buying up 5 or 6 at a time for the regionals.
Bimba cylinders were also a problem, but our regional director solved that a long time ago: she contacted bimba and made sure that they pool all the israeli orders and ship them once a week. she takes care of customs and distributing to the teams. (did I mention she's awesome?)
Any team can do an AndyMark order on their own if they want to, but again shipping and customs are a hassle and time wasters. we pool andymark orders twice a week and Alisha (our regional director) takes care of that as well.
In the past IFI orders were also pooled.
Also FIRST has special rules in place for international teams which in general state that if you can not get the exact part which is allowed in the KOP you are allowed an identical part from a different manufacturer. I think this mostly applies to pneumatic cylinders which have the same dimensions across multiple manufacturers, and yet teams are restricted to bimba cylinders.
It isn't as easy as it is in the states - but we don't do this stuff because it's easy...
That's all I can think of at the moment. let me know if there is something else you had in mind.
-Leav
Muktar Ali
06-01-2009, 07:08
How are the teams in Israel / England / Germany doing at getting the field floor and game ball?
After searching all the major toy shops in London and outside, we have found nothing.:mad: We're getting some shipped over from the states by our former mentor and we will be buying from FIRSt when it is available. For the flooring, we've order some PTFE sheets as it's the closest thing we could find. We're gonna wrap some old wheels with teflon tape as our KOP has not arrived yet.:mad:
I'm just wondering if melamine sheets would be close to what the surface is like? or is that what people are meaning when they say the stuff on the walls in bathrooms? if so there seems to be plenty of suppliers in New Zealand selling the stuff. Also yea by the looks of it we can easily make the balls out of polycarbonate and access to a table saw which I'm sure everyone here will be able to get access to. (i already have a stockpile of polycarbonate that will be perfect for making the balls lying around at home) :)
Tim
Elgin Clock
06-01-2009, 14:22
http://www.logoloc.com/first/
top right corner of webpage
FYI, if you're referring to the "2009 Game Kits" link, then you are mistaken, since that is for the FTC competition, not FRC.
I'm sure when Orbit balls are available, they will have a nice big Orbit ball picture on the main page with a link to how to get them.
Team1710
06-01-2009, 14:55
FYI, if you're referring to the "2009 Game Kits" link, then you are mistaken, since that is for the FTC competition, not FRC.
I'm sure when Orbit balls are available, they will have a nice big Orbit ball picture on the main page with a link to how to get them.
I think he is refering to the coming soon sign that says orbit balls coming soon.
cgredalertcc
06-01-2009, 15:06
If you can find a walmart that still has orbit balls then you're clearly not recruiting hard enough
;)
I'm just wondering if melamine sheets would be close to what the surface is like? or is that what people are meaning when they say the stuff on the walls in bathrooms? if so there seems to be plenty of suppliers in New Zealand selling the stuff. Also yea by the looks of it we can easily make the balls out of polycarbonate and access to a table saw which I'm sure everyone here will be able to get access to. (i already have a stockpile of polycarbonate that will be perfect for making the balls lying around at home) :)
Tim
Melamine might do it but without exact specs you won't know. I think it also is maybe a more heavy duty one like you see making the walls in food processing plants maybe takeaways. The trouble is unless a sheet of it has been shipped to NZ you can't go and do a touch test for comparison.
I doubt many teams have a stockpile of polycarbonate.
Where did you get yours from? Do you have the size dimensions etc please?
Part of my original post is also on the time spent on having to try and find the field, make the orbit balls. This takes away from actual robot design / construction. Then in the 2009 case if the practice field you have isn't exactly right, when your drivers get to regionals they will have to learn to drive all over again. Depending on the difference of the coeffecient of friction.
See you at the next Vex comp.
bigbeezy
06-01-2009, 17:46
Well after 3 hours of searching I've come up with 13 balls, 8 Moon Rocks, 3 Empty Cells, and 2 Super Cells.
Being in Tallahassee I was able to search 4 walmarts without worrying about other teams scarfing them up since the nearest team is 2 hours away. I went to a Target, K-Mart, and Toys-R-Us and got none... I shall mail them to my team tomorrow.
We're probabilly all driving Walmart crazy because they are going to think these are a hot selling item and stock up on them and once build is over nobody will want these things. :D
tanyaheartbots
08-01-2009, 15:06
Does anyone know the name of the fabric that is used in the Orbit Ball?
coolfilmaker
08-01-2009, 16:01
Does anyone know the name of the fabric that is used in the Orbit Ball?
Spandex
Rick TYler
08-01-2009, 16:05
This seems to have become an annual ritual, an introduction to the concept of Unobtainium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium).
Makes you yearn for the days when the game object could be made out of PVC pipe, doesn't it?
Makes you yearn for the days when the game object could be made out of PVC pipe, doesn't it?
Yes, but even then they somtimes used fittings etc. that were not always available west of the Mississippi. I remember searching all over LA for a certain pipe fitting back in 2002.
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