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-   -   Source for Orbit Ball (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71036)

Cory 03-01-2009 12:34
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
$9.97 at our local WalMart .. they had 4 in stock.

Tom Schindler 03-01-2009 15:35
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
it has a tag on it

Demon Slayer 03-01-2009 15:37
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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.

mbarina 03-01-2009 15:56
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
We just opened our KOP and it includes one ball.

Libby K 03-01-2009 16:25
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
The KOP Balls are from Wal-Mart.

Wetzel 03-01-2009 16:56
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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

Lodyev 03-01-2009 17:38
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Brandon, or anyone else who got it at walmart:
Can you tell me the ISP?

ATannahill 03-01-2009 17:40
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lodyev (Post 789814)
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...e2b978c1_l.jpg.

Lowfategg 03-01-2009 17:44
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mbarina (Post 789753)
Bought this ball last year for my dog in Walmart. It is made by Blip Toys 15255 Minnetonka Blvd Minnetonka, MN 55345.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Game Hint #2
drive by and make a pickup on Minnetonka in Minnetonka;
So that's where they were leading us!!!

Lodyev 03-01-2009 18:08
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by rtfgnow (Post 789819)
658382820404 as seen in this picture in CD Media http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/img...e2b978c1_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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
I think FIRST needs to start finding it's own manufacturer to stock-pile game pieces!

dtengineering 03-01-2009 19:06
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan Anderson (Post 789964)
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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.

bobwrit 03-01-2009 19:18
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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)

Joe J. 03-01-2009 19:19
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Just cleaned out the Canton Walmart of their last 8. $9.97 a piece.

jgannon 03-01-2009 19:20
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tb222 (Post 789976)
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.

Chris_Elston 03-01-2009 19:33
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
We got 12 of them at our local walmart:

http://twitpic.com/zevd

$10 each

Cory 03-01-2009 19:35
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan Anderson (Post 789964)
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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

Lodyev 03-01-2009 20:06
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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.

McGurky 03-01-2009 20:26
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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!

Lodyev 03-01-2009 20:29
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Has anyone found them anywhere other then Walmart?

Alex Dinsmoor 03-01-2009 20:30
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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.

glebe 03-01-2009 20:43
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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.

matt91 03-01-2009 20:54
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cory (Post 789722)
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
Quote:
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"??

McGurky 03-01-2009 20:55
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Has anyone tried E-mailing Blip Toys?

glebe 03-01-2009 21:01
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
I have phoned them and am awaiting a call back, hopefully early Monday morning. Have requested information about Canadian locations..

Joe J. 03-01-2009 21:03
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by matt91 (Post 790208)
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by artdutra04 (Post 790151)
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cory (Post 789722)
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.

Xianar 03-01-2009 21:59
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by artdutra04 (Post 790151)
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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! :)

Stealth 03-01-2009 22:22
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 


:)

Chris Marra 03-01-2009 23:17
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by artdutra04 (Post 790151)
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Anyone try KB Toys?
Or toys R us

Lodyev 04-01-2009 00:12
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by neoshaakti (Post 790493)
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.

And250 04-01-2009 01:03
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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.

Jaime65 04-01-2009 03:35
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lodyev (Post 790160)
Has anyone found them anywhere other then Walmart?
I found one at KB Toys on sale for $6 at our local mall.

Jaime65 04-01-2009 03:37
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lodyev (Post 790505)
KB toys says they've never carried them...

I’ve found one at that store.

sanddrag 04-01-2009 03:43
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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!

AJ R 04-01-2009 09:19
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Did yall find it on the Wal-Mart website or just in the store?

cbudrecki 04-01-2009 11:59
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2012tapqueen (Post 790886)
Did yall find it on the Wal-Mart website or just in the store?
tried the website, nothing:(

AllieR2012 04-01-2009 12:34
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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??

Eiske 04-01-2009 15:12
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Hopefully Blip will offer these things online.

nahstobor 04-01-2009 16:30
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Wild Time Orbit Balls
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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:

GregW11 04-01-2009 17:44
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Wild Time Orbit Balls
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by xxpingphuongxx (Post 791379)
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
Re: Wild Time Orbit Balls
 
Our local WalMart has one, it has three broken straps. We didn't buy it.

Mike Schreiber 04-01-2009 17:56
Re: Wild Time Orbit Balls
 
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. 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.

fromano 04-01-2009 18:02
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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.

llama 04-01-2009 18:05
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by artdutra04 (Post 790151)
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-100...pd_sim_dbs_t_3

good luck to everyone! this is gonna be a challenging season

dirtbike59 04-01-2009 18:13
Re: Wild Time Orbit Balls
 
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.

yoda92 04-01-2009 18:16
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by llama (Post 791437)
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-100...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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Thanks Pat McCarthy, team enigma was able to get those!!

Team1710 04-01-2009 20:15
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Koch (Post 791642)
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.

fordchrist675 04-01-2009 22:37
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaime65 (Post 790657)
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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.

Dubdub 05-01-2009 00:31
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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. :)

Dubdub 05-01-2009 00:36
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dipmeinaluminum (Post 790812)
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.

Dubdub 05-01-2009 01:02
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
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
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dubdub (Post 791999)
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

Wetzel 05-01-2009 08:44
Re: Source for Orbit Ball
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dubdub (Post 791981)
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


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