ZPI Spool Question

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DanD
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ZPI Spool Question

Post by DanD » Wed Jun 07, 2006 4:10 am

I put a ZPI RC002SRR spool with SIC bearings in my TDZ. I replaced the standard bearing with the SIC bearing in the sideplate but it doesn't cast nearly as well as the standard spool, no does it spin as freely if I just disengage and spin it. The red spool looks cool, but I was expecting casting performance improvement. I even swapped it in my Type R+ and it really looks good, but same thing with the performance. Is this normal with the ZPI spool? Dan

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illini
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Re: ZPI Spool Question

Post by illini » Wed Jun 07, 2006 6:33 am

With mg spools they wont free spool like a stock spool because of the lack of weight. I would make sure the mag brakes are dry free of oil from the sic bearing.

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ChuckE
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Re: ZPI Spool Question

Post by ChuckE » Wed Jun 07, 2006 7:26 am

Illini makes a good point about precision bearings. Most won't turn as freely under their own weight, especially those with high precision and ceramic balls. The reason for this is 3 fold:

- Ceramic balls weigh ~40% less than SS bearings, and they won't have nearly the same momentum as heavier balls once spinning.

- The bearings clearances are so tight, that they won't spin as freely when not loaded. The tolerances on the cage, tracks on the races, and balls are designed for less tracking error and minimal axial misalignment. Because of that they may not spin as freely when not mounted, held or loaded in their final design configuration. (Many precision bearings have a minimal load spec and orientation configuration recommended by the manufacturer.)

- Any lube on the surface of the balls and races will actually retard the initial movement of the unloaded bearing, especially when spinning it from a dead stop. [Slippage of the balls is maximum at startup from a dead stop, until the balls get rolling.] If you don't spin it up with enough force, to overcome frictional losses from the lube acting on the lighter balls, the lube will significantly retard startup.

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Boonethelunkerlander
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Re: ZPI Spool Question

Post by Boonethelunkerlander » Wed Jun 07, 2006 7:31 am

WOWWWWWWW, i just reliazed something...... i am VERY CONFUSED :lol:
Boone Barton
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DanD
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Re: ZPI Spool Question

Post by DanD » Wed Jun 07, 2006 7:51 am

Thanks for all the feedback. I'll check the magnets tonite. Dan

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ChuckE
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Re: ZPI Spool Question

Post by ChuckE » Wed Jun 07, 2006 8:53 am

Boone wrote:
i just reliazed something...... i am VERY CONFUSED


Thanks boone, I guess I mis-read the original problem and description in the original post. Sorry about that, my bad.


DanD,

Some questions:

Did you clean the bearings before you put them in? The bearings are shipped with a light preservative that really isn't the best light lube for use.

Did you use just a small drop of reel oil on each bearing and spin them to spread the oil around the inside of the bearing, before using it? The oil should be put on the outside of the bearing center race to ensure it gets into the bearing.

Did you over lube the bearings? Overlubing will impact ceramic hybrid bearings significantly more than SS bearings, because of the weight of the balls. The bearings will sound 'rattley or gurgley' and casting distance will be impacted.

The settings you use on the magnetic brake and spool tension may be a little different and slightly more critical than before the upgrade. In general, the spool tension adjustment will be a little more critical for correct brake adjustment. Try different spool tension settings with brake adjustments to see if casting distance improves. [The balance between spool tension and magnetic braking will shift due to higher spool speeds and faster startup--and the range of the braking adjustment will narrow slightly.]

Lastly, I have gotten 2 bad ZPI SIC bearings out of the last 10 sets I received (20 bearings total). I removed the shields on both bearings and couldn't see any obvious problem with a magnifying lens, and no amount of cleaning would resolve the problem. I suspect the bearing retainers inside the bearings were actually damaged during final assembly, but can't say that for sure. The problem was that there was one bearing in 2 different sets that were bad--I had to swap bearings around on the spools to finally figure out which one was bad in each pair.

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DanD
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Re: ZPI Spool Question

Post by DanD » Mon Jun 12, 2006 4:41 am

Chuck,

I tried to remove some of the oil on the bearings and tried to rtemove any oil by the magnets (used small piece of sponge) and it seemed to work. Spins much freer and casts much better. Thanks for the help. Dan

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Re: ZPI Spool Question

Post by smallykiller » Fri Jun 16, 2006 8:28 pm

hey chuckE, I also have a bad zpi bearing. I tried cleaning the bearing numerous times but it's still rough. Not a good thing when they cost $30.

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ChuckE
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Re: ZPI Spool Question

Post by ChuckE » Sat Jun 17, 2006 4:58 am

smallykiller,
Must have been a bad run. Yes, at $30 a pair it can get expensive.

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