# Maru 4x4 problem



## msoc14 (Jun 30, 2010)

EDIT: It is fixed now thanks to everyone's help! Hopefully this will help other people if they run into the same problem and don't know much haha

I just ran into this problem with my new Maru 4x4:

it won't turn when white and yellow are on either the top or bottom. I can't do at R, r, L, or l, but I can do U, u, D and d. Here is a video I quickly made to show the problem:






I just got it yesterday, so I am unfamiliar with the internal parts and other stuff about it so any help would be appreciated! THanks


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## iChanZer0 (Jun 30, 2010)

If you got it from cube depot tell him its defected and send it back he'll give you a new one


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## dimwmuni (Jun 30, 2010)

Well I don't have one and don't know the mechanism either, but if it has a ball core it may be that it has split and moved because the screw was too lose. It happened to me when I dropped my QJ 4x4 and I took it apart and tightened the screw and that seemed to fix it.


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## iChanZer0 (Jun 30, 2010)

dimwmuni said:


> Well I don't have one and don't know the mechanism either, but if it has a ball core it may be that it has split and moved because the screw was too lose. It happened to me when I dropped my QJ 4x4 and I took it apart and tightened the screw and that seemed to fix it.



Its not a ball core its a modified vcube mechanism


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## msoc14 (Jun 30, 2010)

Yeah I got it from CubeDepot, but i solved it a couple of times before it happened and it worked fine, so is it considered defective?

ok thanks for the advice, I am just afraid to take it apart because I saw a thread saying how difficult it was to put it back together. I will do that if I have to though


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## bluecloe45 (Jun 30, 2010)

the core is out of allignment. you need to dissasemble and reassemble right


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## iChanZer0 (Jun 30, 2010)

msoc14 said:


> Yeah I got it from CubeDepot, but i solved it a couple of times before it happened and it worked fine, so is it considered defective?
> 
> ok thanks for the advice, I am just afraid to take it apart because I saw a thread saying how difficult it was to put it back together. I will do that if I have to though



well ask the owner bigbee99 and he may exchange it for another one


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## DavidWoner (Jun 30, 2010)

You don't have to take it apart to realign it. Squeeze one half to hold the core in place and turn the other half until it realigns.


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## msoc14 (Jun 30, 2010)

DavidWoner said:


> You don't have to take it apart to realign it. Squeeze one half to hold the core in place and turn the other half until it realigns.



OMG IT WORKED THANKS SOO MUCH!! as I was doing that i realized the screws were behind the edges so I tried squeezing one half like you said. I just had to turn the other half and apply some pressure to make it move back! 

Thanks again and to everone else!


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## robosariobo777 (Jun 30, 2010)

if u want to contact the owner, just use the site..or email him..he always gets back quick


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## waffle=ijm (Jun 30, 2010)

there's a fix for this. if you take the cube apart, make sure the that little blocks that prevent the locks aren't moving. if they are, superglue them down so that those won't move.


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## ─━K` (Jun 30, 2010)

it must be "locked" inside...


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## WastedMeerkat (Jul 1, 2010)

From the other thread:

Ok, so I'm getting lockups on the inner layers occasionally, but I want that to stop completely. I took a look inside, and only one of the centers is molded to where the inner edge pieces are already there. The rest are just normal. Is there any way to glue these so that the core misalignment stops? I know those weird shapes on the core need to be considered when doing this...

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4072938/Pictures/maru4x4_centers.png



waffle=ijm said:


> there's a fix for this. if you take the cube apart, make sure the that little blocks that prevent the locks aren't moving. if they are, superglue them down so that those won't move.



Really? Well, mine weren't moving when I took it apart and tried to turn them. Do you mean they're rotating, or they're just kinda moving around a little bit? I really wanted to fix this, but now that I've already put it back together. Now the cube is even more locky than before I took it apart.


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## waffle=ijm (Jul 1, 2010)

WastedMeerkat said:


> From the other thread:
> 
> Ok, so I'm getting lockups on the inner layers occasionally, but I want that to stop completely. I took a look inside, and only one of the centers is molded to where the inner edge pieces are already there. The rest are just normal. Is there any way to glue these so that the core misalignment stops? I know those weird shapes on the core need to be considered when doing this...
> 
> ...



like
even small movements can cause misalignment...they should be firm on the core at all times.


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## WastedMeerkat (Jul 1, 2010)

waffle=ijm said:


> like
> even small movements can cause misalignment...they should be firm on the core at all times.



Ok, but then my other problem is that I can't seem to tighten the screws all the way back to where they were. I'm afraid I might strip it.


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## waffle=ijm (Jul 1, 2010)

WastedMeerkat said:


> waffle=ijm said:
> 
> 
> > like
> ...



the 2 screws (the ones with the blocks) are rivets.


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## WastedMeerkat (Jul 1, 2010)

waffle=ijm said:


> WastedMeerkat said:
> 
> 
> > waffle=ijm said:
> ...



Yeah I saw that somewhere else before. I think my screwdriver isn't blunt enough, and that's why it doesn't work so well.


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## Mikon (Oct 14, 2010)

Oh, yes, I marry you...

I mean, Should I just have patience everytime this happens or just buy another 4x4x4 brand?
I am also having the exact same problem. 
Meffert's would probably be more... reliable?


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## qwr (Dec 22, 2020)

I disassembled mine completely and then put it back together and tightened it. Took over an hour (any puzzle larger than a 3x3 takes me a long time and a few rubber bands) but the problem is mostly fixed. There are still minor misalignments but no catastrophic complete misalignments.


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## ender9994 (Dec 22, 2020)

qwr said:


> I disassembled mine completely and then put it back together and tightened it. Took over an hour (any puzzle larger than a 3x3 takes me a long time and a few rubber bands) but the problem is mostly fixed. There are still minor misalignments but no catastrophic complete misalignments.



Reliving the glory days of puzzle hardware from 2010?


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## qwr (Dec 22, 2020)

ender9994 said:


> Reliving the glory days of puzzle hardware from 2010?


It's funny, I bought this Maru 4x4 this year for like $1. I decided to take it out of my box of "vintage" puzzles to play with. My 4x4 from 2010 didn't even have the misalignment issue. (Maybe you can identify it: https://www.speedsolving.com/thread...ntification-thread.17946/page-86#post-1406795) The Maru 4x4 sucked back then.


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## ender9994 (Dec 22, 2020)

I had a different experience then you. I remember I purchased my first maru 4x4 along with a bottle of maru lube at U.S. Nationals 2010 and it instantly became my main. I might have some memory bias going on, but I remember it as being extremely quick, with catches that were jarring, but very brief. It would catch, but then quickly release and keep turning.


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## MJS Cubing (Dec 22, 2020)

qwr said:


> I disassembled mine completely and then put it back together and tightened it. Took over an hour (any puzzle larger than a 3x3 takes me a long time and a few rubber bands) but the problem is mostly fixed. There are still minor misalignments but no catastrophic complete misalignments.


Nice bump.


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## qwr (Dec 22, 2020)

ender9994 said:


> I had a different experience then you. I remember I purchased my first maru 4x4 along with a bottle of maru lube at U.S. Nationals 2010 and it instantly became my main. I might have some memory bias going on, but I remember it as being extremely quick, with catches that were jarring, but very brief. It would catch, but then quickly release and keep turning.



Yours was in the state mine is now. The core alignment mechanism is flawed but mostly works if the cube is tight and all the pieces are in place. However there is only a small area of contact that ensures the core is aligned. If you look at the picture of my unknown Chinese 4x4 from the puzzle identification thread, it has a huge block in the core that always ensures the core is aligned.


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## ender9994 (Dec 22, 2020)

qwr said:


> Yours was in the state mine is now. The core alignment mechanism is flawed but mostly works if the cube is tight and all the pieces are in place. However there is only a small area of contact that ensures the core is aligned. If you look at the picture of my unknown Chinese 4x4 from the puzzle identification thread, it has a huge block in the core that always ensures the core is aligned.



Do you have pics from other side? The mechanism doesn't really look any different than the original eastsheen 4x4, and those were painted instead of stickered as well.


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