Table Tennis Robots - XuShaoFa Robot

This robot has been very impressive: even though I have not yet graduated beyond the most basic of cards! The machine is very sturdy, and the control box although not very aesthetically pleasing is very strong. I have been using it for 3 to 4 months, with no problems at all…
The items below have been kept in the same format as the Amicus 3000 report, to make for easy comparison…. (and of course not because I am a lazy %*&# who can't think of my own ideas….)

(Note: I have been asked a few times about who to contact regarding putting an order through for a XuShaoFa robot - the best I can suggest is their enquiry email address at enquiry@rft.newtthk.com. GL 16/3/2006
Update 20/05/2008 - Paul Pinkewich's Table Tennis World is now selling the XuShaoFa robots.)

Price

This was really impressive - for the price of approximately $1500 Australian (half the Amicus 3000, and similar to the most basic of Newgys) - it appears to do almost everything the 3000 can do. Without analyzing each and every sequence, I can't say what each can do that the others cannot - suffice to say that it is more than adequate for my needs.

As I said, not very pretty!

A benefit over the more advanced others is that there is no complicated programming - you simply select the card you want, and the only adjustable items are the sequence number, duration, speed, and frequency - all operated via push buttons. In the example left, it is showing sequence 3, duration 5 (minutes), speed 3 (out of 10), and frequency 5.

Setup

Very simply - the machine clips onto the end of the table, so it is merely a matter of putting the ball tray on each side, the arms to carry the net, and the clips under the main body which fit under the table. Less than 10 minutes to assemble initially, and the setting up and taking down time now is literally seconds.

Ready for action…..	The view from down under….

Manual

The manual is OK - the robot is very easy to assemble merely from looking at the pictures. Programming is a matter of looking at a brochure (in English) to see which sequence you wish to follow.

Here is a copy of the manual in PDF form (username and password is gttp4, about 1MB) for anyone interested in making a purchase - if anyone from the XuShaoFa company has a problem with me putting it up, just let me know and I'll be happy to take it down.

Ease of Use

Main Controller

Main Controller
See picture above for front of controller - push buttons below the digital display allow you to cycle up and down to the correct number.

There are a total of 10 "cards" delivered with the machine - each of which has approximately 25 sequences (depending on the complexity)

The card fits in at the back of the controller, above the power cord.

There is also the main on/off switch at the back.

The receiving area is divided into 15 zones - 5 across, 3 deep - the zone the ball lands in is dictated by the card and sequence. There are also 9 different types of services (topspin, backspin, left topspin, no spin, etc) into the different zones.

With close to 300 different training procedures, serves etc, it will be a while before I get through them all - particularly if they are similar to the ones below!….

Remote Control

There is no remote….

Ball return and Ball Capacity

The tray clips onto the edge of the table, and the complete unit including the net comes on and off as one - which means there is no reassembly each time it is to be used. Balls are returned from the tray into the head, which has (apparently) 4 motors to allow for no-spin balls. Included with the robot were approximately 80 balls of approximately 2 star quality - more than good enough, and yet another saving….

In the case of a jam (very infrequent), the motor shuts down, and the sequence continues from where it left off once the blockage is cleared.

Mobility

Installing the robot is a matter of taking it from its storage place (!) - it is always connected electrically - and clipping it on the table.

The net ends are then slid over the stands, which stay permanently attached to the table (they are out of the way in normal play), and all is ready…

Maintenance

No problems as yet….. as stated previously, seems to be a very sturdy unit - the controller looks like surplus army issue!

Noise

Relatively quiet - there is a fairly low-pitched whine, which is barely noticeable (well, not if you are married, anyway)…

Heads/Motors

Supposedly it has 4 motors (not sure where I read this) - all I can say, is that it produces a no spin ball that is very difficult to handle…..

Feeder Height and Placement

This is where the Amicus 3000 probably has the edge - as the XuShaoFa clips on the table, and is not freestanding, you cannot have it in any other position other than that shown in the photographs (unless it was propped up on a small table, in which case the net and ball return wouldn't work).

The robot height is also fixed.

Sidespin

The sidespin is set automatically by the routine chosen. The head is not adjusted for sidespin (which Butterfly is). At very high speed settings, the amount of sidespin can vary slightly - but I guess this is to be expected. I don't believe that we have many loopers locally who can loop at 50m/sec (the maximum speed setting), and vary the amount of sidespin…

Conclusion

I'm very impressed - although I felt a bit nervous about ordering it over the internet, all arrived fine in a few weeks from order, and it has certainly helped certain aspects of my game - particularly those where I am experimenting with new shots due to new rubbers, and I need high repetitions of exactly the same speed and spin.

The price is the cherry on the top…

Peter Williams January 2006
(with acknowledgement to Greg Letts)

Copyright 2006 Peter Williams

Has anybody got any comments/reviews they'd like to make of other robots, such as the Newgy, TTmatic or others, as a comparison? Or have a comment you'd like to add to this page? Email me and I'll add your two cent's worth below.

COMMENTS

Monday 20th February 2006

Al wrote:

Does the Xushaofa robot use two wheels to throw the ball? If it does not, then it cannot give no-spin. For no spin, you need an Amicus or Prakttismate.

Greg replies:

I asked Peter about the robot, and whether it can give a no-spin ball at varying speeds. Peter says it can, so I would guess it must be using at least 2 wheels to throw the ball. It has 4 motors according to Peter so I guess this would make sense.

Wednesday 1st March 2006

John Staley wrote:

The Amicus ball collection net is taller. + to Amicus.

Neither machine can make corkscrew spin.

The close up picture of the head supports the presence of 4 wheels (but a better close up strait on would help). 4 wheels lets the XushaoFa make any spin combination of side, top and backspin without having to rotate the head. This is a huge advantage over the Amicus 3000. ++ to XuShaoFa.

The height of the XuShaoFa head is close to what most real shots come from. Fixing the head location lets XuShaoFa work out specific playing patterns ahead of time (the cards) - so that the customer doesn't have to - a huge user benefit if the patterns are good enough, and if the XuShaoFa hits the spots on the table with the particular spin and speed that the pattern says it will. On the Amicus you have to tune in each shot and shot pattern yourself and if you ever change the head position you have to start over - this is a major headache. The Amicus head height is adjustable but most of the time you won't move it once you've found a spot that lets you create the shots you want. Overall +++ to XuShaoFa if it hits its pattern targets.

Questions:

How realiably does the XuShaoFa hit the spot on the table that it says it will. Does a repeated shot send the ball to the same spot each time or is there some spray?

Does the XuShaoFa wait longer after a backspin ball or slow serve before speeding up between topspin balls later in a pattern? The Amicus 3000 knows to slow down after each backspin shot to give time for the ball to get to the player before making the next shot.

Could you post more information about the selection of basic single shots for beginners to train against? Could you also post an example of an intermediate and a complex pattern?

Greg replies:

A copy of the manual (including the patterns it can perform) can now be found at the start of the article, under the Manual heading.

I forwarded these questions through to Peter, and this is what he had to say:

1. The machine is very accurate, particularly at lower speeds - at higher speeds, the margin for error is that much smaller. The head must be set up correctly initially (the angle) though, otherwise all the zones will be out. Also, if the machine is set to side AND topspin, there is greater variance than if it is just topspin.

2. The ball frequency between chop and topspin appears the same - the machine doesn't slow after a chop ball has been sent.