[Disclaimer: I am neither affiliated to Tennisman or Xpider in any way nor do I receive any money or other incentives to write this.] Following up on this post https://www.badmintoncentral.com/fo...or-new-stringing-machine.191566/#post-2876883 I felt it's easiest to start a separate thread for this tension head motor which is supposed to be available by the end of March 2024. And also because I'm quite confident that it will receive some attention in the stringing community and this is a perfect place to gather user feedback and reviews. First of all, a big shout out to @Tennisman Dirk for sending me this protoype unit to check it out in detail. It still shows some minor bugs in the software which I'm told will be sorted out with the first mass production batch, so I won't dive into this any further. Some facts to start this: The Ennoxx is the second "non-WISE" generation of tension heads that Tennisman is offering with their StringMaster machines. The first one (https://www.tennisman.de/Weiteres/B...Motor-A01-Motor-fuer-Besaitungsmaschinen.html) was manufactured in China whereas the Ennoxx is built in Taiwan by Xpider. As some might know, Xpider is also the OEM for the StringMaster branded machines. It will replace the 1st Gen heads completely for all upcoming StringMaster shipments. The Ennoxx will also be offered as an add-on unit to fit on drop weight and crank machines (which is a significant upgrade compared to the A01. The prototype didn't come with the needed mounting brackets, anyone interested in how the mounting should work, please have a look in the manual: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1dCngJ-eUyJHCeYh2xrR0e3Narx0O7jZs&usp=drive_fs Pricing is supposed to stay the same for both tension heads (https://www.tennisman.de/Weiteres/B...or-Ennoxx-Motor-fuer-Besaitungsmaschinen.html). For reference, the WISE comes in at around 200 EUR less, but needs an extra mounting plate and doesn't have the glide-to-activate gripper module. If you add both, the WISE arrives at around the exact same pricing as the Ennoxx. I've been using the 1st gen Tennisman tension head on my StringMaster Deluxe for about a year now which puts me in the position to compare both. And since I've only done one racket with the Ennoxx yet, let's just start by showing you some pictures (click to enlarge): As you can see, the footprint of the Ennoxx is a bit bigger. The overall design looks more more sleek, it has a bigger display with a better resolution and more contrast. Overall built quality just appears to be slightly better on the Ennoxx. Let's look at the gripper modules in detail: Both are very nicely done and massiv af and come with a glide-to-activate feature. The plates on both move smooth as silk. So I wouldn't put one above the other tbh. As soon as you put the Ennoxx on the StringMaster, you immediately feel the connection. They both are made for each other: And let me end this first post with a speed comparison clip (both set to maximum speed): The A01 wins by a whisker (both have the same gripper traveling distance of ~13 cm). Both are running smoothly with a very similar noise level - not a big surprise since both are chain driven. I will add further information and maybe some more video clips over the next couple of days or weeks. Stay tuned.
Are both faster than the Wise? Both are smoother and quieter but the speed doesn't look significantly faster than the Wise.
Going by memory, the V12 was a bit slower. Difference to the V14 shouldn't be that big. But one thing is for sure: Once you go without the stutter, you won't go back.
The engineer in me couldn't resist to open up the housing and have a closer look at the intestines. I just got the thumbs-up from Tennisman to post some pictures of it in here, so here we go. As you can see, everything looks very well built, the materials used and the design appear to be very robust. Just look at that massive aluminum post that holds the gripper module. It's worth noting that the motor is also made in Taiwan. I really like the modular concept that allows a fairly simple exchange of the major components in case of a failure. The main PCB for example (not shown in the pictures, I somehow missed that) can be taken out within minutes. Let's also look at the gripper module: Again, that's some really heavy duty stuff there. The electronics are well shielded and protected. And finally, here's how it looks when it's moving: I can't help but being impressed by what I've seen so far. The housing itself feels a bit flimsy, but everyting else looks rock solid.
I've been looking to upgrade my wise with glide to activate. But I think this just looks so slick. I think I'll be putting the money I get for restrings and what I can get selling my wise tension head towards purchasing this.
Awesome to see it opened up, I've been curious what it looks like inside. I've got the 1st gen and it's been very nice so far, would definitely recommend over a wise. Pulling is smooth and the glide to activate is super easy to use.
I was wondering if there is a USB port for firmware update? (I don't think it is needed but just in case)
No, there is not. I've asked the same question to Tennisman and the response from Xpider was "Please send back the circuit board. We will upgrade it for you.". So they don't plan for customers to do firmware upgrade themselves.
It was a combination of a really good price and the fact that @speCulatius wanted to have the V2 which made that an easy decision. But yeah, the Ennoxx is the best addon tension head I’ve used so far. And I also wanted to have a fully Xpider-made machine.
The E3000 is already a high-end machine with a top notch tension head. Why on earth would you want to change the tension head on that for this one?
I'm not changing it. I just want to know incase it does go wrong. Because its hard to find the circuit board. Li ning only have the E5000 circuit board now online.
What's the height from the base of the machine to the top of the diablo? I am wondering if it would allow 360 rotation without modification on my Gamma 6004.
