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Power Base Flyer Side 1

Power Base Flyer Side 2

Pricing and Availability

Motor Version 

On June 7th, 2008, at the major Wholesale trade show of the year (TNNA in Columbus, OH), we introduced our new NKK Power Base™ which is an add-on product that motorizes our Heavy Duty Ball Winder. The unit was well-received and we sold  a large number of Power Bases and Ball Winders to both shop owners and yarn companies.

Unlike other electric ball winders in the market which are designed to only perform as electric units, our HDBW ball winder can be used with the Power Base by NKK™ or all by itself in manual mode. It is the only ball winder in the World that can perform both manually and electrically.

 

This means that a user who purchased one of our first units in the Fall of 2006 as well as a customer who takes delivery next week, could purchase our NKK Power Base™ now or next year and their investment in their HDBW is maintained and not obsolete.

How did we do it? We designed the ball winder from day one on the premise that we would ultimately electrify it for those users who needed a high performance machine due to their heavy ball winding workload. Yet, we knew we needed to provide a migration path from manual to electric so that users would not have to abandon their original tool when upgrading.

 

Brief overview of features

 

The unit has Run and Stop buttons, a Speed control, a Jog speed (a very slow speed for setting up the ball initially or for reversing direction to clear a jam, etc.), a Save button (which saves your preferred speed setting when making one ball after another of the same yarn), and a power-on indicator LED.

 

The high torque DC motor* (combined with our 5x gear train inside of the ball winder) can turn the unit at speeds up to 360 RPM at the spindle arm (which is slightly faster than turning the handle once per second manually).  This is the safe and effective maximum speed that should ever be used to operate our unit.

Even though our existing winder is easy to wind yarn with, our new electric version is the solution for any shop owner or other commercial user who winds large amounts of yarn each day. Of course, any knitter who has a lot of yarn to wind or has a physical impairment, could also make good use of our new design.

 

Converting back to manual use - The user can easily remove the ball winder from the NKK Power base by loosening 2 clamps, and disconnecting the o-ring belt. Then they would attach the original handle. In other words, if anything ever happens to the NKK Power Base, or if you lose your power, you can easily convert the unit back to a manual system. This is the first time this has ever been possible on this type of equipment. 

 

The unit contains state of the art electronics and membrane switches for failure-free operation. The membrane switch is similar to the switch panel used on your microwave and is not susceptible to fiber debris or other soiling of the switches. A big advantage when many different users are using the unit or when it is operated in a somewhat dusty/dirty environment.

 

We also plan to use the NKK Power Base to power other equipment we have planned for the future. So a single motor system will be able to power multiple pieces of fiber equipment. This represents a good investment for both shop owners and users alike.

There has never been a product like this in the knitting world. It will certainly set the standard for motorized ball winding equipment and possibly, for universal motor drive systems in the fiber arts industry.

We also plan to use the Power Base unit to motorize other yarn handling equipment that we plan to develop such as: skein winder/swift, bobbin winder, and possibly a cone winder.

We can't overstate the importance of having a solid ball winder platform that was capable of being connected to the Power Base unit. By designing the ball winder to be an extremely robust piece of equipment, we were able to confidently attach the Power Base to the HDBW without fear of breaking the ball winder in the event of a mishap. Our unique pulley/belt drive system is designed to slip in the event of a jam or other problem which means that the gear system inside of the ball winder is protected from being damaged by the Power Base's motor drive system.

Electronic Yarn Meter - When we finalize the development of the Electronic Yarn Meter system later in 2008, we will be able to accurately measure yarn in both meters and yards, send electronic signals to the ball winder and tell it when to stop winding, measure yarn in both weight and length parameters, and dynamically control the tension of the yarn as it is wound on the ball winder.

The HDBW, Power Base, and Electronic Yarn Meter will form the ideal workstation for serious knitters and commercial users.

These features have never been available in this market - until now.

When you think of heavy duty ball winder systems for the knitting industry, think of Nancy's Knit Knacks first.

Pricing

Power Base - $350.00 MSRP

Optional Foot Pedal - $40.00 MSRP

Ball Winder - $199.99 MSRP

You cannot actually order a Power Base right now but you can add your name to our reservation system. Ball Winders can be ordered, however. Use your ball winder manually until the Power Base becomes available. 

The Power Base includes many expensive assemblies: custom designed printed circuit board, custom designed membrane switch control panel, DC Gearmotor, power supply, custom designed pulleys and metal brackets, maple hardwood case, and tons of engineering time.

There has never been a product like the Power Base in the knitting world. It will certainly set the standard for motorized ball winding equipment and possibly, for universal motor drive systems in the fiber arts industry.

We also plan to use the Power Base unit to motorize other yarn handling equipment that we plan to develop such as: skein winder/swift, bobbin winder, and a cone winder.

We can't overstate the importance of having a solid ball winder design that was capable of being connected to the Power Base unit. By designing the ball winder to be an extremely robust piece of equipment, we were able to confidently attach the Power Base to the HDBW without fear of breaking the ball winder in the event of a mishap. Our unique pulley/belt drive system is designed to slip in the event of a jam or other problem which means that the gear system inside of the ball winder is protected from being damaged by the Power Base's motor system.

When we finalize the development of our Electronic Yarn Meter system later in 2008, we will be able to accurately measure yarn in both meters and yards, send electronic signals to the ball winder and tell it when to stop winding, measure yarn in both weight and length parameters, and dynamically control the tension of the yarn as it is wound on the ball winder.

These features have never been available in this market - until now.

When you think of heavy duty ball winders for the knitting industry, think of Nancy's Knit Knacks first.

 

 

 

Retail Customers - Get in line to buy a Power Base

Note: Wholesale Customers should contact us by

phone 800-731-5648 or by email

Retail - Because we will have a limited number of Power Bases available  during the introduction period (July - September), we have decided to have all prospective Retail customers add their names to a sign-up list and we will then process those orders in the order that we receive them.

If you are interested in buying a Power Base and would like to enter your name on our list, then complete the following form. We will then contact you as soon as your name comes up. If you then decide to go forward with the purchase, we will direct you to a special webpage where you can purchase a Power Base™. If you decide to postpone your order, we can then move your name further back on the list.