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Megaminx

Sun, 16/11/2008 - 7:26pm — msemtd

* Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megaminx

I have a "Speed Megaminx" from Puzl which I bought along with my speed cube in the run up to the UK Open 2008. As I was training the 3x3x3 I didn't spend much time with it but now I've starting to play with it more.

Mine is a 12 colour Megaminx with:
* White side opposite Yellow
* Dark Green opposite Grass Green
* Pale Green opposite Silver Grey
* Orange opposite Red
* Royal Blue opposite Navy Blue
* Purple opposite Pink

I'm told (regularly!) that the 3x3x3 techniques can be used but I tend to "see" the Megaminx differently and I'm able to solve everything intuitively up to the last layer. I must say that the F2L pairs are great fun but I have trouble spotting them with so many colours representing "down". I tend to put the corner in place when I find it rather than wait for the pair to be available. This is not fast but I'm no speedsolver!

When I get to the last layer I use a 4-look with some ideas taken from the YouTube user "LanceTheBlueKnight" "How to solve a Megaminx (part 2)" video: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=oijt5WC6_FY

* Orient LL Edges as per 3x3x3 with F U R U' R' F' and F R U R' U' F'
* Permute LL Edges as per 3x3x3 with Sune and Anti-Sune algorithms
* Orient LL Corners with a corner-twist commutator: z' [R'U'RU]x2 z
* Permute LL Corners with another commutator: R'DRU*, R'D'RU*,... (NB: at time of writing the YouTube video text info is incorrect (comment posted)

Megaminx PLL EdgesMegaminx PLL Edges

Other pages...
* Speedsolving wiki page: http://www.speedsolving.com/wiki/index.php/Megaminx_Speedsolving_Methods
* Stefan Pochmann's solutions: http://stefan-pochmann.info/spocc/speedsolving/megaminx/
* Erik's techniques page: http://erikku.er.funpic.org/rubik/megaminx_index.html

I'm playing around with Blender models of Dodecahedra to perhaps create a "working" megaminx - this might take some time!

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Update: 26/11/08 - I have just finished my first ever timed solve and (don't laugh) my time was 15mins 55sec! I don't know if this is typical but it felt quite typical. I have done 3 solves this evening and my forearms are aching!

Update 29/11/08 - Another timed solve of 14:27:00 -- in other news, everybody else solves this in sub 2 minutes!

Update 30/11/08 - timed solve of 13:36:00 - I'm still doing the F2L pairs by putting the corner in first - it's the only way I can keep track of all the colours!

Another solve of 11:44:00. It's after one and I'm off to bed now. Oh, one thing before I forget: the scrambles of Rubik's JTimer are the same as the Pochmann scrables used by the WCA. These are what I'm using right now: -

http://www.worldcubeassociation.org/regulations/scrambles/scramble_megam...

Sun Nov 30 18:47:52 GMT 2008
Solve time of 11:55:00 -- I must admit that timed solves are much less enjoyable for me than leisurely solves.

I've been looking at a lot of custom puzzles including higher-order Megaminxes: the Gigaminx (5x5(x12)) and the Teraminx (7x7(x12)) which might seem impossible but it has been achieved: see Drewseph's Teraminx (Complete) -- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eE-fZ5ETCPQ -- it has over 500 parts and can be made to order for $2000.

Some poor minx times. As you see, it takes me more than 12 minutes.
this is due to my lack of look ahead and need to solve each corner prior to solving the associated edge. I've tried the corner edge pairing but it takes longer right now!

----- Rubik's JTimer Session Statistics for Sat Dec 13 01:15:54 GMT 2008 -----

Total Solves: 4
Total DNFs: 0
Average: 12:27.78

Fastest Time: 10:38.15
Slowest Time: 15:04.60
Standard Deviation: 1:52.74

Individual Times:
1)          15:04.60          R-- D++ R++ D-- R++ D-- R-- D-- R-- D-- U'.R++ D-- R++ D-- R++ D-- R-- D++ R++ D++ U.R++ D-- R-- D-- R++ D++ R-- D-- R++ D++ U.R++ D-- R++ D++ R++ D++ R-- D-- R++ D-- U'.R-- D-- R++ D-- R++ D-- R++ D++ R++ D-- U'.R++ D++ R++ D-- R++ D-- R-- D-- R-- D++ U.R++ D++ R-- D-- R-- D-- R-- D-- R-- D++ U
2)          10:38.15          R++ D-- R++ D-- R++ D-- R-- D-- R-- D++ U.R++ D-- R++ D-- R++ D-- R++ D-- R-- D++ U.R-- D++ R-- D++ R++ D-- R++ D-- R-- D++ U.R-- D-- R++ D-- R-- D++ R-- D++ R-- D-- U'.R++ D-- R-- D++ R-- D-- R++ D++ R-- D++ U.R-- D-- R++ D++ R-- D-- R-- D++ R-- D-- U'.R++ D-- R-- D++ R++ D-- R-- D-- R-- D-- U'
3)          12:18.40          R-- D-- R++ D-- R-- D-- R-- D-- R++ D-- U'.R++ D-- R++ D-- R-- D-- R++ D++ R-- D++ U.R++ D++ R++ D++ R++ D++ R++ D++ R++ D-- U'.R++ D++ R-- D-- R++ D++ R++ D-- R++ D-- U'.R-- D-- R-- D++ R-- D++ R-- D-- R-- D++ U.R++ D-- R++ D++ R++ D-- R++ D++ R++ D++ U.R-- D++ R-- D++ R++ D-- R++ D-- R++ D-- U'
4)          11:49.96          R++ D-- R-- D++ R++ D++ R-- D++ R-- D-- U'.R++ D-- R-- D++ R++ D-- R++ D++ R++ D-- U'.R-- D++ R-- D-- R-- D++ R++ D-- R-- D++ U.R-- D-- R-- D-- R-- D-- R++ D++ R++ D-- U'.R-- D-- R++ D++ R++ D-- R++ D-- R++ D++ U.R++ D++ R++ D-- R-- D++ R++ D-- R++ D++ U.R-- D-- R++ D-- R++ D++ R++ D-- R++ D++ U

----- Rubik's JTimer Session Statistics for Sat Dec 13 16:11:54 GMT 2008 -----

Total Solves: 4
Total DNFs: 0
Average: 12:12.65

Fastest Time: 11:00.44
Slowest Time: 14:46.21
Standard Deviation: 1:43.50

Individual Times:
1)          11:27.85          R-- D-- R-- D++ R++ D-- R++ D++ R-- D-- U'.R-- D++ R++ D-- R++ D++ R-- D++ R++ D++ U.R-- D++ R-- D++ R++ D-- R-- D-- R-- D++ U.R-- D++ R-- D++ R-- D++ R-- D-- R++ D-- U'.R-- D-- R-- D++ R-- D-- R-- D++ R++ D++ U.R-- D++ R++ D-- R-- D-- R-- D++ R++ D++ U.R++ D++ R-- D-- R++ D-- R-- D++ R++ D-- U'
2)          14:46.21          R-- D-- R-- D-- R++ D-- R++ D-- R++ D-- U'.R++ D-- R++ D++ R++ D++ R++ D++ R++ D-- U'.R-- D-- R-- D++ R++ D-- R++ D++ R-- D-- U'.R++ D++ R++ D++ R-- D++ R++ D-- R-- D-- U'.R-- D++ R++ D-- R++ D-- R++ D++ R-- D++ U.R-- D++ R++ D++ R-- D++ R-- D++ R++ D-- U'.R-- D++ R-- D-- R-- D++ R++ D-- R-- D++ U
3)          11:00.44          R++ D++ R++ D++ R++ D++ R-- D-- R-- D++ U.R-- D++ R-- D-- R++ D-- R++ D-- R++ D++ U.R++ D-- R++ D++ R++ D++ R++ D++ R-- D-- U'.R-- D-- R++ D-- R-- D-- R++ D-- R++ D-- U'.R++ D-- R-- D++ R-- D++ R-- D++ R++ D++ U.R-- D-- R++ D++ R++ D++ R++ D++ R++ D++ U.R++ D-- R++ D-- R++ D++ R-- D-- R++ D-- U'
4)          11:36.10          R++ D-- R++ D-- R++ D++ R-- D-- R-- D-- U'.R++ D-- R++ D++ R++ D-- R-- D-- R-- D++ U.R-- D-- R++ D++ R-- D-- R++ D++ R++ D++ U.R++ D-- R++ D++ R-- D++ R-- D-- R++ D-- U'.R-- D-- R-- D++ R++ D-- R-- D++ R++ D++ U.R-- D++ R++ D-- R-- D++ R-- D-- R++ D++ U.R++ D++ R++ D++ R-- D-- R-- D++ R-- D++ U