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 Forum index » Diversions » TimeWasters
ISIS PUZZLE FAQ READ THIS FIRST
Moderators: Giskard, ndemeter, ScarpeGrosse
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cobrafast1
Boot


Joined: 25 Dec 2007
Posts: 39
Location: Bonita Springs, Florida
jigalsky wrote:
I am having a lot of trouble getting the 3rd BB through the maze. I've been at it for probably an hour, which I'm sure is WAY overkill? I hear it hitting into the walls, so I'm pretty positive it's still in play.

I'm "swirling" (I think) the ISIS counterclockwise while pressing the plunger 1-2 times/second, but it never depresses only half-way. What could I possibly be doing wrong?

If it's any help, my top placenta is about 2-3 millimeters to the left of the bottom one so it doesn't line up perfectly.

Thanks!


As you swirl, shake it up and down a bit. Not to hard, just enough to great gravity. Good Luck

PostPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 10:10 am
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cobrafast1
Boot


Joined: 25 Dec 2007
Posts: 39
Location: Bonita Springs, Florida

 		Re: solved isis and i dont see any key or 10 digit code...
where's the special code inside?
MASTERJON84 wrote:
I just solved my friends isis and can't find any 10-digit code inside that he is supposed to enter in some website. There is no key either...wtf? am i missing something or is the code the "series" of depressions on the bottom side of where the 2 BBs fit into? please help


The code should be veiwed right next to the key holder. Very plain sight. Not down under in the 2 bb chamber. Sounds like SonicWarp has a guality control issue.

I requested the key to be sent to me last year as I didn't have a key either and I haven't seen it yet in the mail. Hmmmmm I wonder what that means? Rolling Eyes

PostPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 10:15 am
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MASTERJON84
Greenhorn

Joined: 15 Jan 2008
Posts: 3

 		no 10-digit code
sux
SonicWarp's office manager, Erica Owen, assured me that this is "highly unusual" and will reimburse me or any postage if i send it back to the UK and have them engrave the number, THEN ship it back out here. That is so lame. I wonder if they don't put numbers in a lot of them because they don't think they will be solved anyway. I'm going to try to exchange it at sharper image and just open another one to see if the new one has a code. By the way, here's pics of the opened isis with no code...
DSC00842.JPG
 Description   no code!!!
 Filesize   769.08KB
 Viewed   248 Time(s)

DSC00842.JPG

PostPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:38 pm
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MeCon
Decorated


Joined: 02 Jan 2008
Posts: 154
Location: I'm right here... Or am I?
Weirdness
Thats interesting, there is also no cutout for the key on your Isis.

It seems to be quite common for Isis puzzles to have typos on the outside, but I have never heard of one with no code.
That seems like a pretty important thing to forget.

PostPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 4:16 pm
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eebrull
Greenhorn

Joined: 21 Jan 2008
Posts: 7

 		 4 Mysteries for me about ISIS
Magnet???? & Maze???? Detents [16 or 48]??? & OIL=NOOoooo!
1] You mention "A"[1] magnet! I have some magnets the size of 2 nickels that can lift 30 pounds each. I moved a magnet around the sphere and there seem to be magnetic material in both top & bottom hemispheres. FMI (For My Information) (2 magnets)/(1 magnet & something containg iron) FMI??

2] You mention MAZE! I know what a maze is all about! BUT, how will I know I am in a maze and generally what machinations and indications I'm progressing? 1-2-3 balls at a time [regulations for maze?]

3] The top and bottom rings each have 8 hieroglyphs with a detent under each. There are also 2 detents between these hieroglyphs for a total of 24 on each hemispheres. Are only the 8 detents under hieroglyphs needed OR do ALL 24 detents on each hieroglyph and in-between on both rings necessary for solving?

4] OIL IS DEFINITLY A NO-NO!!!

Warning!!! DON'T OIL THE RINGS!!!!!!!!!
I emailed SONICWARP™ about the difficulty in turning the rings.
I had been using surgical gloves which gave good traction,
but inconvenient. SONICWARP™ erringly suggested[!!!] using a small amount of OIL[!!!] into the crevices on top & bottom rings - NOT WD40™ or any penetrating oils! lamely I used a small amount of ELGIN™ WATCH OIL that I have had around and, YES[!!!], the rings became easier to turn "TEMPORARILY!!!" With the surface of the sphere wiped free of any residual oil and my hands washed thoroughly, rotation was very easy. However, within a few minutes a miniscule amount of oil wicked out to lubricate the rings and my fingers (gloved or not) and by then, this had the earmarks of having a disaster & ruined the puzzle since oil kept wicking out indefinitely no matter how many times hands and ball were cleaned/wiped. Only a microscopically molecule thick layer of any oil [even body oils from our fingers are sufficient to lose traction.]

ALL IS NOT LOST! I have graduate degrees in chemistry & physics and plus working on the Mercury, Gemini & Apollo programs. Some of the nitty-gritty tricks-of-the-trade resurfaced and provided a solution.

SOLUTION! We need to dissolve & drain the oil in the sphere or make it thin enough to let gravity wick & evaporate the oil out of the rings to be absorbed by a porous medium. [And, Yes! At a relatively moderately elevated temperature PLUS TIME will thin these oils enough to evaporate & lower their viscosity for flowing easily. One possible remedy would be to soak the ISIS in a degreaser solvent (or utilize a vapor degreaser.) BUT, since the sphere is made of aluminum and most degreasers use only non-flammable chlorinated or fluorinated solvents like Freons™ or chlorinated hydrocarbons, the risk is high to destroy (corrode) the the internal (and external) surfaces. ADDITIONLY, Aluminum reacts with these solvents which are great for removing oils and the like but a high probability of an explosive reaction. Other solvent like acetone, alcohol, ethyl acetate, lacquer solvents, etc. are great too, but are very flammable and extremely dangerous from that perspective.

WHAT WORKS? hat?": [Note: We are just talking about ridding the sphere of any oil that was applied per Sonicwarp's™ erronious suggestion.] Heating is a very good way to thin the applied oil(s). I used an absorbant paper kitchen folded into 4 or so. I placed the sphere on its side so that the thin spaces between the rings touch the paper and placed them in a standard kitchen oven at 120°C (250°F) [USE A THERMOMETER]
for 4 to 6+ hours, tilting a few times (with kitchen tongs) the sphere so that all slits between rings touch the absorbant paper towel. This temperature is also helpful in slowly evaporating these oils. At 6 hours, I took out the sphere out of the oven and let it cool. The paper showed a slight coloration on the paper indicating removal of the oil. There was a considerable improvement in ring freedom, but after a while (6 hours) I discovered that more oil wicked out to lubricate the sphere and my
fingers. Mind you, barely 2 drops [total] of oil were used in the
attempt to lubricate the ISIS. With all the nooks & crannies, oil [deep
inside] was slow in reaching the outer slits. I then reheated the sphere on the paper towel to 150°C (300°F) and letting the sphere cook for another 6+ hours with rotating & tilting the sphere every hour or so. After removing from the oven there was a much smaller indication of oil pooled on the paper towel. It has been 96 hours and the rings are still free, but skin oil is the major problem [and always will be!] as it was in the first place before the oil treatment!

SOOOOO!!! Surgical gloves are one choice for turning the rings. These are inconvenient and problematic with what material composition if they are latex [allergy] but other materials ARE available. I remembered seeing people using "Rubber Finger Tips" while they turned pages or counted [money]. It took me a while to find these but SWINGLINE™ [Acco™] make "RUBBER FINGER TIPS". They come in various sizes in boxes of 12 for about $2.00 per box. I had no real way to equate their sizes with my fingers. I could cover ALL of my fingers, but the thumb and index fingers on your dominant hand are the minimum you need. I ended up purchasing 4 sizes:

SIZE Swingline # Where Used

[Medium] 11-11½ 54035 'Pinkie'
[Med./Lge.] 12 54032 Next to 'Pinkie'
[Large] 13 54033 Index/middle fingers
[Extra Large] 14 54014 Thumb

Swingline™ [1-800-820-6220] www.swingline.com
Search on "Finger Tips" [Regarding Latex, Contact Swingline.]

From someone who thought the one-minute 'lube job' was a good idea - that good idea lasted less than 10 minutes and needed a 'one-week' "UNLUBE"!!!!

e.brullSPLATverizon.net

PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 12:44 am
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Rogi Ocnorb
I Have 100 Cats and Smell of Wee


Joined: 01 Sep 2005
Posts: 4266
Location: Where the cheese is free.

 		2 drops doesn't sound like much, but 100 years ago factory watch assemblers had an oil well available at their workstation that had to last them their entire shift. This was hundreds of watches a day. They were provided with 1 drop in the morning, one at lunchtime and 1 at each break. 4 drops for the entire day.

As an alternative to cuffettes or latex gloves, try washing your hands with glycerin soap which acts as a humectant and provides a clean hygroscopic moisturization for your skin. For an amplification of this effect and significantly improved "gription", office supply stores sell a hygroscopic compound for manual paper handling that works really well. It's usually called "fingertip moistener" or something similar.

One brand, available at Staples and Office Depot is "Sortkwik" by Lee Products. I really don't think there's anything in it that would have an adverse reaction to anodized aluminum, but here's the MSDS on it if that helps.
_________________
I'm telling you now, so you can't say, "Oh, I didn't know...Nobody told me!"


PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 3:27 am
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murguis
Guest


 		 The last step to open the ISIS
Hi to every isis adventures!!

I have followed the clues till the 9th clue, and I was able to depress the plunger completly again. Then I tried the 10th clue but the placentas only move slightly and they are more or less 1 cm apart, but now I can't move the two halves in no way.
I still can hear the 3rd BB moving inside, but the other two seemed to placed somewhere when I depressed the plunger to the end.
Is this normal?? Should I place the 3rd BB somewhere else??

Many thanks for your attention!!

PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:15 am
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murguis
Guest


 		 The last step to open the ISIS
Now after rotating the isis in many ways and depressing the plunger many times, the 3rd BB also has been silent and I cannot unscrew the two halves

PLEASE HELP!!!!!I'm getting very nervous!!!!

PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:30 pm
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MeCon
Decorated


Joined: 02 Jan 2008
Posts: 154
Location: I'm right here... Or am I?

 		if you can only push the plunger down halfway,
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
just push it down, hold the Isis upside down, wait for the bearings to go silent, and then push hard on the plunger, you should be able to unscrew the Isis.


if it locks while unscrewing, simply repeat the steps but hold down the plunger while you are unscrewing

PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 6:01 pm
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exmach
Kilroy

Joined: 22 Jan 2008
Posts: 2

 		stuck
Hi,

I know this question has been posted before, but I've read contradictory, or at least different responses. I followed the instructions, the two halfs of the isis turned, but barely: the placenta on the top half is now about 3mm to the right of the bottom one. Prior to this development, the isis seemed 'loose': I could shake the two pieces of the puzzle, but they would not move more than 1/4 of a mm. Now, the isis is rock solid again. All I hear is the third ball rattling in the middle somewhere. I can get the plunger to depress 1/2 way, and it is not at all difficult to make the one ball go silent when the isis is plunger side down.

Please PM with instructions and to save my sanity.

Thanks

PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:11 pm
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eebrull
Greenhorn

Joined: 21 Jan 2008
Posts: 7

 		 Do we need to use ALL 48 stops on the rings?
The top and bottom rings each have 8 hieroglyphs with a detent under each. There are also 2 detents between these hieroglyphs for a total of 24 per ring on each hemispheres. Are only the 8 detents under hieroglyphs needed OR do ALL 24 detents on each hieroglyph and in-between on both rings necessary for solving?

PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:47 pm
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eebrull
Greenhorn

Joined: 21 Jan 2008
Posts: 7

 		MAZE??????
What is its personality?
I know a maze is a puzzle to get from point through 2 OR 3 DIMENSIONS. How will we know we are in the maze and how will we know if we are in a dead end, going backwards, up/down.... How do we communicate with ISIS's Maze and what will it tell us? ALSO: 1,2,3 balls at a time. This thing is virtually DEAF, DUMB & BLIND. Kind of not knowing about a 'blind date'. that comes in a sealed box.

PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 10:10 pm
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MeCon
Decorated


Joined: 02 Jan 2008
Posts: 154
Location: I'm right here... Or am I?

 		Re: Do we need to use ALL 48 stops on the rings?
eebrull wrote:
The top and bottom rings each have 8 hieroglyphs with a detent under each. There are also 2 detents between these hieroglyphs for a total of 24 per ring on each hemispheres. Are only the 8 detents under hieroglyphs needed OR do ALL 24 detents on each hieroglyph and in-between on both rings necessary for solving?


here's a twist for you...
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
THE RINGS DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!


here's another...
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
THE ISIS CAN BE OPENED IN LESS TIME THAN IT TAKES TO READ THIS POST


PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 2:04 pm
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eebrull
Greenhorn

Joined: 21 Jan 2008
Posts: 7

 		 Spoiler Help me
I'm brain dead - tell me how
You tell me that the ISIS can be opened in seconds. I'm brain dead and hope you can tell me privately at "e dot brull at verizon dot net"
(AKA) "e.brull@verizon.net" or "hpchristian@ verizon.net". I am getting a suspicion that this is going to be something stupid like the "Ball in the cage" [It's all done with magnets".]

You said that the rotating rings have nothing to do with it - does this mean that they are for decoration and have nothing to do with the solution. The question AGAIN simply. If the rotatong rings ARE IMPORTANT, are ALL 24 stops needed, or JUST the 8 with hieroglyphs, or just spin the rings to my hearts content and never solve the puzzle by turning them. JUST A RUSE????? [/spoiler]

PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 3:55 pm
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e^(i*pi)
Boot


Joined: 08 Jan 2008
Posts: 13

 		Tell you how
The Isis is like many things in life. You can take the time and effort to figure it out yourself or have someone else show you how it's done.

If you just want a hint:

Spoiler (Rollover to View):
Forget about the rings they have nothing to do with solving the Isis. They are indeed JUST A RUSE.


If you want the whole answer:

Spoiler (Rollover to View):
Read page 1. Everything is there to completely take the entire challenge away.


PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 4:14 pm
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