Spinfire Pro (v2) 2 Review

Update: Got my spinfire in late June (?) of last year.
Ohio USA, so not much use during winter months (Nov-March).
Ball counter at 18,000+. No glitches or issues. Did have to change remote battery...very easy.
Volleys, lobs, half volleys, ground strokes, high volleys....this unit can feed them all at ball speeds and feed speeds faster than most rec level players would ever set. Neutral ball, heavy topspin, heavy backspin, hidden oscillation random feeds... the unit rocks.

All balls feed 100% of time using balls used 1x in matches. My hopper holds 100 balls, and when l practice serves l weed out the bad balls. No issue with used balls.

Only 2 issues I have had, (other than it was pricey, and it won't fit in my trunk),
I dropped the machine once from about 2 foot, and it landed on a corner. No damage, but l had to restart it 2x for it to self align. Like dropping a new phone, kinda worried me for a few minutes!

The other funny issue is 2x while hitting volleys, a hit ball got wedged between the front of the machine and the ground! One time it just made the machine wobble and the feeds were janky, the other time the machine said "no" and stopped. Hit pause, walk around, remove stuck ball, resume, no problem. All in all, very happy with unit.
 
Do any Spinfire owners happen to have a BMW 530e with its low trunk and could confirm if it fits upright? :D
 
Anyone with the Spinfire have the remote fall out of the little storage slot? Went to the court today to find out my remote had fallen somewhere along the way.
 
hi to all.sorry if my question has already been answered.i live in athens,greece and i am ready to buy the spinfire 2 pro from racquet depot uk.my question is..should i buy the internal or external battery.the external is like a 100+ euros difference so that's ok.i cannot keep the machine in my car i do not have a garage.i know the best think probably would be to buy it with the internal and also buy an external but.. the cost rises a lot more plus i want to ..love the machine first before spending all that cash.all answers welcomed.thank you ,alex.
ps: i am a hobbyist probably will use the machine once a week.i already have a partner and a coach so ..
 
jmce said:
hi to all.sorry if my question has already been answered.i live in athens,greece and i am ready to buy the spinfire 2 pro from racquet depot uk.my question is..should i buy the internal or external battery.the external is like a 100+ euros difference so that's ok.i cannot keep the machine in my car i do not have a garage.i know the best think probably would be to buy it with the internal and also buy an external but.. the cost rises a lot more plus i want to ..love the machine first before spending all that cash.all answers welcomed.thank you ,alex.
ps: i am a hobbyist probably will use the machine once a week.i already have a partner and a coach so ..
Click to expand...
Get the external SLA battery option to begin with to keep the cost as minimal as possible. I've got the external SLA and nothing to carrying it in its' black bag with handle on top.
 
The external battery is much preferred if you have to lift the machine to move it often....the battery is heavy. Also it's much easier to charge...you have more flexibility to move the battery to any place and charge it vs having to do it from the machine. Lastly, it's a pain to change the battery when it's internal
 
Hi all, just a quick update for those considering our Spinfire Pro 2. We now have an iPhone and Android app (and Apple Watch) that allows you to program drills (or shot sequences) into your machine. You can even use the AI Drill Creator to simply describe the drill you want (using speech) and the drill will automatically be created for you. We also have random speed, spin, interval & elevation to make your random sessions very random. To avoid having your phone in your pocket while playing, you can start the drill with a delay (eg, 10 seconds) while placing your phone down and then getting started, or you can use your Apple watch.
 
Spinfire said:
Hi all, just a quick update for those considering our Spinfire Pro 2. We now have an iPhone and Android app (and Apple Watch) that allows you to program drills (or shot sequences) into your machine. You can even use the AI Drill Creator to simply describe the drill you want (using speech) and the drill will automatically be created for you. We also have random speed, spin, interval & elevation to make your random sessions very random. To avoid having your phone in your pocket while playing, you can start the drill with a delay (eg, 10 seconds) while placing your phone down and then getting started, or you can use your Apple watch.
Click to expand...
Excellent!
 
Spinfire said:
Hi all, just a quick update for those considering our Spinfire Pro 2. We now have an iPhone and Android app (and Apple Watch) that allows you to program drills (or shot sequences) into your machine. You can even use the AI Drill Creator to simply describe the drill you want (using speech) and the drill will automatically be created for you. We also have random speed, spin, interval & elevation to make your random sessions very random. To avoid having your phone in your pocket while playing, you can start the drill with a delay (eg, 10 seconds) while placing your phone down and then getting started, or you can use your Apple watch.
Click to expand...
This will work on older units, yes? Mine is 2 years old (40,000+ feeds, no issues!)
Just get it from app store (google play)?
 
Mongolmike said:
This will work on older units, yes? Mine is 2 years old (40,000+ feeds, no issues!)
Just get it from app store (google play)?
Click to expand...
Yes, as Soundbyte mentioned, you can upgrade your motherboard by contacting your local distributor. Once you have the upgraded motherboard, you can begin using the new app. At the time of writing, the app is available in the Google Play store, but for Apple users, it's only on TestFlight, so you can download it here: https://www.spinfiresport.com/spinfire-app/
 
u
Spinfire said:
Hi all, just a quick update for those considering our Spinfire Pro 2. We now have an iPhone and Android app (and Apple Watch) that allows you to program drills (or shot sequences) into your machine. You can even use the AI Drill Creator to simply describe the drill you want (using speech) and the drill will automatically be created for you. We also have random speed, spin, interval & elevation to make your random sessions very random. To avoid having your phone in your pocket while playing, you can start the drill with a delay (eg, 10 seconds) while placing your phone down and then getting started, or you can use your Apple watch.
Click to expand...
I have used the app about 4 times and it definitely improves what is already a great machine. The thing that I really like are you can vary how random the vertical or horizontal oscillations are within an individual drill. You can tweak a drill easily to increase\decrease the speed, elevation and spin globally by a specified amount and you can also easily change the spread between horizontal and vertical settings within a drill. You can also either specify speed, interval, elevation manually or you can use a court map to choose the landing point of the ball and the app does the rest.
And I didn't know you could set a delay before the app starts so you can put your phone in your pocket but by continuously pressing the play button you can delay the start of the app by 5,10 or 15 seconds.
The one small problem I have had is that after using the app and then going back using the supplied remote, the remote does not work until you switch the machine on and off but does not happen every time. And you are limited by physics so you can only slow the wheels down by a certain amount between shots. But the app is a fantastic addition to a great machine.
 
chris_uk said:
The one small problem I have had is that after using the app and then going back using the supplied remote, the remote does not work until you switch the machine on and off but does not happen every time.
Click to expand...
Excellent feedback chris_uk. We are actively improving the app, so this bug has already been found and fixed in software version 6.3.3. This will be released shortly. You can update your machine's software via the app in the settings menu.
 
Spinfire said:
Excellent feedback chris_uk. We are actively improving the app, so this bug has already been found and fixed in software version 6.3.3. This will be released shortly. You can update your machine's software via the app in the settings menu.
Click to expand...
One thing that would be useful could be the ability to add a random element for individual shots in a drill. So say for a simple 2 shot approach shot/volley drill. You could have the vertical values set for the approach shot and volley but you have random horizontal value for both shots. So the approach shot would land at the same depth within the court but the horizontal position would be random and similarly for the volley.
 
chris_uk said:
One thing that would be useful could be the ability to add a random element for individual shots in a drill. So say for a simple 2 shot approach shot/volley drill. You could have the vertical values set for the approach shot and volley but you have random horizontal value for both shots. So the approach shot would land at the same depth within the court but the horizontal position would be random and similarly for the volley.
Click to expand...
You can do this. You select the "random horizontal" option
 
Spinfire said:
Excellent feedback chris_uk. We are actively improving the app, so this bug has already been found and fixed in software version 6.3.3. This will be released shortly. You can update your machine's software via the app in the settings menu.
Click to expand...
Is there a way to calibrate the machine with the app? I just got my upgraded control panel and took it out today. But for example, using the drills such as the "beginner spin variation" just keeps launching balls out of bounds.
I realize you can edit the drills and modify all shots, but it would be nice if there was way to launch a couple balls to calibrate depth and width.

Because at the moment, most of the preconfigured drills are just launching balls out of bounds. Which isn't helpful

Edit: to clarify, prior to the upgrade I would manually calibrate it and then use the random vertical and random horizontal to add variation. And it worked great. I don't seen an easy way to do something similar and have it applied to all the preset drills or newly created AI drills
 
Soundbyte said:
If you have a V2, you can send it in for the upgraded control panel for $300. I just got notice that my upgraded panel has been shipped, so I'll hopefully have it by end of week
Click to expand...
This may’ve been discussed previously and I simply missed it…you mention sending in the V2 for the upgraded control panel for $300, then mention your upgraded panel has been shipped. So we can simply order the upgraded panel and swap ourselves?…certainly don’t want to ship my V2 for something I can easily handle even if soldering involved…I’m thinking it’s probably just plug and play with the board swap?
 
USMC-615 said:
This may’ve been discussed previously and I simply missed it…you mention sending in the V2 for the upgraded control panel for $300, then mention your upgraded panel has been shipped. So we can simply order the upgraded panel and swap ourselves?…certainly don’t want to ship my V2 for something I can easily handle even if soldering involved…I’m thinking it’s probably just plug and play with the board swap?
Click to expand...
Correct. They sent out an email 1-2 weeks ago I believe. The control board is connected by 4 screws, and then a few power connectors (like standard PC component connectors). It takes <5 mins to remove/install.
 
chris_uk said:
One thing that would be useful could be the ability to add a random element for individual shots in a drill. So say for a simple 2 shot approach shot/volley drill. You could have the vertical values set for the approach shot and volley but you have random horizontal value for both shots. So the approach shot would land at the same depth within the court but the horizontal position would be random and similarly for the volley.
Click to expand...
That's an interesting suggestiong chris_uk. It might be something we can implement in the future.
 
Soundbyte said:
Is there a way to calibrate the machine with the app? I just got my upgraded control panel and took it out today. But for example, using the drills such as the "beginner spin variation" just keeps launching balls out of bounds.
I realize you can edit the drills and modify all shots, but it would be nice if there was way to launch a couple balls to calibrate depth and width.

Because at the moment, most of the preconfigured drills are just launching balls out of bounds. Which isn't helpful

Edit: to clarify, prior to the upgrade I would manually calibrate it and then use the random vertical and random horizontal to add variation. And it worked great. I don't seen an easy way to do something similar and have it applied to all the preset drills or newly created AI drills
Click to expand...
Hi Soundbyte, yes, there is a setting that can help with what you're experiencing. If all your drills are shooting too long, you can calibrate your machine by going in the app to SETTINGS --> ADVANCED SETTINGS and then adjusting the motor compensation. By decreasing it until your drills are landing where you're expecting, you should solve the problem you're facing. Please let us know how you go with that.
 
Spinfire said:
Hi Soundbyte, yes, there is a setting that can help with what you're experiencing. If all your drills are shooting too long, you can calibrate your machine by going in the app to SETTINGS --> ADVANCED SETTINGS and then adjusting the motor compensation. By decreasing it until your drills are landing where you're expecting, you should solve the problem you're facing. Please let us know how you go with that.
Click to expand...
I received my Spinfire Pro 2 with system 6.3.3 a couple of days ago, one little problem I've found is when I used random spin values, vertical and horizontal random for my quick drill, the spin values would go from 0 to +10, and the ball wouldn't fly pass the net if the speed value is low, it is strange because refer to the user manuals the spin value would change only + or - 1. Anyway, this is a great ball machine with much potential to develop, I am happy to have it as my hitting partner!
 
willisliang2006 said:
I received my Spinfire Pro 2 with system 6.3.3 a couple of days ago, one little problem I've found is when I used random spin values, vertical and horizontal random for my quick drill, the spin values would go from 0 to +10, and the ball wouldn't fly pass the net if the speed value is low, it is strange because refer to the user manuals the spin value would change only + or - 1. Anyway, this is a great ball machine with much potential to develop, I am happy to have it as my hitting partner!
Click to expand...
This is interesting, it's possible you've found a bug we're not aware of. Or perhaps it's just a misunderstanding. Would you mind reaching out to us at info@spinfiresport.com with a more detailed description of the problem, giving us the exact steps we would need to take to replicate the issue you're describing? It would be great if you could include a short video too. If it is a bug, then hopefully we can release a quick software update to resolve the issue.
 
Why can no one create a Wear OS app for android watches? low demand? or is there a programming issue/compatibility issue?
 
tjanev said:
Why can no one create a Wear OS app for android watches? low demand? or is there a programming issue/compatibility issue?
Click to expand...
Our Wear OS app will be released very soon. Hopefully this week, but to be safe, I'll say 2-4 weeks. Not far away, that's for sure.
 
Spinfire said:
This is interesting, it's possible you've found a bug we're not aware of. Or perhaps it's just a misunderstanding. Would you mind reaching out to us at info@spinfiresport.com with a more detailed description of the problem, giving us the exact steps we would need to take to replicate the issue you're describing? It would be great if you could include a short video too. If it is a bug, then hopefully we can release a quick software update to resolve the issue.
Click to expand...
I have sent an email with the video and app settings to the email, looking forward to hearing from you.
 
willisliang2006 said:
I have sent an email with the video and app settings to the email, looking forward to hearing from you.
Click to expand...
Thanks. We were able to replicate this bug and it has now been fixed in software version 6.3.4. To update your machine's software, first make sure your smartphone app is on the latest version 1.1.11 (28) *** this will be released within the next week *** and then go to the settings page to check for an update. Once you've updated to 6.3.4 please test if this bug has been resolved for you. Thanks again for finding it and pointing it out.
 
Last edited:
Tried the new app today -- I made a custom drill for myself, but the machine kept shooting balls FAR out and nowhere near where I programmed the balls to land. I set the ball machine right behind the baseline. Any ideas what's wrong @Spinfire?

I took a video too but it's pretty self explanatory lol
 
JoJoHackshow said:
Tried the new app today -- I made a custom drill for myself, but the machine kept shooting balls FAR out and nowhere near where I programmed the balls to land. I set the ball machine right behind the baseline. Any ideas what's wrong @Spinfire?

I took a video too but it's pretty self explanatory lol
Click to expand...
I assume you were using the court map to select where the balls should land on the court? Are you aware you can switch to MANUAL MODE to have much greater control over where the balls land? In any case, if you want to make sure the balls are landing where they are supposed to on the court map, you may need to calibrate your machine. This could be for many reasons including the type of balls you are using. To do this, go to SETTINGS and then ADVANCED SETTINGS where you will find "Motor Compensation". Use the negative button to reduce the power of your machine. Try making small adjustments at a time and then go back and test the drill you created. Once you have this perfect, all balls should land in the court positions you select.
 
Spinfire said:
I assume you were using the court map to select where the balls should land on the court? Are you aware you can switch to MANUAL MODE to have much greater control over where the balls land? In any case, if you want to make sure the balls are landing where they are supposed to on the court map, you may need to calibrate your machine. This could be for many reasons including the type of balls you are using. To do this, go to SETTINGS and then ADVANCED SETTINGS where you will find "Motor Compensation". Use the negative button to reduce the power of your machine. Try making small adjustments at a time and then go back and test the drill you created. Once you have this perfect, all balls should land in the court positions you select.
Click to expand...
Ok nice! Still learning the app obviously -- I will try this, thank you!
 
Spinfire said:
Hi Soundbyte, yes, there is a setting that can help with what you're experiencing. If all your drills are shooting too long, you can calibrate your machine by going in the app to SETTINGS --> ADVANCED SETTINGS and then adjusting the motor compensation. By decreasing it until your drills are landing where you're expecting, you should solve the problem you're facing. Please let us know how you go with that.
Click to expand...
How do you get an invitation from Spinfire for the Testflight app?
 
tjanev said:
Why can no one create a Wear OS app for android watches? low demand? or is there a programming issue/compatibility issue?
Click to expand...

Hi tjanev, we've released an open beta now in the Play Store for WearOS watches. You should be able to search "Spinfire" from your Google / Galaxy / WearOS watch and download it. It relies on the Phone app so ensure you have the latest version of the phone app installed. The new WearOS Watch version allows you to use Speech-to-Text to request a drill from the watch. You swipe left to right to open the drills screen, click the microphone icon, tap the "speak your drill" and then speak the drill you want. This feature is not yet on the Apple Watch but will be coming soon.

Some examples you could try:

"Three deep backhands followed by two forehands on the service line and a drop shot"
"20 top spin medium to narrow balls alternating between forehand and backhand at random depths"

Something important to note: the left / right hand and default speed and spin are determined by your player level in the "AI Generated Drills" section of the app so ensure you have them set based on your Player level first.

Keep in mind this is our first public release and it's still in beta. If you have any issues with it, please let us know and we will work hard to resolve it.
 
@Spinfire @Spinfire_Support

For the "motor compensation" setting, is there anything (such as a number) to indicate what level the compensation is at? I only see the plus/minus buttons.

Also, yesterday when I was hitting, a ball flew into the feeder, so the machine turned off automatically. When I turned the machine back on, my remote control stopped working completely... any ideas? Thank you!
 
JoJoHackshow said:
@Spinfire @Spinfire_Support

For the "motor compensation" setting, is there anything (such as a number) to indicate what level the compensation is at? I only see the plus/minus buttons.

Also, yesterday when I was hitting, a ball flew into the feeder, so the machine turned off automatically. When I turned the machine back on, my remote control stopped working completely... any ideas? Thank you!
Click to expand...

1. Motor compensation is now a Slider with feedback rather than the + / - buttons. This was done in the last release V1.1.13 (33) of the app but it requires your motherboard to be running V6.3.5 (because the motherboard needs to tell the app it's current level). If you have OTA support, you can upgrade to the latest under Settings -> Check for Updates or otherwise you can download it to USB here.

2. It's very near impossible to damage any internal components so I highly doubt it's that and ball jams are auto-detected which is likely the cause of the machine shutdown. Could you please email info@spinfiresport.com with more details about this since I deal with the software side of things, primarily. One of our other technicians could give more feedback and troubleshooting tips.
 
@Spinfire @Spinfire_Support

Not sure if it's merely coincidence, but ever since I had the new AI features installed in my machine, sometimes the machine will feed a ball immediately after firing one before it. This usually happens when I first turn on the machine or change some sort of setting after pausing it (although today it happened in the middle of an overhead drill I was doing)...
 
Hi Jojo,

Thanks for messaging. Some machines have been experiencing this issue and we released V6.3.7 on Nov. 14th to help resolve this issue. In the app, could you go into Settings -> Check for Updates when connected to the machine and update to 6.3.7? If you don't have OTA updates, you can always download it to a USB from the link I provided and install it via USB. Please let me know if that resolves the issue for you.
 
Spinfire_Support said:
Hi Jojo,

Thanks for messaging. Some machines have been experiencing this issue and we released V6.3.7 on Nov. 14th to help resolve this issue. In the app, could you go into Settings -> Check for Updates when connected to the machine and update to 6.3.7? If you don't have OTA updates, you can always download it to a USB from the link I provided and install it via USB. Please let me know if that resolves the issue for you.
Click to expand...
Looks like I'm still having issues with this -- I still have version 6.3.5, but it won't let me update -- it tells me version 6.3.7 is available, but the "update" button is grayed out and then there's a message saying "no compatible firmware update available"
 
Hi JoJo, if it's not letting you update, it may be that your app needs to be a compatible version. Under settings, you will see the App version. Please ensure it's one of these versions and then try again. If it still isn't letting you update, it's possible that if you have an early version motherboard, it doesn't support OTA updates and you may need to use the USB method I described above.

> 1.1.13 (Build 33),
> 1.1.14 (Build 34)
> 1.1.14 (Build 35)
> 1.1.15 (Build 36)
> 1.1.16 (Build 37)
> 1.1.16 (Build 38)
> 1.1.17 (Build 39)
 
Spinfire_Support said:
Hi JoJo, if it's not letting you update, it may be that your app needs to be a compatible version. Under settings, you will see the App version. Please ensure it's one of these versions and then try again. If it still isn't letting you update, it's possible that if you have an early version motherboard, it doesn't support OTA updates and you may need to use the USB method I described above.

> 1.1.13 (Build 33),
> 1.1.14 (Build 34)
> 1.1.14 (Build 35)
> 1.1.15 (Build 36)
> 1.1.16 (Build 37)
> 1.1.16 (Build 38)
> 1.1.17 (Build 39)
Click to expand...
It looks like I have build 39.

Weird, I'll try again, and then if it still doesn't work I'll try the USB method like you mentioned.

Silly question as I'm not tech savvy -- for the USB method I simply download it on a USB drive (even if it has other files on there?), just plug it into the motherboard, and it will automatically install?
 
WalC2019 said:
@Spinfire_Support: is the iPhone Spinfire app still on beta that requires TestFlight to run together? I see the app appears on the iPhone App Store already. Thanks
Click to expand...
Hi there, the iPhone app is now live and doesn't require TestFlight. We are still running TestFlight builds for testing that then go live after a short testing period. So if you would like to test the latest changes, you can run TestFlight. If you prefer a more stable experience, it's best running the App Store version. We run a similar setup for the Google Play Store on Android also with a beta stream for testing.
 
Spinfire_Support said:
Hi there, the iPhone app is now live and doesn't require TestFlight. We are still running TestFlight builds for testing that then go live after a short testing period. So if you would like to test the latest changes, you can run TestFlight. If you prefer a more stable experience, it's best running the App Store version. We run a similar setup for the Google Play Store on Android also with a beta stream for testing.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the quick reply @Spinfire_Support, much appreciated!
 
One think I would like restored to the app, which was available in the very early versions is in the quick random drills the elevation spread is read only and cannot be updated.
I get why this is and it quickly gives the maximum vertical range for the speed and spin selections but sometimes it is desirable to have a ball where the vertical random range is not quite at the maximum.
 
chris_uk said:
One think I would like restored to the app, which was available in the very early versions is in the quick random drills the elevation spread is read only and cannot be updated.
I get why this is and it quickly gives the maximum vertical range for the speed and spin selections but sometimes it is desirable to have a ball where the vertical random range is not quite at the maximum.
Click to expand...
Hi Chris. Thanks for bringing this up and we consider this is a bug. It is supposed to move as you select your speed and spin to display the range where balls will stay in the court and not hit the net and then after you have adjusted speed and spin, you should be able to modify it yourself to your own liking. We will get this bug fixed for the next release.
 
Spinfire_Support said:
Hi Chris. Thanks for bringing this up and we consider this is a bug. It is supposed to move as you select your speed and spin to display the range where balls will stay in the court and not hit the net and then after you have adjusted speed and spin, you should be able to modify it yourself to your own liking. We will get this bug fixed for the next release.
Click to expand...
Brilliant, Thank for the usual rapid response.
 
It's a pleasure. Thank you for finding that bug. It's now fixed on our side but we're working on some other new changes so probably won't get a public release out until later this week, which will first be in the Play Store Beta / TestFlight for testing and then early next week I'd think it will be in full production in each respective store.

In the meantime, you can probably achieve similar using the AI drill creator. Set your play level and specify "30 random balls of random or varied depths and spread with a 2.5 second interval". You can specify the widths you want also, either by using "maximum width of -19 to 19" or you could say with a "narrow spread" or "wide spread" or "centre to forehand side" etc. If you keep a mental note of the shot numbers as they land, you can bulk modify by press and holding the shots in the list and then use the "Modify Selected Shots" to adjust their elevation (or any other value). Secret tip - using the AI, you can actually exceed the 30 shot limit and I've seen up to 100 random shots created using the AI.
 
Hi @chris_uk . A new release is rolling out just now with the 'Random Drills' elevation slider bug fix applied - if you're on iOS it's available already in Apple's TestFlight and it's live in Google Play store for Android. I would expect this to be approved by early next week to be live in the App Store. Apologies for the delay as the other work that was in progress took much longer than expected.
 
Spinfire_Support said:
Hi @chris_uk . A new release is rolling out just now with the 'Random Drills' elevation slider bug fix applied - if you're on iOS it's available already in Apple's TestFlight and it's live in Google Play store for Android. I would expect this to be approved by early next week to be live in the App Store. Apologies for the delay as the other work that was in progress took much longer than expected.
Click to expand...
No problem was only a minor bug. Many thanks have updated the app and all is good now.
 
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