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Show HN: A 2mm micro-bearing ring that spins like a real fidget spinner
My motivation was pretty simple: every “spinning ring” I tried felt a bit fake.
They don’t actually spin — not like a real bearing.
So I wanted to see if I could make one that truly does.
At the end of the day it’s still just a ring. A small, minimal piece of jewelry.
But it happens to hide a tiny bearing that can hit around 800 RPM with a single flick.
That contrast is what makes it fun.
The way I think about it is this:
it’s like a normal-looking car that quietly turns out to fly.
Nothing loud or showy — until you decide to reveal what it can actually do.
If you’ve used a good fidget spinner for focus or stress, the feeling is similar.
This is basically that experience compressed into a silent, smooth, 2mm-thick ring you can wear without thinking about it.
The D20 idea grew out of that.
It’s not the main point — just a side effect of the spin being clean and consistent.
The reactions have been funny.
As a ring, some people say it’s “too plain.”
As a fidget spinner, it’s “not extreme enough.”
As a D20, it’s “not official enough.”
That’s what happens when something lands between categories.
To me it’s simply a pared-down version of all three.
If I wanted something louder, flashier, or more decorative, that’s easy to explore later.
This first version is about getting the core idea right:
a real, precise spin inside a clean 2mm ring.
Once that foundation works, the rest — styling, variants, whatever comes next — is straightforward.
Hope that gives a clearer sense of what I was trying to do.
Demo video (just the mechanism in motion):
https://vimeo.com/1139679503 https://vimeo.com/1139679503
More Info: https://spinity.co/ https://spinity.co/
- nerk1985 10mo agoHonestly, as someone who plays a lot of solo TTRPGs, this D20 ring is surprisingly practical on the go.
- xtafnuihc 10mo agoMake a lot of sense, thank you
- formerly_proven 10mo agoYSK that the video can't be watched without a Vimeo account.
- TD-Linux 10mo agoSpecifically, it needs an age rating set or it can't be viewed in Europe without an account.
- vladde 10mo agolooks sick. website says it's open for pre-orders, but it's not?
- fulafel 10mo agoVimeo link is paywalled.
- corn13read2 10mo agoneed help with your site?
- deleted 10mo ago[deleted]
- xtafnuihc 10mo agoAre you serious? I really need some help with my site. I’m building a web-based “spinning game” controlled by a physical bearing ring: the ring spins, and the browser game reacts in real time (WebSocket input + visual UI). I’d love to get your thoughts on the technical side. Would you be interested in taking a look?
- elemeno 10mo agoIt looks like this user here - https://news.ycombinator.com/submitted?id=spinity https://news.ycombinator.com/submitted?id=spinity - has created a new account to continue spamming posts about their fidget spinner.
- deleted 10mo ago[deleted]
- functionmouse 10mo agoAre you close to having a price target?