One of the ways to expand TT is to have more balls or different color balls. In order to do that, we need a definition of a TT ball.
Here’s what I have so far
- Balls are 5/16", 7.93 mm.
- Balls appear to be powder coated.
- Balls weigh just a smoosh under 2 grams. 10 balls - 21 grams; 20 balls = 41 grams.
- Balls are ferrous / magnetic. probably carbon steel under the powder coat.
8mm steel balls are easy to find online (slingshot ammo or unpacked ball bearings), in matte or mirror finish. So it would be easy to bulk up your ball count, as long as you were OK with silver.
Some Chinese mfrs make brass or copper balls (as well as chrome or carbon steel) in the correct size, but minimum qty and shipping might be tricky. In addition to being different colors, these balls would be non-magnetic, which adds another way to carry information.
Finally, It looks like jewelry suppliers stock a variety of round metal beads in 8mm. The center hole probably won’t affect its performance, but the removed material might make them too light to trip the mechanics in the same way as a solid ball. Going to pick some up today for testing.