Sports Tutor Tennis Tower User manual

Introduction
This manual contains important information concerning the proper use and care of your Tennis
Tower. Please read completely before operating your Tennis Tower.
Check for shipping damage
Even though your machine may appear un-
damaged, it is possible for internal parts to be
damaged even if the external case is undama-
ged. If your machine is damaged, contact Sports
Tutor immediately at 1-800-448-8867.
Attaching the Ball Hopper
Set the ball hopper on top of the Tennis Tower
body. It should fit snugly inside the raised rim.
Attach the hopper at each corner with the four
screws provided, which screw directly into the
threaded holes of the Tennis Tower body.
What’s Inside
Page
Power Cord Requirements 2
Important Warnings 2
Break-in Period 2
Consistency of Ball Throws 2
Operating Tennis Tower 2
Control Panel 3
Player Model Control Panel 4
Reset Button 4
Match Play Mode 5
Remote Control 6
Maintenance and Cleaning 6
Service or Questions 6
Warranty 7
OWNER’S MANUAL
QUICK TIP
Don’t use new tennis balls during break-in period - see page 2
Please call us at 800-448-8867 if you have any
questions about your Tennis Tower ball machine.
TENNIS TOWER

Power Cord Requirements
Use only a three prong grounded extension cord. Because Tennis Tower uses less than
100 watts of power, any standard three prong extension cord which is 18 gauge or heavier
will work for distances up to 100 feet. Do not attempt to defeat the grounding feature of the
power cord supplied with the Tennis Tower by using a two prong extension cord.
Break-in Period
Do not use brand new tennis balls during the first ten hours of use. The ink and waxy
coating on brand new tennis balls can leave a slick coating on the new ball throwing wheels,
causing inconsistent ball throws. New tennis balls can be used after this initial break-in
period, although it is best to use balls that are slightly used to reduce the potential for
developing the slick coating on the wheels.
Consistency of Ball Throws
The consistency of ball throws is dependent on the consistency of the tennis balls you use.
Tennis Tower will throw newer tennis balls faster than it will throw older or worn
tennis balls. Consistent balls will produce consistent ball throws. Inconsistent ball throws
may also be caused by excess dirt and ink build-up on the ball throwing wheels. Cleaning
the ball throwing wheels as described in the section ‘Maintenance and Cleaning’ will restore
consistent performance.
Operating Tennis Tower
Position Tennis Tower along the centerline of the court. Place it at the baseline for throwing
faster shots, and nearer the service line for slower shots. Step on the caster locks on the rear
casters to lock the Tennis Tower in place. Turn the machine ON and set the controls to pro-
duce the desired ball throws. Turn the machine OFF and wait for five seconds to allow the
10 second start-up time delay to reset. Turn the machine ON (and Oscillator ON if desired)
and walk to your playing position.
Helpful Tip: The ball feeding mechanism will operate best if you move the balls toward the
front of the machine so they are not stacked up directly over the ball feeding mechanism.
IMPORTANT WARNINGS
DO NOT STAND IN FRONT OF BALL EJECTION OPENING.
DO NOT INSERT HANDS OR FOREIGN OBJECTS INTO THE MACHINE.
DO NOT OPERATE TENNIS TOWER WHEN WET.
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Control Panel
1) POWER - Pushing to the ON position begins a
start-up time delay period of about 10 seconds
before tennis balls are thrown.
2) BALL SPEED - Turning clockwise, from ‘1’ to
‘10’ increases the speed at which balls are thrown.
3) ELEVATION - Pushing the UP arrow raises the
ball trajectory, and pushing the DOWN arrow
lowers the trajectory. The elevation control
automatically stops at both the highest and lowest
possible trajectories. It is best to move UP to the
desired trajectory. The position of the elevation
setting is shown on the bar graph display.
4) BALL FEED - Turning clockwise increases the
frequency of ball throws from one ball every 10
seconds at a setting of ‘1’, to one ball every 1-1/2
seconds at ‘10’.
5) SPIN - Turning clockwise from ‘flat’ increases the
amount of topsin, turning counter-clockwise from
‘flat’ increases the amount of underspin.
(Note: Competitor Classic model does not have the spin
control feature).
6) OSCILLATOR - On models without 2-line
oscillation, push the switch ON for random
oscillation. On models with 2-line oscillation, turn the dial switch ( or push the button) to the
desired position for RANDOM, 2-LINE NARROW, or 2-LINE WIDE oscillation.
7) REMOTE (Club, Professional, and Player models) - See the section ‘Remote Control’.
Reset Button
The Reset Button may pop out for the following reasons:
1) A ball is stuck in the machine. Remove the ball before resetting the button. If you don’t
see the ball between the throwing wheels, look in the front corners of the machine.
2) The ball throwing wheels are excessively dirty or slick. This prevents the wheels from
properly grabbing the ball. Cleaning the ball throwing wheels as described in the section
‘Maintenance and Cleaning’ will restore proper performance.
3) The machine may need service. Do not repeatedly push the reset button if it continues to
pop out.
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Player Model Control Panel
1) POWER SWITCH - Pushing to the ON position
begins a start-up time delay period of about 10
seconds before tennis balls are thrown.
2) BALL SPEED - Pushing the UP arrow increases
speed. Pushing the DOWN arrow decreases speed.
Changing the SPIN control will also effect the ball
speed. Increasing spin will decrease ball speed.
3) ELEVATION - Pushing the UP arrow raises the ball
trajectory, and pushing the DOWN arrow lowers the
trajectory. The elevation control automatically stops
at both the highest and lowest possible trajectories. It
is best to move UP to the desired trajectory.
4) INTERVAL - Pushing the UP arrow increases the
frequency of ball throws from one ball every 10
seconds to one ball every 1-1/2 seconds. Pushing
the DOWN arrow decreases the frequency. The
START/STOP button alternately starts and stops the
balls from shooting.
5) SPIN - Pushing the UP arrow increases topspin (or
decreases underspin). Pushing the DOWN arrow
increases underspin. Two bars lit in the display
indicates a flat shot.
6) OSCILLATOR - First, push the OFF/[CENTER] button. This will set the oscillator to the
center position. Then physically align the machine at the baseline to throw balls up the center of
the court. Then push the button for the type of oscillation you desire: RANDOM,
2-LINE NARROW, or 2-LINE WIDE.
7) REMOTE - Push the button so the light above it is lit to allow the machine to receive signals
from the handheld remote unit. See the section ‘Remote Control’.
8) RESET BUTTON - See the section ‘Reset Button’ in the main Owner’s Manual.
9) MATCH PLAY MODE - See the section ‘MATCH PLAY MODE™’ following.
MATCH-PLAY MODE™
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Match Play Mode Instructions
Set the Tennis Tower at the center of the baseline. Before initiating MATCH PLAY MODE™ it is
best to stop shooting balls by pressing the START/STOP button of the INTERVAL control.
Make sure the machine is set to move evenly to both the forehand and backhand sides. Push
the OFF/[CENTER] button. This will set the oscillator to the center position. Then physically
align the front edge of the machine parallel to the baseline.
Push either the BEGINNER, INTERMEDIATE, or ADVANCED buttons, and
MATCH PLAY MODE™ automatically picks an appropriate interval, elevation, speed, and
spin, then changes both the side-to-side position and the depth of shots just like you were playing
someone of that ability. Restart ball throws by pushing the START/STOP button or by pressing
the BALL FEED button on the Remote Control.
The first ball thrown after pushing a MATCH PLAY MODE™ button will be up the middle
and to the deepest position. Use the first throw as a reference for making any changes you
desire in the elevation, speed, or spin settings. Any changes you make will be saved even if
you turn the Tennis Tutor off, so the next time you practice you can resume with the same set-
tings. Any time you press a MATCH PLAY MODE™ button it will delete any changes and
revert to the default settings.
The side-to-side position and depth of each shot are computer-programmed to simulate the shot
patterns of real players. The BEGINNER setting will not shoot any balls wide to the corners,
but will vary the depth of shot more than will the INTERMEDIATE and ADVANCED settings.
The INTERMEDIATE and ADVANCED settings will throw balls across the entire width of the
court, but more balls will be toward the center just like in a real match. The ADVANCED
setting has the most side-to-side variation, but the least variation in depth.
MATCH PLAY MODE™ is a trademark of Sports Tutor, Inc.
MATCH PLAY MODE™
MATCH PLAY MODE™

Remote Control (Club, Professional, and Player Models)
Tennis Tower will only accept commands from the remote transmitter when the Remote Switch
on the control panel is ON. Tennis Tower will beep each time it receives a command from the
remote transmitter. The remote transmitter controls two functions:
Ball Feed - Press the ball feed switch to alternately start and stop the ball feed.
Oscillator - Press the oscillator switch to alternately start and stop the oscillator. The oscillator
switch must be in the ‘ON’ position for the oscillator to be commanded from the
remote transmitter.
Remote Control for 2-line - To stop and start ball throws in 2-line mode push the ball feed
button of the remote when Tennis Tower is moving between the two throwing positions.
The remote transmitter unit uses a single 12 volt battery. The battery is included with your
remote transmitter.
Maintenance and Cleaning
Tennis Tower should be cleaned at least once a month (for commercial use twice a month).
Clean Tennis Tower only when it is off. Use a vacuum cleaner to clean dirt from the inside of
the machine through the ball ejection opening. Do not use compressed air. To clean the case
use a slightly damp cloth. Do not use chemicals or abrasive cleansers.
Dirt build-up inside the rim of the throwing wheels can cause them to become unbalanced and
noisy. Hook your finger underneath the rim of the wheel and slowly spin the wheel by hand to
clean out the dirt.
To maintain like-new performance we recommend that you clean the ball throwing wheels
every 200 hours of use to prevent inconsistent ball throws caused by excessive dirt and ink
build-up on the wheels. Clean the ball throwing wheels only when Tennis Tower is off. Firmly
rub coarse-grit (40 to 60 grade) sandpaper across the throwing wheels through the ball ejection
opening to remove the dirt and ink build-up. Sand the entire circumference of each wheel. Use
enough pressure so that you actually ‘rough-up’ the rubber surface of the wheels. The wheels
should feel rough after being properly sanded.
Service or Questions
If your Tennis Tower should ever need service, or if you have any questions regarding your
Tennis Tower, please call Sports Tutor, Inc. toll free at 800-448-8867. Our fax number
is 818-972-9651.
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Tennis Tower Limited Warranty
Warranty period
Sports Tutor, Inc. warrants Tennis Tower ball machines for a period of three years from the date of original
purchase.
Scope of warranty
This warranty covers all defects in material and workmanship. The following are not covered by the warranty:
1. Units on which the serial number has been deleted, modified or removed.
2. Units damaged by accident, misuse, abuse, neglect, unauthorized product modification or failure to follow
instructions contained in the owner’s manual.
3. Units damaged by repair by anyone not authorized by Sports Tutor.
4. Units damaged during shipment (claims must be presented to shipper).
Who is protected
This warranty is valid only within the United States. This warranty protects the original purchaser and any
subsequent owner(s) during the warranty period, so long as the Tennis Tower was purchased in the United
States and a copy of the original bill of sale is submitted whenever warranty service is required.
What Sports Tutor will pay for
Sports Tutor will pay for all labor and materials to repair a warrantable defect. Sports Tutor will also pay for
shipping charges to return your Tennis Tower to you within the United States..
How to obtain warranty service
Call or write Sports Tutor, Inc. Deliver the unit POSTAGE PREPAID to Sports Tutor. Include your name,
address, daytime phone number, copy of original bill of sale, and a brief description of the problem.
Limitation of implied warranties
All implied warranties, including fitness for a particular purpose and merchantability are limited in duration to
the length of this warranty. We neither assume nor authorize any representative or other person to assume for
us any other liability in connection with the sale or shipment of our products.
Limitation of incidental or consequential damages
Sports Tutor is not responsible for any incidental or consequential damages of any kind. Our liability is limi-
ted to the repair or replacement, at our option, of a defective product. Some states do not allow limitations on
how long an implied warranty lasts and/or do not allow the exclusion of incidental or consequential damages so
the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you
may also have other rights which vary from state to state.
Sports Tutor, Inc.
3300 Winona Ave.
Burbank, CA 91504

Name
Address
City State Zip
Tennis Tower Serial Number
IMPORTANT: Be sure to include a copy of your original bill of sale.
TENNIS TOWER EXTENDED WARRANTY COUPON
TENNIS TOWER 2-YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY
What it covers
The Tennis Tower extended warranty covers both parts and labor under the same
terms as the original Tennis Tower warranty.
Length of Extended Warranty
The extended warranty will cover the Tennis Tower for an additional two years
at a cost of $150.00.
How to purchase
1) The extended warranty must be purchased within 30 days of the purchase of your
Tennis Tower ball machine.
2) Detach and mail the coupon below with your check or money order for $150.00,
and a copy of the original bill of sale to:
3) Sports Tutor will send you a receipt for your extended warranty coverage.
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Attn: Warranty
Sports Tutor
3300 Winona Ave.
Burbank, CA 91504