TomZ Constrained Cube 180

As the name suggests, all of the sides on this puzzle are constrained to a half turn. It is slightly more difficult than the Constrained Cube Ultimate.

 

Solution

I did not find it necessary to do anything outlandish to solve the puzzle, following steps that would be familiar to veteran twisty puzzle-solvers.

 

Step 1: Solve the White Edges

Intuitive. The easiest way is to get the edges into position and then double turn the requisite face to put the edge into position.

 

I prefer to have the green, orange, blue and red centres fully turned in one direction or the other. The centres can be flipped later on to allow flexibility in turning. I don't worry about the white centre but it will affect the yellow centre later on. If white is fully turned, then the yellow centre will be in the middle of its turning arc when solved and vice versa.

 

Step 2: First Two Layers

Normal block building or F2L techniques work here but with the need to work around the constrained faces. It is fiddly but I did not find it too difficult.

Step 3: Orientate Yellow Edges

I try to do this at the same time as step 2 but it does not always work out.

 

Step 4: Solve the Yellow Corners

Normal algorithms can be used here but attention must be paid to how faces turn. Some flipping of centres may be necessary.

 

Step 5: Permute the Yellow Edges

The final step is a little fiddly but not too difficult.

This is a satisfying puzzle to solve. Compared with the Constrained Cube Ultimate, the loss of freedom on the yellow face has a greater impact than gaining the ability to turn the white face. This makes the puzzle slightly more difficult to solve.