Bata 20-Bb / 15-Sb Combination Auto Feeder with Remote

Good when it works, but inconsistent

I originally purchased the auto feeder so that the kids could set up a batting session on their own without me having to hand feed baseballs to them. However, the machine is too inconsistent for that. What should be simple in theory (a ramp that balls roll down with a wheel that restricts/allows balls into the pitching machine) is not well executed in operation. During use, the machine will get stuck, and no ball will be fed. Then all of a sudden, the jam will clear, and anywhere from 2-4 balls will be pitched in rapid succession. As you can imagine, this could be dangerous if the batter finished his swing leaning forward. The manufacturer recommends use of dimpled practice balls for better performance, which is a little frustrating given that the Bata-2 is marketed as being able to throw real baseballs. I'd like to have my training sessions approximate the real thing as closely as possible, and I was hoping to have something that was able to auto-feed baseballs.

Having a hard time getting it to feed balls

It gets stuck sometimes and is not very consistent on when the ball comes out