GGG Super high trackball mounting kit - help with improvising

[markronz]

Ok, so I should have read things a bit closer before I got this far along...      I have a 3/4" thick wood control panel, which is what you are supposed to use with the GGG super high mounting kit.   But the problem is that I am also going to have a plexiglass cover on top.  I believe the thickness of the plexiglass is 1/8" inch.  I will confirm when I get home.   I have everything completed on my CP, and everything completed with the trackball mount process except that I have not yet cut a hole in my plexiglass for the trackball.   So now I am wondering how this extra 1/8" is going to come into play.    Normally, if your setup was only 3/4" thick, all I would have to do is simply screw on the trackball finishing plate on the top and be done.

So now because of this extra thickness, the way I see it, I have two options for the finishing plate:

1.  When I cut the hole in the plexiglass I can cut it even bigger than the trackball hole.  Big enough that the finishing plate fits entirely inside of it, and thereby just bypasses the plexiglass all together.
---OR---
2.  I could cut the hole for the trackball in the plexiglass like normal and just ignore the extra 1/8".   I would then just have to drill some holes in the plexiglass so that the screws for the finishing plate can pass through.

My concerns with #1 are just that I wouldn't know how to make the cut for that hole.   I planned on just using a flush router bit to trim out the exact size of the trackball hole.  But if I need to make the hole bigger on the plexiglass, I have no idea how to do this.   I couldn't just free hand it either because there's no lip covering up the hole in the plexiglass to cover up minor mistakes.   I would have to cut the hole to be exactly the right size, and make it look good.   

About #2, it seems like 1/8" shouldn't make that much difference, but I'm wondering about what the downsides of having this extra space are?   I believe the finishing plate is just there to hold the trackball in there, so that the user couldn't just pick it up and out of there.   Now on a normal installation, I don't think the finishing plate is like snug up against the ball or anything.  I still think there's a little wiggle room there, and the ball isn't completely pinned down by the plate.  Correct me if I am wrong.    So my thoughts are that the downside is just that the ball is able to move around more.    It seems like gravity is the only thing holding it onto the rollers.   I just wouldn't want the ball to jump up after a good Golden tee drive because of this extra space.   I am not sure if this is a concern, or if you think the ball would simply stay in place on the rollers regardless of where the finishing plate is.  I have my control panel attached to my cp box with a hinge.  So it would seem the only time the ball would move is when I open up the control panel box, and the control panel is more vertical.

Hopefully that all made sense.   Let me know what you guys think I should do.  I'm leaning towards #2, but if you think the ball is going to be jumping around due to the extra space, then I probably won't do that...   If you think I should do #1, then I'd appreciate some tips on how to cut an exact perfect circle into plexiglass that is the correct size.

Thanks!

[markronz]

Or, I just thought of this, option #3.

I could cut a hole in the plexiglass that is SMALLER than the trackball hole, making it the exact size of the hole on the finishing plate, and then just not use the finishing plate from GGG at all.  So the plexiglass would hold the trackball in there.  This seems like it might be a good option except again, I'd have to make a perfect circle, in the perfect position above the trackball.

[lilshawn]

cut your hole slightly bigger than the ball and bevel the inside at a 45 degree angle (or more) it will help the flesh of your hand come out of the hole without damage.

or route 1/8th inch (or however thick the plexi is) out of the bottom of the panel and it will mount the trackball that much higher.

[markronz]

cut your hole slightly bigger than the ball and bevel the inside at a 45 degree angle (or more) it will help the flesh of your hand come out of the hole without damage.

or route 1/8th inch (or however thick the plexi is) out of the bottom of the panel and it will mount the trackball that much higher.

In regards to routing out an additional 1/8 inch from the bottom.   I will have to think about this option.  I have an X Arcade trackball, and the optical sensor circuit board things stick out pretty far on those.  So as a result I had to route in the holes for them pretty deep into the control panel.    But if there is still an 1/8" to spare, I might consider this option.

Regarding the first option you mention.   Were you trying to say don't use the finishing plate at all, and then route the hole, slightly smaller, into the plexiglass instead?   And by bevel, did you basically mean to do what I have shown in the attached picture?

thanks for replying!

[RandyT]

In regards to routing out an additional 1/8 inch from the bottom.   I will have to think about this option.  I have an X Arcade trackball, and the optical sensor circuit board things stick out pretty far on those.  So as a result I had to route in the holes for them pretty deep into the control panel.    But if there is still an 1/8" to spare, I might consider this option.

You really have only two options for the 1/8" overlay scenario and this mounting method.  The first is to cut the hole in the overlay to match the outside diameter of the finish plate.  The other is to measure the inside diameter of the finish plate and don't use it, rather cut that same diameter into your overlay.  However, being that your overlay is clear, you may wish to mask out a circle around the hole and paint the underside with an opaque ring that compliments your panel color.  This will cover the hole in the panel and make it appear cleaner.

Perfect circles can only be made with a jig of some nature.  You'll have to do some research on which one will best suit your needs.

My opinion is that plastic covered panels have a look I am not overly fond of, but there's really nothing wrong with them other than they can complicate installation at times.  If you are married to the idea, then you'll need to deal with the extra work they entail.  Otherwise, consider a good printed and heavily laminated PSA overlay and be done with it.

RandyT

[markronz]

Thanks for the responses on this.    I just wanted to post the resolution to this problem.    I just finished my plexiglass cover and all is well!    I decided to cut a hole that's the size of the inner diameter of the finish plate.   In case anyone ever goes through this same scenario, the size of the inner hole of the finishing plate is just about 2 7/8".    They make hole saw's in that size, but likely won't have them at your local hardware store.   I went all around town before I had to break down and order it online.   Of course, I bought a 3" hole saw first, and that was too big of a hole, then I bought a 2 3/4" hole saw and that was too small.   So there goes $30 bucks on something I will likely never use again, but oh well.  The more tools I own the better!    2 7/8" is exactly the right size, but the hole needs to be RIGHT ON.  It's very close.   Glad I got mine right.  Anyway, just wanted to post that here in case someone on the forum ever comes across this again.     Of course, and I just thought of this... since I had the finish plate, I suppose I could have screwed it onto some wood, and then used my flush trim router bit to get the exact size of the hole too.  Oh well, hind sight is 20/20 and not everyone will have the finishing plate I suppose, so the 2 7/8" piece of information is still useful.