3" or 2 1/4" Trackball - Input Needed

[DrChek]

I'm trying to decide whether I can get away with a 3" ball or if I will need the extra room that a 2 1/4" ball will give me on my control panel. The dimensions of the panel are 25" W x 7 1/2" D. Expanding the width of the panel is not an option for my design.

Golden Tee type game will be on this machine, but obviously wild power swings will be limited by space on my configuration. Mainly the trackball will be used for gentler controlled games like Centipede, Crystal Castles, Missile Command, etc...

Here is a scaled mock-up of the two options...



I'd be interested to hear from others that have trackballs on similar sized panels.

[Mysterioii]

I personally like 3" trackballs and it looks like you have enough room to me.

[GregD]

This is a build that I really liked.  It is a 24" panel with a 3" trackball.  He got it to fit but it is a little lower than yours on the panel.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=115865.0

[Dervacumen]

My CP is 23.75" wide and I have a 3" trackball.  You should have no problem, but make sure you get measurements for the under-portion of each of your controls to make sure you can cram them all in there.  I don't like the 3" trackball.  If I build another I may get a smaller one.

[Cynicaster]

Yeah, you've got plenty of room for either--just go with whatever size you prefer.

My panel isn't much wider than yours; actually, speaking only in terms of "usable width", my panel is the same as yours (see pics at the bottom of this post: http://cynicaster.blogspot.ca/2012/04/in-my-last-article-i-talked-about-some.html ).  I've got a 3" U-Trak in there.   

I'd like to repeat the advice that somebody already provided, and urge you to make damn sure that whatever layout you choose provides enough room on the underside to package all the "hidden" stuff that's easy to forget about (joystick bases, trackball housings, and wiring) before you start buying and cutting things based on a design that won't work.  I foolishly didn't analyze my design from this perspective and there was almost a disastrous interference between my 4-way joystick base and the trackball housing.

   

[eds1275]

This is all good news to me, mine is a hair under 29" and I was wondering how functinal it would be. Good to know people are happy with a 24!

[DaveMMR]

This is all good news to me, mine is a hair under 29" and I was wondering how functinal it would be. Good to know people are happy with a 24!

Yes my panel 25" and a 3" TB fits in there comfortably along with two players 6-buttons. Granted it's not so deep that I can play Golden Tee (nor is the monitor lying back) but most every other TB game plays quite well.  For my next cabinet, I'm actually going narrower and see no problem fitting a 3" TB in there.