What about this trackball mounting method?

[benwillcox]

I just got my 3" Happ Golden Tee trackball from Todd at TNT amusements ($30) and am thinking about how I can mount it. I was going to order a mounting plate, but I'm now wondering if there may be an alternative way....

My CP is 9mm MDF which will have 3mm polycarbonate or clear acrylic over it, artwork in the middle. There will be no bolts or screws visible on the top at all. I guess the goal is to get the ball as high out of the CP as possible, which is why the mounting plate is useful.

However I'm thinking that why not ditch the top half of the assembly all together, that will make the ball sit higher in the cp..??!

Here is how I think it will look (crappy drawing alert!):

Standard mounting with mounting plate:




Top cover of trackball removed:



Trackball mounted to CP using countersunk screws from above:




Anyone see any problems with this method?

Ben

[simplygriff]

Wouldn't that leave the bearings exposed to dust and such.  Granted, not a lot but more than not having the cover.  I dunno just my $.02
-G

[patrickl]

I'm planning on doing something like that too. Nannuu's handy work in the Mini-Multi-Williams hybrid project announcement thread gave me the idea. Granted that iball is not an arcade trackball, but I liked the idea. You don't need a mounting plate. The ball will (or can) sit higher (which I like). It might a bit more difficult to  get a nice hole routed.

[rchadd]

get the mounting plate - for sake of 8 quid its not worth the hastle of mounting it any other way.

[NoOne=NBA=]

If you are going to do it that way, you need to take into account that the hole in the CP will need to be bevelled to keep the ball from just falling out, or from having too much gap around it.

I did that when I mounted my I-ball because there weren't any other options for mounting it, but opted for the mounting plate on my Happ's, for ease and appearance.

[Kremmit]

I don't think it would matter at all.  If you make the CP hole as snug around the ball as the top of the case was, it should filter most of the debris.  And apparently Happ feels the same way, because they sell this:

http://www.happcontrols.com/trackballs/55022600.htm

No case on this one at all!

[benwillcox]

Thanks guys I'm going to give it a try on some scrap wood and I'll update the thread with the results.

Ben

[benwillcox]

Right I cut a 3" hole in a piece of 12mm MDF ( I will eventually use 9mm plus 3mm clear ploycarbonate), and chamfered the underside with my router:



In order to mount the trackball I will need to route slots out for the opto PCBs and the slotted encoder wheels, but for now I just removed them.

Here is how the ball will sit above the CP:



What do you think?

Ben

[patrickl]

Looks cool. Maybe a bit weird to see a ball up that high, but I like it that way. I think mine is going to be a bit lower though (Ultimarc 2 1/4" trackball and 14mm thick panel).

Only worry I have is how the artwork is gonna sit in my case (I'm going for a laminated print), but your CP is going to be covered in lexan so it wil be fine.

BTW isn't 9mm MDF a bit thin? Or will you bolt through the plexi to add some strenght?

[benwillcox]

Looks cool. Maybe a bit weird to see a ball up that high, but I like it that way. I think mine is going to be a bit lower though (Ultimarc 2 1/4" trackball and 14mm thick panel).

Yeah it does look a bit unusual doesn't it, compared to a normal mount. It feels pretty good though, I think it will be good for accurate control.

BTW isn't 9mm MDF a bit thin? Or will you bolt through the plexi to add some strenght?

Well I did not want to have any bolts visible, but yes 9mm on its own is definately a bit thin. However I'm hoping that when all the buttons are in place the plexi should be clamped tightly enough to make it all a bit more rigid. I will have to see how it goes... Heres my layout:



There is another 'deck' to go on yet like the Supercade panel, for a spinner and analog flight stick.

Cheers,
Ben

[Apollo]

Mind if I ask why you have 7 buttons for players 3 and 4?

[AlexSledge]

If you look closely at the start buttons this is just a two player control panel, player one (the owner) just has the option of which side to give player two body check's from, or if they want to be far away on the left in case your friend is stinky.  

[benwillcox]

Mind if I ask why you have 7 buttons for players 3 and 4?

Well when I made my drill template I just copied the player 1 layout and shifted  it round, with the intention of not drilling all the button holes for player 3 and 4. But when I got to it I thought I might as well drill the lot, as I also will have some console emulators on there which I belive may use the extra buttons...

Cheers,
Ben.

[eyal8r]

How did this mounting technique work out for you?  Is the ball solid/stable?  Staying clean?  I might be trying the same thing myself here...