Happs 3", high-lip trackball question

[Teknique]

Anyone know of any material that can be used to build-up the lip of this trackball by 1/16" ?  In the picture below, I installed the trackball mounting plate below the laminate, thus the imperfect lip.  There is no way to fix this problem now without modifying the trackball case in some way.

I am planning to remove the trackball, ring the interior hole with a piece of masking tape and drizzle something into the recessed area between the laminate and the masking tape until the area is level with the laminate. 

I need something black and something that is going to adhere to hard plastic.  It can't ruin laminate when it comes in contact with it- because it will be in contact with it.  Im guessing that I will want something that dries rock solid instead of something that dries more flexible.

Any ideas?

Tek

[mccoy178]

I would recommend one of the height rings that comes with the high lip trackballs.  I would use a dremmel to take everything off except the ring and attach that.

[quarterback]

I'm confused.  Your title says you have a question about the high-lip trackball.  Do you own the high-lip already or are you wishing you had the high-lip version so the lip would be higher?

If it's the latter, just order part 95-0565-00 which is the top of the high-lip assembly.   I don't know the final cost, but the bottom half of the trackball assembly is only like $6.

EDITED TO REFLECT THE FACT THAT THIS IS PROBABLY NOT THE CORRECT PART NUMBER.  See Teknique's post here for more info

[Kremmit]

I would recommend one of the height rings that comes with the high lip trackballs.  I would use a dremmel to take everything off except the ring and attach that.

If you're talking about the part QB listed, that's the entire upper case of the TB, and would not need to be modified, just attached.  That is only for folks wanting to add a higher lip to their standard trackball.  If you're talking about part #95-1828-00, that's the spacer, and won't work.  It has a hole in it that fits around the high lip, for the purpose of lowering the TB (and lip), not raising it up.

Teknique:  If you want the lip to sit 1/16" higher, then maybe you can very carefully sand 1/16" of plastic off of the top side of the trackball housing, thus allowing the lip to sit up at the height you want.  Should provide better looking results than trying to add 1/16" of plastic to the top of the lip, if you can remove that much material, and leave it flat. 

Or, you could try rounding over the edge of the TB hole on your CP with a router.  Or just painting the inside edge of the hole black, so that it doesn't show so much.  But if you really want to try to build up the lip, I'd use JB-Stik, or similar.  It's a paste epoxy- once you mix the two parts together, you've got something like Play-Doh, that you can shape and mold- but when it hardens, it's like a rock.  And it's sand-able once it's hard.  (Be careful not to scratch your laminate with the sandpaper.)

[Teknique]

I'm confused.  Your title says you have a question about the high-lip trackball.  Do you own the high-lip already or are you wishing you had the high-lip version so the lip would be higher?

I have the high lip trackball already.  Even with as much routing as I did, the trackball still sits lower than the laminate because the mounting plate forces the plastic ring to sit at the same height as the metal mounting plate.  In retrospect, I should have cut the laminate around the plastic ring on the trackball lip instead of the the metal plate - this would have hidden the plastic all togeather with.

I would recommend one of the height rings that comes with the high lip trackballs.  I would use a dremmel to take everything off except the ring and attach that.

If you're talking about the part QB listed, that's the entire upper case of the TB, and would not need to be modified, just attached.  That is only for folks wanting to add a higher lip to their standard trackball.  If you're talking about part #95-1828-00, that's the spacer, and won't work.  It has a hole in it that fits around the high lip, for the purpose of lowering the TB (and lip), not raising it up.

Teknique:  If you want the lip to sit 1/16" higher, then maybe you can very carefully sand 1/16" of plastic off of the top side of the trackball housing, thus allowing the lip to sit up at the height you want.  Should provide better looking results than trying to add 1/16" of plastic to the top of the lip, if you can remove that much material, and leave it flat. 

Sanding the top of my housing was my second thought- though it seemed more difficult.   I think i wil take a look at some of the part numbers again that Happs has, quite possibly mine is in fact not a high lip model though I thought that is what I had ordered. 

Other options would be to buy a new housing top and cut the ring off it then sand and glue.  I  think this is what mccoy178 suggested.  Kremmit, I think Ill avoid the epoxy route since you dont seem to be too enthusiatic about it and frankly Im not either.

Thanks for the inputs!

Tek

[AtomSmasher]

I have a highlip trackball and it sits exactly at the height of the plexiglass, actually its slightly higher.  You do know that the removable plastic plate that sits between the trackball and the mounting plate is only there so you can elimate the highlip if you don't need it.  If you want the high lip, then don't use that plate, it should move your trackball up 1/8'' which is exactly where it should be.

If all you have is 1/8'' plexiglass covering the mounting plate, then the highlip trackball would put the trackball at the perfect height.  If its not at the right height, then something is wrong.

[u_rebelscum]

...Even with as much routing as I did, the trackball still sits lower than the laminate because the mounting plate forces the plastic ring to sit at the same height as the metal mounting plate.

Sounds like you are calling the black spacer, "the (non-metal) mounting plate".  All it is is a 1/8" think spacer.  You can take it out, and if needed, use thicker or thinner spacers.  I've used small 1/16" think plastic washers. The reason the arcade spacer is a big square is it's stronger and helps cushion shock across a bigger area than my small washers.  But I can replace the cheap washers easy (I've never needed to yet though), and set whatever thickness I want.

[Teknique]

It appears that I must not have a high-lip trackball.  I got some plastic epoxy and am building the lip up to meet my laminate.  I will then sand, polish and paint it to match.  Ill let you know how it turns out...

thanks for all the info!

Tek

[u_rebelscum]

It appears that I must not have a high-lip trackball.  I got some plastic epoxy and am building the lip up to meet my laminate.  I will then sand, polish and paint it to match.  Ill let you know how it turns out...

Just for clarification, here's a picture of the tops of Happ's High Lip and normal TB:


The High Lip's lip is 3/16" tall, the normal's lip is 1/16".  (The high ball's lip is 1/8".)  Betson/Imperial/Suzo have the same lip measurements on their "high rim" & normal TBs.

[Teknique]

Thanks U_rebelscum!

I have the one on the right so that was my confusion.  I thought I had purchased a high lip for some reason....

[Kremmit]

If that's your problem, you ought to consider just getting the part Quarterback posted up above.  That's the upper plastic piece U_Rebel posted the pic of.  You can just replace the top part of your TB and get the higher lip without trying to make that epoxy look perfect.  I may have one I can trade you for your existing normal-lip part; check your PM.

[quarterback]

It appears that I must not have a high-lip trackball.  I got some plastic epoxy and am building the lip up to meet my laminate.  I will then sand, polish and paint it to match.  Ill let you know how it turns out...

Just for clarification, here's a picture of the tops of Happ's High Lip and normal TB:

Great reference pics u_r.

This should be added to the WIKI, afaic

[horseboy]

Ok, I must be going insane here. I have 2 regular happ trackballs, and a couple of weeks ago I was thinking that it would be nice if they were high lip.

If it's the latter, just order part 95-0565-00 which is the top of the high-lip assembly.

I was thinking this exact same thing, and then this thread came along and gave me confirmation. I had checked everything out. I looked at the mounting and exploded views. The high lip and regular trackballs used different parts, and they had different dimensions. The high lip model showed a .19" lip and the regular showed .12". That is roughly 3/16 and 1/8 respectively. So everything was as it should be, until...

Today I go to happ's site to double check the part # and everything is totally screwed up. It now shows that both the high lip and the regular trackball use part 95-0565-00 as the top portion of the assembly. The mounting view also shows that they both have the exact same mounting dimensions, with a .12" lip. WTF. They are actually using the same same exact mounting picture under both items. So I thought that they might have accidentally put the regular trackball mounting and exploded pics under both urls, but they didn't. It has 2 different exploded views that show them as having the same part #'s. I don't what the hell is going on. 

Any ideas?

[horseboy]

high lip

http://www.happcontrols.com/trackballs/56010011hl_exploded.htm

regular

http://www.happcontrols.com/trackballs/560100e.htm

[Teknique]

Try this part #

 Item Number: 95-1604-00 
 3" TRACKBALL TOP BRACKET 1/8 SHORT FOR HIGH-LIP VERSION  1+ $6.90
 
Tek

[quarterback]

Today I go to happ's site to double check the part # and everything is totally screwed up. It now shows that both the high lip and the regular trackball use part 95-0565-00 as the top portion of the assembly. The mounting view also shows that they both have the exact same mounting dimensions, with a .12" lip.

Very interesting.   You are correct about those diagrams.  I've edited my original post so nobody is misled if they read this thread for the first time.

Try this part #  Item Number: 95-1604-00 
 3" TRACKBALL TOP BRACKET 1/8 SHORT FOR HIGH-LIP VERSION  1+ $6.90

Good find, Tek.

[u_rebelscum]

Today I go to happ's site to double check the part # and everything is totally screwed up. It now shows that both the high lip and the regular trackball use part 95-0565-00 as the top portion of the assembly. The mounting view also shows that they both have the exact same mounting dimensions, with a .12" lip.

Very interesting.   You are correct about those diagrams.  I've edited my original post so nobody is misled if they read this thread for the first time.

It's been inaccurate like that since at least 2003.

Damn, I was going-to-do but-never-did a review between red and green boards for that long?!?

[horseboy]

Damn, I was going-to-do but-never-did a review between red and green boards for that long?!?

Lazy