3" Trackball: Regular or Highball?

[javeryh]

It's decision time...  Anyone have any preferences?

I will be installing this using the mounting plate which will be covered by 1/8" thick plexiglass AND 1/8" thick wood veneer (instead of art which has a negligible thickness).  I'd just get the standard one but I'm afraid the extra 1/8" veneer will make the trackball seem a little low...

Thoughts?   

[ahofle]

I prefer the highball even without the extra 1/8" you are talking about adding over the plate.  I find I have much more control with more of my hand in contact with the ball.

[javeryh]

I'll be playing mainly Golden Tee and Bowling though... will it hold up?

[scotthh]

u_rebelscum says the highlip trackball's lip is 3/16"
Lip and ball height.
More pictures.
The thread on this topic.

You have 1/8"+1/8"=2/8" =4/16" of material on the top of your CP. Let's assume you use the highlip trackball (3/16" lip) and router a space for the trackball mounting plate to sit flush with the CP.  The lip would extend 3/16" less the 1/16" mounting plate, or 1/8" above the CP. The top of your lip would be 2/16" below the top of your plexi and the ball would be pretty close to GT ball height. I think this is the way to go vs. a highball which would give you 0.4" extra ball above the lip vs. the highlip. Plus the highball has only 1/8" of lip, so the lip would be even further below the plexi. some guys have chamfered their plexi so they don't injure themselves during particularly aggressive GT swings.

Edited for math error. Re-edited to account for mounting plate.

[Green Giant]

u_rebelscum says the highlip trackball's lip is 3/16"
Lip and ball height.
More pictures.
The thread on this topic.

You have 1/4" of material above the top of your CP. If you use the highlip trackball and router a space for the trackball mounting plate to sit flush with the CP, you'd still have 1/16" of lip protruding from the top of your plexi and pretty much same-as-GT ball height. I think this is the way to go vs. a highball which would give you 0.4" extra ball above the lip vs. the highlip. Plus the highball has only 1/8" of lip, so the lip would be below the plexi. some guys have chamfered their plexi so they don't injure themselves during particularly aggressive GT swings.

I second the high-lip trackball.  It is nice cause it comes with a spacer if you don't have plexi, which I currently don't, but if I choose to add some, it will still feel nice by removing the spacer.

[javeryh]

So if I understand correctly, there's:

1.  Regular 3" trackball with 1/16" lip
2.  High-Lip 3" trackball with 3/16" lip
3.  High-Ball 3" trackball with 1/16" lip

Hmmm....

[markrvp]

Get the High Lip.

[javeryh]

OK, high-lip it is.  Just so I'm clear, I plan on recessing the 1/16" mounting plate into the control panel and adding 1/8" wood veneer on top (which should sit flush with the 3/16" trackball lip).  Then I'll add 1/8" plexi/lexan on top of that and bevel the edge towards the trackball.  I've attached a pic - if I'm way off I'd appreciate someone letting me know...

Finally, can anyone point me in the right direction on the Happ site to the high-lip ball?  I need a part number for divemaster.  Also, the ball has to be black.

Thanks!!   

[Lakersfan]

Great thread!  I'm at this same decision making moment myself.

Here's the link for the high lip: http://www.happcontrols.com/trackballs/56010011.htm

I asked DM a few weeks ago and we can get the high lip with a translucent blue TB. So hopefully he can get black as well.

Question: getting this particular high lip trackball, do you need the opti-pac to connect it?

[scotthh]

OK, high-lip it is.  Just so I'm clear, I plan on recessing the 1/16" mounting plate into the control panel and adding 1/8" wood veneer on top (which should sit flush with the 3/16" trackball lip).  Then I'll add 1/8" plexi/lexan on top of that and bevel the edge towards the trackball.

Agreed! (edited for my error)

Finally, can anyone point me in the right direction on the Happ site to the high-lip ball?  I need a part number for divemaster.  Also, the ball has to be black.

Thanks!!   

56-0100-11HL Happ High Lip Trackball. It comes stock with a white ball, you'll have to check with DM about the cost to swap out to a black ball.

Question: getting this particular high lip trackball, do you need the opti-pac to connect it?

Yes, you need an optical encoder, like the optipac.

[fjl]

I didn't get the high trackball basically because I wanted the trackball with RGB leds from Groovy game gears and they don't sell a high trackball option.

[javeryh]

OK, high-lip it is.  Just so I'm clear, I plan on recessing the 1/16" mounting plate into the control panel and adding 1/8" wood veneer on top (which should sit flush with the 3/16" trackball lip).  Then I'll add 1/8" plexi/lexan on top of that and bevel the edge towards the trackball.

You're not way off. But 1/8" = 2/16", so your high lip will sit 1/16" above your wood veneer. The 2/16" plexi will sit 1/16" above the top of you lip. (I was also off 1/16 in my original post, I've edited it.)
: getting this particular high lip trackball, do you need the opti-pac to connect it?

Hmmm... doesn't the trackball mounting plate eat up 1/16" of the lip's thickness or am I missing something?  This would allow the 1/8" veneer to sit flush with the top of the lip, right?  Bah, either way it looks like I'm going with the high lip trackball and Optipac plus switching out the black ball which will cost a small fortune compared to just a plain black trackball with USB.  Grrr... 

[xmenxmen]

I didn't get the high trackball basically because I wanted the trackball with RGB leds from Groovy game gears and they don't sell a high trackball option.

Cause only Happ carries them.  GGG led ones are Betson trackballs. 

[summers]

Question: getting this particular high lip trackball, do you need the opti-pac to connect it?

Yes, you need an optical encoder, like the optipac.

I thought with the USB interface you didnt need an Optipac or the like?

[Green Giant]

Question: getting this particular high lip trackball, do you need the opti-pac to connect it?

Yes, you need an optical encoder, like the optipac.

I thought with the USB interface you didnt need an Optipac or the like?

If you get the usb version you don't need an optipac or optiwiz, but they are recommended.  The sampling frequency on the usb build-in boards aren't as high as on the separate interfaces.  This means if you spin the crap out of your trackball on a big swing in g-tee, it will sometimes show up as backspin and screw up your shot.

For roughly the same price as a usb trackball, you can pick up an optiwiz and a nonusb trackball.

[summers]

Ok sounds good................In the process of building my second Cab and will be adding a TB and Spinner to this one................GG..............what would you recommend for an encoder? (ANSWERED THIS AFTER RE-READING YOUR POST).....................Im def going to order a TurboTwist2 from GGG, and more than likely a TB from DiveMaster...........

[scotthh]

Hmmm... doesn't the trackball mounting plate eat up 1/16" of the lip's thickness or am I missing something?  This would allow the 1/8" veneer to sit flush with the top of the lip, right?  Bah, either way it looks like I'm going with the high lip trackball and Optipac plus switching out the black ball which will cost a small fortune compared to just a plain black trackball with USB.  Grrr... 

You are right, I wasn't accounting for the fact that the mounting plate will lower the entire trackball assembly by the 1/16". I've edited my posts to correct this.

[javeryh]

OK, DM said getting the high-lip with a black TB is no problem - it's going to be $5 less for the high-lip with a black TB than the standard TB with USB.... but then an additional $43 for the Optipac.  Oh well.

[Green Giant]

OK, DM said getting the high-lip with a black TB is no problem - it's going to be $5 less for the high-lip with a black TB than the standard TB with USB.... but then an additional $43 for the Optipac.  Oh well.

If you want to save some money, the optiwiz from groovygamegear is only 15, and the connection cables are 13.  So for $28 you get something that does the same thing as the optipac.