trackball mounting...

[severdhed]

hey guys, i am getting ready to build my new control panel, and adding a trackball.  i have a 3" wico trackball, which has a dead optic board, and a happ mounting plate.  i plan on building my panel out of 5/8" MDF, covered in 1/8" plexi.  i just did some practicing on a scrap of wood and plexi to get used to using my new router.  i'm just not sure how is the best way to mount the trackball. either way, i need to order a new trackball...i'm either going with the electric Ice-T from GGG, or the U-Trak from ultimarc.  i havent found any reviews of the electric ice-t though, so i am a little hesitant.  either way, i need to order some stuff from GGG, like some more happ buttons and an optiwiz. ( i need an inexpensive mouse interface that supports buttons, the utrak interface does not support buttons) here are the options that i see:

Using the electric ICE-T:

1. route out the mdf so that the mounting plate sits flush with the top of the wood, cut a 3" hole in the plexi.  (this is what i just tried...it works pretty well, and i managed to cut a pretty nice hole with the router...however i am afraid that i may pinch my fingers on the edge of the plexi)

2. mount the trackball plate on top of the plexi.  (this would feel nice to use, but i am afraid would look crappy)

3. use the plexi as a mounting plate, cut a 3" hole in it, and run 4 bolts down through the top...the trackball would not be mounted to the wood at all.    I did this before using a solid red substance that is similar to plexiglass and it seemed to work OK...i'm a little afraid of stability over the long run, plus there would be bolt heads on top of the panel.

4. get a new piece of MDF that is 3/4" thick, and just mount the trackball plate on top of it, not using plexi at all...then i would need to cover it with something like vinyl or something, plus i would have an exposed trackball plate

5. get a U-Trak trackball from ultimarc and use the trim ring, that should eliminate the pinching of the plexi, plus look OK.  i'd just have to route 1/8" off the back of the MDF to get it to sit flush..which isnt a big deal...the only problem is I have to place two orders from two different places, and pay shipping twice.

6: some other, not yet discovered option


so, what should I do?  (FYI...if i end up using plexi, i am not using a control panel overlay, i plan to paint the back side of the plexi black, so it is nice and plain and simple looking..so there is no artwork to worry about either way)

i am waiting for my income tax refund to buy the trackball, hopefully the W2s will come soon and i can get things filed quickly.  i'd like to get started building my panel, but i cant do alot until i decide on how i am going to mount the trackball..so please help me decide.

[TelcoLou]

I'd go with the plexi-over-mounting plate; here's how mine turned out (pre-built from ArcadesRfun):

[csa3d]

While semi-unconventional, here's how I mounted my E-Ice Trackball.

-csa

[severdhed]

While semi-unconventional, here's how I mounted my E-Ice Trackball.

-csa

very interesting....although i think i'd like to keep the plexiglass covering the panel, so i would have to modify your method slightly..but it is an option i didnt think of before..so thank you.

also..how do you like your electric ice trackball?  i searched the forums but couldnt find any kind of opinion on them. 


to everyone else...please keep the suggestions coming..i'd like as much advice as possible (examples are great also)

[csa3d]

also..how do you like your electric ice trackball?  i searched the forums but couldnt find any kind of opinion on them. 

My only gripe is that I wish it was better balanced inside.  Hard spins in the opposite direction of the main rollers tend to float the ball out of contact with the rollers.  I blame this on Betson and not GGG.  Not sure if its fixable w/ a heavier ball or not.

-csa

[ivwshane]

I mounted mine sort of like csa3d, however because my cab has plexi on it I couldn't do the lip:(

If I could have gotten the ggg electric ice with the utrack high lip it would have been perfect.

[Blanka]

Just a hole in the CP. All mounting invisible. Don't care how you achieve it, as long as you achieve it 

[severdhed]

come on guys..there has to be more than 5 of you who have trackballs in your panels...how did you do it?  and are you happy with the results?

for those of you with plexi over a mounting plate...do you find that you pinch your fingers?  i remember seeing mountains trackball hole that looked absolutely perfect, with a nice beveled edge...but i don't have the skill or patience that it would take to do something like that.  i just used a hole saw in a scrap of MDF to use as a router guide, then cut out the hole with a flush trim router bit...it made a nice clean cut..but i am just afraid that it could be uncomfortable in the long run.   thats why the utrak seems like a good option...that trim ring would eliminate any sharp edges like that...but i'm not sure how that would feel either.

[ivwshane]

Mine is mounted under mdf and under plexi. I didn't do anything fancy with my edging and so far I haven't had any issues with pinching or even coming into contact with the sharp edge.

[u_rebelscum]

I'm a little bias, as I don't like plexi topping, period.  I have a mounting plate routed into wood, ready to get a vinyl/formica overlay, but it's too playable as is for my lazy butt to laminate it.   Right now I have the black mounting plate and the wood painted, but have a "clear" mounting plate to go under the laminate whenever that happens.  (Actually I have two TB CPs that are in the above state.)

I'm not saying you shouldn't use plexi if you want.  Do what you want; I just don't like the feel & look of plexi/acrylic over CPs.

[severdhed]

i'm not 100% set on plexiglass....i just dont know what else to use.  I am afraid the adhesive vinyl would not hold up to the abuse, and i dont have any idea where to buy laminate, or how to install it.  can you even get that stuff without buying an entire 4x8 sheet?    if i dont use plexi, i need to get a new piece of MDF for the panel, so that the tmolding fits properly.  although i cannot even seem to find 1/8" plexi around here either...so i'm not sure what i'm going to do there.  lowes and home depot have it, but you have to buy a 36 x 72" sheet of it for $50..so i dont think i'll be going that route either.

is laminate hard to work with?  i am assuming you would have to cut the trackball hole using a flush trim router bit, but what do you use as the guide?  the mounting plate is not thick enough, and i dont know how else you would do it properly...so any advice would be welcomed.  is laminate expensive?

[Turnarcades]

I've voted for the U-Trak but personally I don't like the trim bezel - we've made several cabinets now with the U-Trak and found it looks better without it on our panels, though we do not do control panel overlays or plexi, just painted wood surfaces.

[Virge]

Another option is this:
http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=74&products_id=315
Route out 3/4 mdf or 5/8 mdf and 1/8 plexi and mount it from below.

[severdhed]

I've voted for the U-Trak but personally I don't like the trim bezel - we've made several cabinets now with the U-Trak and found it looks better without it on our panels, though we do not do control panel overlays or plexi, just painted wood surfaces.

well, i guess i could mount it without the bezel and flush mount it with the plexi...i'd probaby need a different hole saw though.
  do you have any pics featuring these trackballs installed?  i havent found too many images and i'd love to see how they turn out.

Another option is this:
http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=74&products_id=315
Route out 3/4 mdf or 5/8 mdf and 1/8 plexi and mount it from below.

i thought about that, but i dont think i would like the ball sitting up that high

[severdhed]

well, the U-trak looks like it may be the way to go...if i dont use the trimring, it would be easy to do and would sit nice and flat..so thats how i will probably do it (and i'll get the trim ring just in case)

here is another question though...how far back from the front edge of the panel should my trackball hole be?  my panel is 12" deep and 30" wide.  i will probably put it directly in the center, 6 inches back from the front...but i was thinking, that if i moved it closer to the front, it would give me a little more room so i dont smash my fingers on the monitor glass.  i dont want to put i too close to the front though, that there is not enough room to rest my hand on the panel....so what do you think the minimum should be?

[Turnarcades]

I would say go for the middle of the panel for a neater finish. We've mounted them on panels just 8" front to back with litle play restriction. I'm afraid I don't have any close-ups, but if you look at the bottom of my build thread you will see a completed cabinet with it installed flush as described and also on the early pic of a panel we are currently building.

[EvilTwin]

I'm planning my first CP and also am wondering about the whole trackball issue. As well as not having room for your palm if you put it too close to the front of the panel, you have the issue of drunk Golden Tee players smashing their hand into the front edge.

[severdhed]

I'm planning my first CP and also am wondering about the whole trackball issue. As well as not having room for your palm if you put it too close to the front of the panel, you have the issue of drunk Golden Tee players smashing their hand into the front edge.

i won't have that problem, I don't drink alcohol, and don't allow other people to do so in my home, so no drunk people.  i looked at my friend's panel today, his trackball is 6 inches back from the front edge, and it feels pretty good..i think much less than that would not be enough.

the U-Trak seems to be the best choice...the mounting is simple and should be able to easily get it to sit flush with the top of my plexi, something i couldn't do using a mounting plate with a normal trackball.  I am a bit curious about the installation though. on the ultimarc site, it says you need to drill the 3 1/4" hole, and then use a file on the back side of the hole to make it wide enough...is this really the case?  if so, what kind of file do i need to buy?

i know that they are competing brands..but do you guys see any reason why the utrak wouldnt work with an optiwiz?  i need an inexpensive interface for it, but i need mouse buttons.  the utrak usb interface does not support mouse buttons.

[Bartman]

I'm wrapping up my build and I'm using laminate.  I have never worked with laminate before, and have found it to be very easy.  I first used the mounting plate as a template to cut a hole in a scrap piece of MDF.  Then I flush mounted the plate into the control panel.  Then I got the laminate ( at the Home Depot near me, you can order it in various sizes, not just 4x8), and clamped it to the MDF with my template hole and used the router to create a hole in the laminate that fits exactly over the mounting plate.  Once I had the hole routed out, I applied the laminate to the control panel using contact cement.  It fit nice and flush.  Then its just a matter of routing out all the other holes in the control panel.

Bart

[TOK]

I did plexi over mounting plate as well. Painted mine from the back instead of using an overlay.

[CheffoJeffo]

That's a really nice effect for that CP!

 

[severdhed]

how thick is this laminate?  i have 5/8th inch MDF, and 3/4" Tmolding.  is laminate that thick?  if not, what thickness of MDF are you using?


right now i'm leaning toward teh utrak, no mounting ring, plexi over the MDF, painting the back of the plexi instead of an overlay

[NickG]

I did mine with a flushed mounting plate underneath hard laminate, also.  I laminated both sides of the CP for the thickness and for  uniformity of looks (did the whole cabinet).  The stuff I used was almost a 1/16th inch thick, so the T-molding does overlap a little bit
~5/8+~1/16+~1/16= ~3/4  Also, the raised plastic bezel "ring" of the trackball sticks out above the laminate surface approximately as high as the joysticks' dust covers

[severdhed]

I did plexi over mounting plate as well. Painted mine from the back instead of using an overlay.

that looks awesome.  i painted my plexi on my last panel, but i just painted it all black...taping it off and painting multiple colors never crossed my mind...that looks really good.

[StarControl]

I went with the GGG high mount.  It is a super-clean install.  I don't think it's much different in height than TOK's mount.  I really like the height.  It's much more comfortable than I thought it would be.  If you are going to use plexi then you could substitute that for the GGG trim ring.  At that point the only thing you are getting in the GGG kit that you would use is the template and the threaded inserts and matching screws, so you could just do it yourself.

[TOK]

I kind of lucked out that the Bally side art was so simple. My first one was just like you described, painted one color from behind. It still had the nice looking shiny finish you get from the painted plexi, but the stripes pull it together a lot better.
I wish it didn't need the semi-frankenpanel look of the spinner and trackball, but this is kind of my "do-it-all" cab so it needs the extra controls.

Thanks for the kind words.