Trackball Mounting

[caykroyd]

I'm about to start building my control panel and was wondering if anyone mounted their trackball without the mounting plate.  I don't want to have any bolts showing through the top.  ( so I don't hurt the fingers when playing golden tee).   Any suggestions?

I will most likely be using 3/4" MDF

[Jakobud]

What I did was I used a router so my mounting plate was set 'in' my CP.  So the top of it is flush with the rest of my CP.  Then I just added my CP artwork on top of that so you never see the mounting plate.

By the way, with the happs mounting plates, there are NO bolts involved.  All the bolts and nuts and stuff is on the bottom side of the mounting plate.  The top is flush all the way across.

[SirPoonga]

I hear that happs mounting plate with out the bolt heads is not a good plate.  The posts tend to break.

[Auntie MAME]

Say it ain't so.  I would assume the Happ plates break when pounding on it like some Golden Tee fans do.  I can't imagine Centipede or Missle command would do it in.  The last thing i want to do is make a new CP.

[Minwah]

I can't decide how to mount mine...I don't want bolts showing and I don't plan to use artwork to hide the mounting plate.

That said those round-headed bolts look quite cool.  Can't be as lethal as this golf game in a local pub of mine that splits your finger open on the lock plate thing in front of the trackball  

[Stein]

I just built a desktop trackball ccontroller, and I didn't use a mounting plate either...  maybe this isn't exactly what you have in mind, but maybe it'll give you an idea. I used carriage bolts and routed a recess in 3/4 oak.

I actually ordered the Happ Mounting plate before deciding on the recess... as much as I love the TB the mounting plate wasn't nearly as nice as I would think it should be, especially for how much it costs... Seeing the mounting posts on the thing I would tend to belive, like SirPoonga pointed out, that they would break easily.

Good luck in whatever you decide.
Stein

http://webpages.charter.net/mjellis1/

btw the carriage bolt heads never get in my way on my TB

[Minwah]

I just built a desktop trackball ccontroller, and I didn't use a mounting plate either...  maybe this isn't exactly what you have in mind, but maybe it'll give you an idea. I used carriage bolts and routed a recess in 3/4 oak.

I actually ordered the Happ Mounting plate before deciding on the recess... as much as I love the TB the mounting plate wasn't nearly as nice as I would think it should be, especially for how much it costs... Seeing the mounting posts on the thing I would tend to belive, like SirPoonga pointed out, that they would break easily.

Good luck in whatever you decide.
Stein

http://webpages.charter.net/mjellis1/

btw the carriage bolt heads never get in my way on my TB

I saw this the other day...very nice job, I'll be glad if mine turns out 1/2 as good!

[caykroyd]

I saw that site, too.  Very nice.  The trackball will get some beating (Golden Tee) and put in MDF so trying to find most secure way.  I heard the high-lip Happs trackball can be mouting without any top mounting.  Is this true?  If so, can someone describe how it is done?

[Auntie MAME]

Has anyone actuallly had a bottom mount trackball plate fail?