Posted by Johnpurs on 23, 2001 at 5:01 PM:
In Reply to: Plates for spinners and trackballs.. posted by Tony C on 23, 2001 at 4:32 PM:
The mounting plate is required for "most" wood panels because of the shape of the trackball assembely and the hole you need to cut to make the ball stick out just right. The panels you see with no plate like Marble Madness for example use metal panels which allow for the ball to stick through because it is not very thick like say 3/4 plywood. You can also cut the hole for the ball in a wood panel and then route out the rest of assembely leaving very little wood under neath so the ball sticks out. Though this would not be a good sultion though unless you cover your whole panel with plexiglass which is what would really be holding it in place as the wood when routed that much will become very weak. You could also cut big enough hole for track ball and use the mounting plate but route around the area where the metal plate would be to sink it into the panel then use flat headed screws and cover with an overlay or plexi which just has a cut out for the ball and it will not be seen so it looks more authentic.
2. I think I covered this one with the above.
3. Oscar sells different knobs so I would say yes you can change the knobs for different games or whatever.
Happy Holidays and good luck!
John
: I have seen installations of trackballs where there are no mounting plates (or the plates are on the underside.) This more low-profile design is something I'd like to go for on my panel. I think for my panel I've settled on the Imperial 3" trackball and an Oscar spinner.
: 1. Are there any advantages to having a mounting plate on the top of the panel? Or does it just get in th way?
: 2. Are there any technical limitations in getting an Imperial trackball or Oscar spinner installed without a visible mounting plate?
: 3. (semi unrelated) Can I buy two knobs for my Oscar spinner and interchange them? Or is the knob permanently mounted on the spinner?
: Thanks.
: -Tony