Added a polycarbonate sheet between the sensors and Fiberbuilt grass mats

[Richard_Askren]

I just installed the polycarbonate sheets between the sensors and grass mats on all of my sims. Initial tests shows it working very well so far. They're very flexible and not brittle at all. I'll see how they hold up to a beating over the next few days. I ordered the sheets in the following link: http://www.eplastics.com/LEXAN-CLR-0-060AM24X48 I had them cut to 12" x 24" so that I would end up with 4 sheets that size.

I didn't have a chance to take pics to show how I installed them since I needed to get them done before I had customers in today. But it was very simple. I took out the screws for the grass mats and lined up the sheet to mark where I needed to cut the hole for the tee holder. I don't know what the bit is called on the drill, but I used one that cut about a 2.25" diameter hole for the tee holder. I didn't need to drill holes for the screws. They went through the sheets just fine without pre-drilled holes. Took me maybe 10 minutes of work for each one and they all still read shots perfectly. We'll see how they hold up to abuse. I ordered a total of 8 sheets so I have replacements for when these get too scratched up or dirty.

[drewpac]

Thx. Thats great info...if it works ill definitely order one too. I asked protee support about a sensor cover and they said,
"You should be able to use a thin transparant poly carbonate like we use on our putting sensors. We do not make this. We have been testing it back in 2005 and it worked fine."

"Years ago we decided to let debris get into the sensor mat. Debris which fall onto plexiglass has nowhere to go. There will a much bigger chance to block any sensors."

So this seems perfect.

[Richard_Askren]

I'll be vacuuming or spraying out any debris. The sheets are holding up great so far today. This is much better than my customers having to come get me to bring the needle nose pliers to get a tee off of the sensors again.

[9ball]

Does the protee sensor mat not come with plexiglass between the grass mat and sensor board? Mine did. hmm.

[drewpac]

No it doesn't.

[ProTee United]

Does the protee sensor mat not come with plexiglass between the grass mat and sensor board? Mine did. hmm.

Custom Design Golf sells a customized version of the ProTee Sensors with a plexiglass cover and a divot action mat. You might have bought it from them.

[9ball]

That is correct. I bought it from him. We have since removed the plexiglass as it gets scratched and causes some misreads.Thank you.

[JBCarilli]

9ball ... Please contact us because your protective plate should not get scratched and we can determine how this has happened to your ProTee plate.

[Richard_Askren]

After a busy, busy weekend the Lexan is holding up wonderfully on all of my sims. It's only getting a bit foggy, but shots are reading just fine. I'm going to clean it off with a slightly damp cloth tomorrow. No bad scratches or cracks anywhere. Only difference I've noticed is the sensor mat seems to be a bit more sensitive to practice swings or shadows passing over it now. I only had to get the pliers once this weekend when somebody used one of their own tees and it broke in the tee holder.

[mcook]

Thanks for the updates on how they are holding up! Sounds very promising!

[JBCarilli]

Hi everyone again.
We created our original protective plate for ProTee Simulator sensor pads specifically to add a barrier between our DivotAction™ ProTee Turf Mats and also when using our newest All-Skills™ Mat. We created these mat surfaces to deliver truer club head-through-ball "feel" than the standard FiberBuilt brush mat delivers (normally supplied with ProTee Simulators). Our brace supported protective plate is applied with special consideration to greatly eliminate dust and dirt and also that annoying problem of broken tees. It has really delivered!
Good luck and let us know if you need any help in coordinating your golf simulator or need other components that we always CUSTOMIZE ... John

[mcook]

Richard, it's been some time since I've posted here and I've still interested in this above conversation. I just got around to ordering some plexiglass (lexan polycarbonate sheet) that is 12" x 24" x 1/16". With the time that has passed, do you or anyone else that has done this have any differing outlook/opinion on using the plexiglass under the Fiberbuilt mat on the ProTee? What did you use to cut you sheet to fit the L x W of your mat? And you used a 2.25" circular drill to cut out a hole for the tell location I see. Any thoughts you (or anyone) have or tips would be greatly appreciated! Thank You

[Richard_Askren]

It's been about a year since I installed them and I don't regret it at all. On my most used simulator there is a small crack started in the lexan near where I have it screwed into the fiberbuilt mat, but I have lots extra and can fix that soon. The rest look the same as the day I installed them. Dirt hasn't been an issue at all and the sims read shots just fine. Broken tees can still get inside the sensor mat through the hole where the tee holder goes in, but it's very rare. They get in from underneath the tee holder now. I already have some ideas how I can fix that when I'm ready to take apart the sensors again.

I didn't cut the lexan sheets myself. I had the factory cut them and I just drilled the hole for the tee holder. I did need to trim them down a bit since they were sticking out around the sides a bit. I'm not a big tools guy so I only had a hand held circular saw to cut them with. Did the job, but it was messy and a rough edged cut. If you want your mat to be quieter I suggest cutting them down to the size of each hole in the fiberbuilt mat. Using the full sheet makes it a lot noisier when a fat shot is hit.

[mcook]

Thank you very much for the info Richard! I just installed my Lexan sheet today. I will be descriptive in case anyone down the road wants to repeat my steps:

I ordered the Polycarbonate Plastic shatterproof sheet 12" x 24" x 0.0625" (1/16") from VEX Robotics Team on AMZN for $10. It was almost a perfect fit. I took out my hitting sensor and unscrewed the grass top. On my sensor I have silver and about 4 black colored screws....it's the silver ones on mine that hold the grass top in place.

Once I had the sensor/grass top separated I placed the sensor bottom side down on the sheet (keep the protective paper on the Lexan until final step). Took a sharpie and traced the side and a sliver on the end I needed to trim. I used a straight edge (I used the 'L' shape steel framing square) and I cut the slivers off with a utility knife. I just had to strike the edge then go over it several time (which is why I used the framing square) and it cut off very easily and straight.

I then checked the sizing again with the sensor bottom on top of the sheet....from there I used a sharpie and traced the hole where the rubber tee goes. I used a hole saw and easily cut that hole out of the sheet. I used a cordless power drill...no issues. At this point I took the protective paper off the Lexan. I then placed the sheet on the sensor pad and on one corner I lined it up and with a tiny drill bit I drilled a hole for where the screw comes thru. I put that screw thru just enough to hold the sheet then I line up the opposite corner and did the same thing...drilled a tiny hole then screwed in just enough to hold the Lexan in place. I then drilled the other holes in the proper locations. I put the Fiberbuilt top back on and screwed everything back into place.
I tested everything and seems to work like a charm. Now I don't have to be quite so worried about my 3 boys dropping/spilling anything down there as much
I will follow up on this thread if I do run into any issues. Loving my ProTee...just need to use it more!