Recessing Unit Into Ceiling

[RH5473]

Has any attempted or had experience recessing the nit into the ceiling to get closer to the 9’ requirement? My basement ceiling, when finished is 8’6” (flooring to drywall ceiling). The joist run correctly to recess the unit between the joist to gain a few inches but not sure if anyone has tried to do this and if it was successful.

[wbond]

Someone definitely did it, not sure if it was posted here or on a Facebook group, but I have seen pictures

[IowaCat89]

I think you would be fine recessing the QED. Not sure about EyeXO. I would make the recess as wide as possible (12" wide would certainly be wide enough to mount the unit 8" higher). Then, you will want to mount the QED unit towards the rear of the recess. The further back the better since the cameras point down and forward. I would expect you could do the opposite with an EYE XO since they point down and backward.

[RH5473]

If I have a 12-16” wide recess how deep would I need to make the recess to still allow the unit to read the hitting area? I would need 6” to get the base of the unit to 9’ and more if the camera area needs to be 9’. I could potentially recess it 8” roughly but would 8” deep by “12 wide be enough to allow it to read correctly. (Not familiar with the specs of the unit to know the camera locations/angels). Thanks for your help!!!!

[IowaCat89]

Yes, a 12" wide slot would let you move the unit up 8". That would easily give the cameras a clear shot at the ball and get you to the minimum ceiling height. The cameras point downward at a pretty steep angle. I might be able to draw something on CAD to illustrate how it would work.

[richerod]

Real interest in seeing how this setup is resolved.

[RH5473]

Going to purchase a Skytrak to eliminate the issue (unfortunately!!!!!)

[IowaCat89]

After having a SkyTrak and then replacing it with a QED, I certainly would not let a little bit of drywall work force me into a SkyTrak. If you can't afford the QED, then that's a different matter. If you don't want to work with drywall (it does kinda suck), a simple plywood box could be built to recess the QED into a rectangular hole cut in the ceiling. Pretty simple project I think.

[JKCapeCod]

We recessed our QED to meet the recommended height requirements. Works very well. Let me know if I can answer any questions.

[IowaCat89]

That's a much larger hole than I was envisioning, but it looks nice to me. I think it could be a lot more narrow if a person had to fit between trusses.

[richerod]

Great setup. I imagine that having the larger opening makes for an easier setup and adjusting.

[Jswalla11]

This looks awesome! I have a few quick questions:
- What are the dimensions of the recessed box?
- What is it made out of?
- Unrelated... What did you use for padding around the screen? Vendor?

Thanks a lot!

[RH5473]

Cost is not an issue.

[IowaCat89]

Well, in my experience the QED is much more reliable than the SkyTrak. I was never comfortable inviting friends over because Murphy's Law would strike and something would go wrong and we would end up not being able to finish a round. I never really figured out all of the issues (and I tried hard). Maybe I just got a lemon? The QED is built for commercial use and is rock solid. You can still have issues, but it is with the computer or the software, not the monitor in my experience. I wish I would have just skipped the year of SkyTrak frustration and gone with a better unit from the start. I would also recommend a high-end computer spec in a tower rather than a laptop.

[richerod]

I concur with IowaCat89.

[JKCapeCod]

I am not at the home: Dimensions ~10 inches wider than The QED. Front to back could be shorter.
Made of 1/2 inch plywood, covered with carpet squares.
Panels are from vantpanels.com

[RH5473]

Thanks!!! I will continue to look for Uneekor QED

[IowaCat89]

I did a quick CAD sketch of the QED mounted in a simple recessed bracket. The sensor cone dimensions are from Uneekor's Installation Guide. I put the unit 8" into the ceiling in a slot 12" wide. This clears the sensor cone by a decent margin and would be "legal" to mount the QED in a room with a ceiling height of 8ft 4" (Based on the QED Installation Guide specifying a minimum recommended ceiling height of 9 ft.) Personally, I would make the slot wider if possible, but this is kind of a "worst case" look at it

[IowaCat89]

Glad to help. Hope you enjoy your new setup!

[richerod]

Great analysis

[Foreman33]

This forum never ceases to amaze me. Very cool.

[bb1632]

I recessed my EyeXO into the ceiling. My ceiling joists run front to back, so I had to build out the area to properly support the ceiling. Since the joists were 24" on center I had roughly 41" of opening width-wise after adding the required joist supports. I framed in the joists such that the front to back opening was 16". I took a piece of 1/2" plywood and created a "cover" to reduce the actual opening to be sufficient for the EyeXO to function properly, but to also be as concealed as possible.

[IowaCat89]

Nice looking setup. Impressive

[myrison]

Wow. Very nice work. Thanks for sharing. If we ever move, my sim is 100% moving from garage to basement... definitely will replicate your design if we do.

[richerod]

Very nice. Have any pics before the plywood installed?

[bb1632]

richerod, nothing with the EyeXO mounted, but here is one of the empty space.

[bb1632]

I've gone one further now and added a protective grate.

[bb1632]

[wbond]

This doesn't interfere with the readings or blocking the image on the replay?