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So I have had my Skytrak for a little over a week and am loving it so far. I got the demo unit package with the protective case. So I had some friends over yesterday and we let the kids hit the Callaway foam balls for shanks. One of them managed to hit a ball into the unit and with foam no worries. It got me thinking though that when I have buddies over to play, I am nervous about someone shanking a ball into the screen. I searched and found many have made protective screens out of lexan and cutout where the cameras are. I couldn't find the template anywhere though. Does anyone have this and will it completely stop a shanked ball from hitting the screen?
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I was thinking about making one for myself. I have a buddy that has a connection to a shop that has a cnc router that machines polycarbonate. Only issue is that the setup fee is high just to run one plus the fact you would need to basically purchase a full sheet. Would anyone be interested in having one cnc machined? What do you guys feel would be a fair price? -
I think I would be more interested in someone replacing the existing protective glass/plastic with gorilla glass or something similar.Comment
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I was thinking about making a case for my GC2 out of polycarbonate. I think that laser cutting would give a nicer finished edge than CNC routing. I haven't submitted any files yet to get an idea of pricing, but just Googling "laser cutting acrylic service instant quote" will bring up quite a few results. I plan on making some drawings and submitting them this week to this place, mainly because they have free CAD design software.
If you decide to use your buddy's shop, you can get a 12"x12" piece on ebay for about $10
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2 recommendations based on previous posts in this thread.
1. Do not use polycarbonate, use LEXAN it is far superior to polycarbonate in terms of strength. The only real downside to lexan over poly is it scratches easier when trying to clean it but that wouldnt be an issue if you were cutting out camera holes anyways. Lexan is also way easier to work with, it machines better with smother edges, you can drill it without fear of cracking and many more reasons.
2. Use thicker than 1/4" while lexan 1/4" would be better than poly I would still use at least 3/8" if you are going to do it, do it right.
I attached the previously shared PDF of the layout for a shield with cutouts small enough a ball will not get through.Comment
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has anyone thought about using sheet metal with a cut out? could be cheaper and easily madeComment
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Think the areas around the cutouts need to be see through still according to the guy who made the template, but never tried it otherwiseOriginally posted by frankiepap39 View PostComment
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yep i get what your saying.... i would have easily fabricated a metal box for the skytrak to sit inside... with the cut out for the front & at the bottom for the cable...Comment
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Well I ordered the piece of 3/8" thick polycarbonate and holy cow is that thing thick! I used a multi-tool and dremel wheel to cut out the holes. It won't pick up a single shot. I verified the holes are in the correct space. I see on the pdf it states that 6mm thick max so maybe that is my problem? There shouldn't be an issue with not cutting out the IR LED area right? I got a few light scratches over this area but I wouldn't think that is the issue. One question I have is what does it take for the laser to turn off? Just sensing the laser cut-out? I can never get the laser to turn off at all but maybe it also needs the camera windows widened? I widened the laser array hole last night before giving up and tried moving it around to make sure that wasn't the problem. I am going to have one more go at it tonight after work and use the router with a good carbide cutting bit to widen the camera holes but any tips would be welcome from those who have made it before.Comment
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that thickness will require slightly larger holes, but we are talking less than 1/8 inch and make sure the poly is right next to the unit the further it sits from the unit the bigger the holes need to be.Comment
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I ended up having to cut too much to get it to read consistently. It currently won't protect against a perfectly placed mishit. I am going to give it another go with 1/4" poly and see how it turns out. I am also going to use a router table with upcut bit and drilling pilot holes using forstner bits so I can get much cleaner cuts.Comment
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Hey guys... didn't think to post on this topic and get some much needed advice, so here's my earlier post >> http://golfsimulatorforum.com/forum/...g-pic-attached
I haven't had it pick up a single shot yet... do I need to just open up the entire window and then do lexan over the window?Comment
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i have seen these / read about these on forums... these seem to work well. there cant be too much we are missing when making our own.Comment
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No need for the router table. You want to use a jigsaw with a Bosch plexiglass blade to get a nice clean cut. Use the lowest speed setting on the jigsaw. Slower is better. You don't want the polycarbonate to melt.Originally posted by brnixon View PostComment
Is the intent of the document that when you print it is to scale? Just want to make sure I understand.
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