3D Printed stimpmeter

kling&allen said:
Are you using the durometer to measure the compressibility of the cushions?
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I talked to a mechanic who measures every cushion he installs with a durometer. And also uses it to help determine in the field if an old cushion may need replacing. He compares the old cushion number to the same brand new number from data he keeps. I decided to buy a couple for fun and see what they say.
 
iusedtoberich said:
I talked to a mechanic who measures every cushion he installs with a durometer. And also uses it to help determine in the field if an old cushion may need replacing. He compares the old cushion number to the same brand new number from data he keeps. I decided to buy a couple for fun and see what they say.
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Maybe all of these 30-50 year old gold crowns you have been playing on all these years just have dead rubber, and the diamond are the ones that are right, lol.
 
Badpenguin said:
Maybe all of these 30-50 year old gold crowns you have been playing on all these years just have dead rubber, and the diamond are the ones that are right, lol.
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Ha ha. No. I played on many brand new ones over the years. Brand new room full of 4’s in the 2000’s, 5s in the 2010’s, and just this summer I finally played on a new 6. They all play the same. And now 20 years later those 4’s that are now old still play the same.

I’ve also played this year on 2 60 something year old 1’s with original cushions that played great.
 
iusedtoberich said:
I designed and 3D printed a stimpmeter. This is the first one. It needs a few improvements but its a good start.

View attachment 720834



16 second video of it in action:

The second one will look like this. A wider base (first one was difficult to hold straight to the rail). More clearance for the ball in the front so it transitions smoothly onto the cloth. Pointers on the front and back if you wanted to align it to a line drawn on the cloth. A bit taller and longer than V1.
View attachment 720835

View attachment 720837

Version 3 I'll probably add some stops so so the ball can be dropped from different heights reliably. I might also change it to a straight top instead of an arched top. It was difficult to hold the ball against the end at the exact spot, I think due to the sharp upward angle. That would require a longer ramp which may not fit on my printer. I may also add a cradle to hold an iPhone from the side for slow-motion recording, and lines on the side to measure how far the ball bounces back up the ramp when placed against a cushion. A cushion testing version would also need to register the front of the ramp against the cushion nose. (the slow motion video V1 is too high).
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I think it needs a plateau on top with a slight angle so you can get your hand out of the equation before the ball very slowly rolls to the steep ramp using a graduated slope approach. JMO
 
Still problematic. The design should have your finger off the thing when it starts accelerating. All you need is a slightly downhill ramp/plateau at the top where you can take your finger off and have it slowly move to the steep ramp. KISS
iusedtoberich said:
See post #71 for an updated design
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Coos Cues said:
I think it needs a plateau on top with a slight angle so you can get your hand out of the equation before the ball very slowly rolls to the steep ramp using a graduated slope approach. JMO
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Yeah, I haven't really put much more thought into it but a cleaner release is a design goal. As it is now, I get less than 2" variation over 5'. I don't really need to measure more accurately than that. It could be interesting from a scientific perspective to quantify the effect of temperature, humidity, and other cloth conditions, but as a player, the table plays like it plays.
 
iusedtoberich said:
I guess the root question, and probably this is where Bob was going with his suggestions, is do we want to simulate the entire ball to cushion response as close as possible to a real game of pool?...
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I think the main goal is to measure how much the ball slows down when it hits the rail. What fraction of speed or energy does it loose? That's what affects play. I think either method can do that but you want it to be as close to a normal rail contact as possible to avoid bugs
 
Badpenguin said:
Maybe all of these 30-50 year old gold crowns you have been playing on all these years just have dead rubber, and the diamond are the ones that are right, lol.
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In a way that's kinda what the D'mond guy told me. He said that their laminated rails are stiffer/truer and that they think its how a table should play. I play on both and don't get the manic hatred of D's by GC lovers. I like GC's myself, i have access to ten nice GC4's at my local place, but i also think adjusting to different equip. is just part of pool. These Diamond haters just need to walk when the see one and quit the fkng whining.
 
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