[kmcclary]

"Shelf Expert", eh??? <LOL!> Just don't expect me to go squat on one of those little things in full lotus position and hum... <wink>

> [I thought summaries were short snippets]

<chuckle> Summaries are simply *complete* sets of data. Hey, Can *I* help it if the data was scattered all over?? <grin> I just didn't want another team to have to scratch their head as much as I scratched mine. (That 6 vs 10 inch misprint REALLY drove me nuts for a while! :-)

> I think the exact angle is not critical, however I will send a student with a protractor to get a measurement (guess).

Don't bother. You're right, that isn't the important number. Besides, we KNOW the angle. It's "along a line between the upper back corner and the back edge of the shelf". Good enough.

The angle is not the problem. What IS important (and we still don't have a real number for) is the TRUE GAP SIZE between the bottom of the backboard and the back of the shelf. Simply measure THAT along that same line as the board lies and we're done!

> Hey, if you are designing your machine that precise, well good luck.

<chuckle> Where that backboard actually lies CAN significantly change the BEHAVIOR of the jug with some widget designs, depending on what you're doing and how you're going to do it.

The gap spec affects more than simply keeping a jug from falling through. It changes the distance of how far the backboard is from the front edge. That IS a rather important dimension, as it affects the REACH specification in EVERY kind of shelf widget design. Make the widget's reach too short and it may not work. Make it too long and you might very well damage the playfield in the heat of battle which we DEFINITELY don't want to do!

Now an inch or so difference SHOULDN'T make a difference in a "tunable" or "compliant" design, but with THIS game, you want a precut K.I.S.S. widget that'll do the right thing every time.

That is why we'd like to know where the board actually is WRT the shelf, so we can make ours match for proper setup, effective practice, and less surprises.

- Keith McClary, Huron High Team 830
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"The word EXPERT comes from: EX (Has Been) and SPURT (Drip under pressure)"