Quieting Pachinko Ball Hopper Loads - Black Rubber Mat

[JSpirtos]

I noticed on my new Thunderbirds 40th Anniversary Pachinko that when I load balls in the top hopper it's really quiet though extremely loud when I do the same on my Indy. When I gave the TB40A a closer look I found that there was a black rubber mat glued down to the bottom of the hopper. Any idea where I can get this stuff and what thickness to look for? Is there self-adhesive mats that I can cut to a desired size?

BTW I just added a large 2" self-adhesive furniture felt pad to the bottom of my funneled ball drop (thread found HERE). This has nulled down the ball "KLACK!" sound to a nice deep "THUD!".

[luckydog]

rubber truck fender flaps work the best and hold up good!!!

[BigBearSteve]

I used 1/8" neoprene. (fabric coated one side) or you can use mouse pads.

[hanabi]

There are threads here about using Mouse Mats
and similar for sound dampening...

If I can locate the links I'll post them...





okay here's a couple to start you off...



http://www.pachitalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22201&highlight=mouse



http://www.pachitalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21485

[drcrippen324]

only problem alot of people have found is that when they break down you have to open the hole machine up and clean out the rubber bits as they jam the ball tracks with mous mats and felt ect but i would bet the truck fender / mudflap would hold out well

[Eddie]

This was my solution.

http://www.pachitalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21485

[fronzdan]

The mousepads with the hard surface and foam backing work well and stand up to the pounding. But I've found they are a bit bouncy. You can order Dell ones in bulk on ebay. They are the thin ones and I have used them to line the ball reservoir in my cabinets and the drain ramps that guide the spent balls that drop out. Definitely a gentle thud as opposed to a KLAAACK.

But the stuff that I have that's really worked well is rubber anti static mats for lab benches. They are less bouncy and do a bit better with the sound dampening. It also comes in big rolls and is easier to cut out the right shape. The problem is, this stuff ain't cheap. I only used it because my work was throwing some away and I snagged a few rolls.

I never could find floor mats or splash guards with out all kinds of grooves or designs in it, so I haven't tried that.

Lining the ball handling parts of the cabinet has allowed me to actually lower the volume controls.