6/20/07 rh
4036 Electronic Shot Clock
We have been looking into the reason why the electronic module
doesn’t seem to work when basketballs are thrown into the hoop.
It has been found that many times the pin of the score bar that
goes through the rim sticks after being pushed up. When it doesn’t
come down, the electronic module won’t reset itself to continue
to change scores.
One solution was to make the holes in the rim bigger. However, I
found units where this didn’t solve the problem.
I have found that before putting the score bar on the rim
applying some soapy water to the rim and pin help lubricate
the plastic. The pin moves easily through the rim without
having to enlarge the hole in the rim.
I have also found that although the pin moves freely, the
electronic module still isn’t resetting. It appears that in
addition the way the backboard fits on the top post and its
closeness to the rim affect the pin and module.
If there is a little space, about 1/8”, between the lower
edge of the electronic module and the top of the rim, the pin and module work fine.
However, if the lower edge of the module is snug against the top of the rim, the pin of the
score bar doesn’t lower enough to allow the electronic module to reset itself so that it can
record a new score.
The picture to the right shows
some distance between the
module and the rim. This unit
would work fine.
One way to test this is to back
out the screws that hold the
score bar in place under the
rim and pull it down about
1/8”. If the module works well
when this is done, then the
score bar can be removed
from the rim and the top of the pin can be shortened by about 1/8”. It’s easy to do with a
pair of utility scissors.
