Have you ever been played with coin-operated pool tables in any arcade or restaurant? Then you must be familiar with the scenario that the pool table returns the cue ball to you.
But, do you know actually how this happens? Is the ball magnetic or any rocket science is used to do this? If we say that it is sorcery to a kid, he might get convinced. But, would you?
What Happens Inside of a Pool Table?
Come have a detailed discussion on what goes inside of a pool table. There are six pockets connecting system on the table which is called chutes. And, a collection chamber, where all the numbered balls are placed single file. From the pocket of the table, the pocket ball is sent through every chute to the collection chamber. With the help of a Plexiglas, you can see through the chamber that the number of balls is locked as long as someone inserts coins to play a game.
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How Does A Pool Table Recognize The White Ball?
When you’re playing on a coin-operated pool table, through inserting coins, you deposit money. And for sure, after this, the ball pocket can keep the cue ball stuck into this. When you pocket one white ball, it gets back to the collection chamber until any player inserts more coins.
However, not necessarily each time the cue ball goes to the indifferent depository. Then, how the table recognizes the white ball?
Identifying an Over Sized Ball
One of the ways of recognizing the white ball that a pool table follows is by separating an oversized ball with a radius gauging device. If a white ball is even slightly larger, it won’t get through back the chute. The size of an oversized ball is about 6 cm in diameter than a normal ball.
It is just 2mm or one-eighth of one inch extended comparing to the usual size. And this slight distinctive size difference helps the pool table to separate the cue ball prior to getting in the storage chamber. After identifying the larger ball, it is directly thrown to a second chute and moves downward to an aperture on the tableside.
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Recognizing a Magnetic Ball
You will also find a coin-operated pool table that uses a magnetic ball that sets off a magnetic detector. In such a table, there is a separate pocket equipped with a deflecting device magnetic detector. Each time the cue ball goes through this chamber and the magnet triggers the machine, afterwards, it sends the ball into the opened side of the pool table.
Are These Techniques Worth?
No wonder, most of the modern coin-operated pool tables use both of the larger sized and magnetic white balls equivalently. In 1966, Valley-Dynamo, a pool table manufacturer, first patented the magnetic cue ball process.
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Though at present days, aggressive enterprising hustlers don’t think the concept of larger balls good for their playing. For those advanced players who play with the usual sized cue ball of 2 ¼ -inch, the oversized ball can cause disturbance to the play.
In the same way, the magnetic ball can also disrupt the game as there is a possibility to have different properties in this type of ball. Additionally, due to inserting magnetic material into this ball, it can easily get shattered if you drop it on any hard surface.
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Final Thoughts
However, table manufacturers have been proposed different solutions to keep locked the numbered pocket balls such as- light sensors, metallic core ball to pass through an electromagnetic process, balancing mechanism to differentiate between lighter and heavier cue balls, and so on.