PSX Trackball Hack

[tenex2mg]

Greets,
   I was digging around in my room and came across an old PSX 1 "classic trackball"...is there a way to hack this into my MAME cabinet..ie use the PSX trackball as a  mouse?  I've looked around quite a bit and didn't find anything on-line.  One post listed a place to get similar trackballs but didnt' say how to incorporate 'em into a cab.


I have one of those psx->usb adapter thingys that can connect a psx gamepad to my pc...but when i connect it to the trackball it recognizes it but can't control anything :-).

as always thanks,
-jeff-

[MameMaster!]

....hmmm I've wondered the same thing myself.

...Have you tried messing with the command functions (accessed through the Tab)?....that may help somehow.

Also, are you making sure to try games that specifically will work with a trackball?

....it may ultimately not work because MAME is looking for a USB trackball/mouse.....the Playstation controller may be set up very differently.

The MameMaster

[RedSquirrel]

Yeah i regulary see this sell for a few pound on ebay, but i am insure whether i could get it working so never bothered.

[Spaced Invader]

Does the trackball use pots or is it optical?...pics, please. I'd love to get a look at it's guts...might be able to help. It would be pretty cool to make this work...you know...just to do it! I love making things work in ways they never were intended. A lot of people on this board do too. Give us sumptin to work with and I'm sure someone can help.

Update:
I found a reference here:
http://www.arcadecontrols.com/arcade_reviews.shtml
A PSX trackball was used to interface a Fultra Spinner with a plastation. I know the hack is going the wrong direction, but if it works in one direction it will work in the other. Anyway, I'm pretty sure it can be done.

There was also a short discussion on this topic about a month ago. Here:
http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=8972;start=msg66099#msg66099
Rampy didn't seem to like the roll.

Oh well, opinions vary!

[hooded_paladin]

until you find a PSX adapter that supports trackballs, nope.  Since you already plugged it in and tested it to find that it doesn't respond, it doesn't work right, and mame isn't specially programmed either.  Get an interface or hack up an old mouse to make it worthwhile.

[Zapper]

The PSX trackball only supported a few games that were programmed for it. It was pretty much a stinker of a trackball but made a good Tempest X controller hack, I made that Fultra Spinner hack posted above.

[Spaced Invader]

The PSX trackball only supported a few games that were programmed for it. It was pretty much a stinker of a trackball but made a good Tempest X controller hack, I made that Fultra Spinner hack posted above.

Well there you go...not worth the effort.