Back to Mouse hacking

[D_Harris]

I'm curious as to what results have been achieved by any who may have hacked optical or laser mice for their control panels. (Feedback on wire-less mouse hacks would be appreciated also).

Have there been any good results?

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

[darcyp]

i hacked a usb ball mouse for my trackball and it works great. no problems whatsoever.
edit - i just realize this is not even what you asked. my apologies.

[bkenobi]

What would be the point in hacking a laser or optical mouse?  Are you just trying to get a couple buttons or something?  Most people hack mice to gain access to the mouse ball portion (a pair of axis, either 2 spinners, 2 360 steering wheels, 1 trackball, etc).  If you just want the buttons, then you should have no problem getting things working!

[D_Harris]

No one has chimed in that they have done either of the things I mentioned, so I can only assume that  is no.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

[Comtek]

were not really sure what your asking
hacking a mouse to do what
i hacked a trackball mouse as the above stated to use as a trackball 
i decided to not hack a wireless so i did not have to use batteries in my control panel or rig it with another power source
so if you clarify your question I'm sure one of these geniuses have done it

[tightwad]

An optical mouse has been used for a spinner control, using a rotating cylinder for the surface reading.  I am working on a prettier (and adjustable) version of this same thing.

[Havok]

No one has chimed in that they have done either of the things I mentioned, so I can only assume that  is no.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

It's a totally different animal, so I doubt there are many. I would say almost everyone that hacks a newer USB mouse uses the ball style with the standard X and Y axis sensors. I saw one guy did an optical mouse by hot gluing the sensor so it would contact the trackball, however I give that about a month before that junk breaks. It's just not worth it when you can get an arcade grade interface for cheap that connects to the real thing which will outlast your desire to play that Mame machine...

[D_Harris]

No one has chimed in that they have done either of the things I mentioned, so I can only assume that  is no.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

It's a totally different animal, so I doubt there are many. I would say almost everyone that hacks a newer USB mouse uses the ball style with the standard X and Y axis sensors. I saw one guy did an optical mouse by hot gluing the sensor so it would contact the trackball, however I give that about a month before that junk breaks. It's just not worth it when you can get an arcade grade interface for cheap that connects to the real thing which will outlast your desire to play that Mame machine...

Yes, but it comes down to which is easier.

Hacking a mouse, while still maintaining the ability to plug it into your pc. Or figuring out how to interface your arcade spinner/trackball to a controller.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

[Havok]

They're both simple. Purchasing an interface is usually cleaner and quicker however.

[D_Harris]

They're both simple. Purchasing an interface is usually cleaner and quicker however.

I guess that is subjective.

Where are the pics and instructions on connecting spinner hardware to specific controllers?

(Is there an area on this site for that?).

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

[Paul Olson]

They're both simple. Purchasing an interface is usually cleaner and quicker however.

I guess that is subjective.

Where are the pics and instructions on connecting spinner hardware to specific controllers?

(Is there an area on this site for that?).

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Hooking up a spinner to an encoder is very easy. Just connect the 4 wires from the spinner to the correct terminals. Trackballs just require connecting 2 more wires for the other axis. I think all of them currently available have screw terminals, so you don't even have to solder anything. There are directions on the sellers' websites. Ultimarc and groovy game gear both sell them.

Like stated by others, the encoders are cheap enough that I don't see any reason to hack a mouse anymore...unless you just want to, of course.

[Chris]

I have seen a hacked optical used as a steering wheel, where a wheel was connected to a long dowel pushed through a length of PVC pipe to be free-spinning and the optical mouse read the surface of the dowel where it extended past the pipe.  I've considered using this method to allow for easily removable wheels, as all you'd have to do is pull the wheels back out of the control panel.  The mice themselves don't actually need to be hacked, just mounted where they will be up against the dowels when they are inserted.

[TOK]

Yes, but it comes down to which is easier.

Hacking a mouse, while still maintaining the ability to plug it into your pc. Or figuring out how to interface your arcade spinner/trackball to a controller.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

If you really want to know which is easier, its the pre-made solution. All you do with a Groovy Game Gear spinner or Happ USB track ball is plug it into a USB port. I had both working on my system minutes after unpacking them.

Are you actually looking for cheap rather than easy, because thats what it sounds like?


 

[D_Harris]

They're both simple. Purchasing an interface is usually cleaner and quicker however.

I guess that is subjective.

Where are the pics and instructions on connecting spinner hardware to specific controllers?

(Is there an area on this site for that?).

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Hooking up a spinner to an encoder is very easy. Just connect the 4 wires from the spinner to the correct terminals. Trackballs just require connecting 2 more wires for the other axis. I think all of them currently available have screw terminals, so you don't even have to solder anything. There are directions on the sellers' websites. Ultimarc and groovy game gear both sell them.

Like stated by others, the encoders are cheap enough that I don't see any reason to hack a mouse anymore...unless you just want to, of course.

You'll spend over $40 for the cheapest encoder(Opti-Wiz) if you include the cables and shipping. Then you can't just use any spinner/trackball. So you might have to add the price of that.

I do have a Centipede trackball and there are two connections that have four pins each. An Opti-Wiz trackball cable has 6 pins, so how would I connect the Opti-Wiz?

An optical or laser mouse just seems like the cheapest and easiest way to me because t comes down to mounting it vs. the money spent for an encoder.(Am I missing something?).

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

[D_Harris]

Yes, but it comes down to which is easier.

Hacking a mouse, while still maintaining the ability to plug it into your pc. Or figuring out how to interface your arcade spinner/trackball to a controller.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

If you really want to know which is easier, its the pre-made solution. All you do with a Groovy Game Gear spinner or Happ USB track ball is plug it into a USB port. I had both working on my system minutes after unpacking them.

Are you actually looking for cheap rather than easy, because thats what it sounds like?


 

I don't have a "Groovy Game Gear spinner" or "Happ USB track ball", so I'd have to add the cost of either of those to the cost of the encoder.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

[Havok]

You'll spend over $40 for the cheapest encoder(Opti-Wiz) if you include the cables and shipping. Then you can't just use any spinner/trackball. So you might have to add the price of that.

I do have a Centipede trackball and there are two connections that have four pins each. An Opti-Wiz trackball cable has 6 pins, so how would I connect the Opti-Wiz?

An optical or laser mouse just seems like the cheapest and easiest way to me because t comes down to mounting it vs. the money spent for an encoder.(Am I missing something?).

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

An EZ solder Opti-Wiz is $14.95 and comes with a USB cable. With shipping and tax it's $23.40. It's a generic solution to connect virtually *any* trackball or spinner to a pc. You would need to determine what the pinouts are on your trackball and make the appropriate connections to the interface - just chop the plug.

A trackball shouldn't require 8 connections, only six. Most likely two are not connected to anything. These should be the correct colors to wire your trackball, see if that works:

Black to Ground
Red to +5V
Yellow to YA
Green to YB
Brown to XA
Blue to XB

As a bonus, you can connect a spinner to the Z axis connection (ZA + ZB) on the OptiWiz as well...

Standard Disclaimer:
Been a while since I wired one up, I would check with Randy as this is from memory.

[TOK]

I don't have a "Groovy Game Gear spinner" or "Happ USB track ball", so I'd have to add the cost of either of those to the cost of the encoder.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

No you wouldn't, because you don't need an encoder with either of them.
Sorry, but you're not forthcoming with info and it makes it difficult to interpret what you're trying to do. You didn't even say you already had hardware until after I replied.

[allroy1975]

I just recently hacked a optical controller to a mouse.  if you have some wire and solder and a soldering iron already....and an old mouse....it's easy and essentially free.

[D_Harris]

I don't have a "Groovy Game Gear spinner" or "Happ USB track ball", so I'd have to add the cost of either of those to the cost of the encoder.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

No you wouldn't, because you don't need an encoder with either of them.
Sorry, but you're not forthcoming with info and it makes it difficult to interpret what you're trying to do. You didn't even say you already had hardware until after I replied.

Because this is really not more complicated than the first question I posted to start this thread.

Outside of that I was just responding to what others were saying.

But since you asked, I have a couple of Hydrogen controllers and a couple of MiniPACs. My immediate goal for the first control panel is for a single spinner and five game buttons. So I was considering using a five button mouse, which is why I started the thread.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

[Havok]

Why the hell would you hack a mouse when you have a MiniPac? You've got a trackball and spinner connection, plus 32 connections for joysticks\buttons?
 


Forgot about the Hydrogen controllers - yet another way to interface a spinner and buttons.

[allroy1975]

Why the hell would you hack a mouse when you have a MiniPac? You've got a trackball and spinner connection, plus 32 connections for joysticks\buttons?
 


Forgot about the Hydrogen controllers - yet another way to interface a spinner and buttons.

easy/free?  I only needed four buttons.  You get at least 3 with a mouse.  I guess it all depends what you need.  I missed that he already had a couple of other devices.  I had a minipac and I still hacked an xbox controller to USB and then soldered to points on it to interface some other stuff.  I guess I did that cuz it was there.  a MiniPac was overkill for what I was doing.  when you have stuff that can be replaced for $5 laying around the house..and it's not even being used anymore..why use the nice minipac? 

[Havok]

I was talking about Darren. So you would just leave the pile of interfaces he already has alone and hack a mouse instead because they are overkill? And also free?

[Hoopz]

Why the hell would you hack a mouse when you have a MiniPac? You've got a trackball and spinner connection, plus 32 connections for joysticks\buttons?
 


Forgot about the Hydrogen controllers - yet another way to interface a spinner and buttons.

He had another thread a couple of weeks ago and asked about hooking up something to his Mini-pac.  u_rebel tried to help there but it was a little ambiguous about what he wanted to do or the suggestions weren't for him.   

[Havok]

Oh well, at this point it's time to ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- or get off the pot...

 

[D_Harris]

I was talking about Darren. So you would just leave the pile of interfaces he already has alone and hack a mouse instead because they are overkill? And also free?

I've said the same thing in the past and allroy1975 gave the correct answer.

(I'm beginning to hate the "Why the hell would you hack a mouse when you have a MiniPac? question).

If you think it is too difficult then fine. But I'd like to use what I already have.

As for the Opti-Wiz. If your trackball or spinner is compatible. And if all the optics of your spinner or trackball are working, then in order for it to be plug and play you would not have to hack the cable.

I have several Arkanoid and Midway spinners, as well as a Tornado, and a several Atari  trackballs(Mini, Midi, & Maxi). So even though there are no pictures on this site documenting how they are hooked up to any of the existing controllers, I assume they would work, because there is no way I'd add to the cost by buying another just for a controller.

A mouse can be hacked to any of these original arcade trackball or spinners, which I prefer over the third party solutions available now anyway.

And a 4 or 5-button mouse would give me more options than my Tornado spinner and I'd only need to use the included single USB mouse cable.

The MiniPAC or Hydrogen can be used for the more complicated control panels.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

[D_Harris]

Why the hell would you hack a mouse when you have a MiniPac? You've got a trackball and spinner connection, plus 32 connections for joysticks\buttons?
 


Forgot about the Hydrogen controllers - yet another way to interface a spinner and buttons.

He had another thread a couple of weeks ago and asked about hooking up something to his Mini-pac.  u_rebel tried to help there but it was a little ambiguous about what he wanted to do or the suggestions weren't for him.   

That was completely false...

That thread was about my idea concerning swapping encoders. There was nothing at all ambiguous about that.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

[ubiquityman]

Are you thinking that you don't want to use any of the wires on the trackball.
The ball would just be a moving surface and simply use the optical sensing portion of the hacked mouse to detect ball motion?
(ie. like modern trackballs which are essentially inverse optical mice)

Seems like that would be an extremely easy hack if your trackball was open on the bottom and the ball itself was optically rough or textured enough for the optical mouse to pick up.
A piece of wood to raise the upside-down mouse up high enough and then screw it down onto the wood or silicon it down.

<pause>

I did just try this with a Logitech MX510 optical mouse and a 3" happ ball.
The ball was too smooth for the MX510 mouse to pickup.
However, a newer laser mice might be sensitive enough.

In the end, I'm guessing it might be cheaper to by the Opti-Wiz.

[D_Harris]

Are you thinking that you don't want to use any of the wires on the trackball.
The ball would just be a moving surface and simply use the optical sensing portion of the hacked mouse to detect ball motion?
(ie. like modern trackballs which are essentially inverse optical mice)

Seems like that would be an extremely easy hack if your trackball was open on the bottom and the ball itself was optically rough or textured enough for the optical mouse to pick up.
A piece of wood to raise the upside-down mouse up high enough and then screw it down onto the wood or silicon it down.

<pause>

I did just try this with a Logitech MX510 optical mouse and a 3" happ ball.
The ball was too smooth for the MX510 mouse to pickup.
However, a newer laser mice might be sensitive enough.

In the end, I'm guessing it might be cheaper to by the Opti-Wiz.

I haven't given much thought to trackballs, but I wouldn't think you idea could work. In fact I can't see a single optical mouse PCB working with a trackball at all. (I do however have an idea for using a spinner).

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

[ubiquityman]

It will work depending on the track ball.
A smooth, white, trackball without any patterns, does not have enough texture for the optical sensor to pick up.

Computer trackballs are that way today.
The newer one consist of an optical sensor on the bottom and a ball that has a pattern.

[Havok]

(I'm beginning to hate the "Why the hell would you hack a mouse when you have a MiniPac? question).

Perhaps that continued response should tell you something...

If you think it is too difficult then fine. But I'd like to use what I already have.

I believe my response was they're both simple. However, a mouse hack is usually junk, and will not outlast a quality arcade grade interface.

As for the Opti-Wiz. If your trackball or spinner is compatible. And if all the optics of your spinner or trackball are working, then in order for it to be plug and play you would not have to hack the cable.

So you'd hack a mouse, but not a cable to connect to a trackball\mouse? Why the distinction? As far as your ifs - I challenge you to find me a trackball or spinner that is an arcade grade or actual arcade model that is not compatible with the interfaces stated above.

I have several Arkanoid and Midway spinners, as well as a Tornado, and a several Atari  trackballs(Mini, Midi, & Maxi). So even though there are no pictures on this site documenting how they are hooked up to any of the existing controllers, I assume they would work, because there is no way I'd add to the cost by buying another just for a controller.

How many trackballs and spinner panels do you plan on making anyways? Please don't tell me this is going to be a frakenpanel. You've already stated you've got multiple interfaces, why go through all the extra hassle for an interface that won't last and may require constant adjustment?

A mouse can be hacked to any of these original arcade trackball or spinners, which I prefer over the third party solutions available now anyway.

True - but will it be durable? Probably not.

And a 4 or 5-button mouse would give me more options than my Tornado spinner and I'd only need to use the included single USB mouse cable.

Same amount of wires - not getting your point here...

The MiniPAC or Hydrogen can be used for the more complicated control panels.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

So how many panels are we talking about?

I have an idea; why don't you clearly and concisely state what your end result will be and we can give you a correct solution, rather than dancing around and pulling bits and pieces from you one tooth at a time...

[RandyT]

Actually, Darren, there is a ton of info out there about optical controls.  Which is really overkill for the most part, since virtually all of them require only 4 connections.  5vDC, Ground, Data A and Data B.  If your trackball has 8 wires coming out of it, it very, very likely has these 4 wires duplicated for each axis.   Usually the 5v and ground from each optical board are tied together and brought out into the same connector for 6 wires.  But not always.

And I haven't yet found an optical arcade control that the Opti-Wiz hasn't been able to talk to.  You should really refrain from making definitive (and speculative as well) statements about products you have never used, and apparently do not understand.

As a side note, optical spinners (the kind which read the surface of a cylinder) are not very accurate.  This type of technology is great for a relative pointing device like a mouse, where one routinely re-adjusts the physical position of the device, but probably not for a more absolute control like a spinner.  I actually did this and offered them for sale about 8 years ago (might even have an old photo around).  But they didn't take off, and in retrospect, it's no wonder.  They did work ok and it was an interesting concept back in the days of low-resolution, traditional encoder wheels, but certainly not very impressive by today's standards, given the availability of small, high tech, high resolution and reasonably priced solutions.

If you still want to hack a mouse, by all means do so.  They are all different inside.  Some work, some don't.  The designers don't care that they may not work when you hook your arcade controls to them, because they only need to work with the components they put inside the mouse in question.  Additionally, virtually no-one uses a ball mouse anymore, and those are the kind you would be looking for.  In the old days, it was common to tear apart a popular mouse brand and document it so it was easy for others to find it "in the wild" and follow suit.  Today, there is literally no such animal.  You may be able to find the old ball mice (mouses?) from time to time, at a thrift store or a flea market, but hacking is something you'll most likely need to approach on your own, especially if it's not a model that has been documented.  You may have success and you may not.  Even if you do, you may not be able to find that model again...at least not easily.  Those who consider time to be equal to money, obviously find the dedicated controllers to be more attractive because they are documented, reliable and easily sourced.  That's the big difference.

RandyT

[ark_ader]

I use:

I get them from the pound store and they are really tiny and work in lots of projects.  They are crap for desktop use but very good for spinners.

The problem is I cannot buy enough of them when they are in stock. 

[bkenobi]

That's a ball mouse, right?  Darren wants to hack an optical or laser mouse to hook up to a spinner/trackball.  They are not built the same, so I'm pretty sure he's asking a different question than what that mouse will solve.  I tried to give him a hacked mouse or two a while back, but he wants to do things differently.   

[D_Harris]

(I'm beginning to hate the "Why the hell would you hack a mouse when you have a MiniPac? question).

Perhaps that continued response should tell you something...

Yeah. That people have no respect for what you want to do if it is not the way that they would do it.

If you think it is too difficult then fine. But I'd like to use what I already have.

I believe my response was they're both simple. However, a mouse hack is usually junk, and will not outlast a quality arcade grade interface.

As long as it's done correctly, a mouse hack should be just as reliable as the original mouse.

As for the Opti-Wiz. If your trackball or spinner is compatible. And if all the optics of your spinner or trackball are working, then in order for it to be plug and play you would not have to hack the cable.

So you'd hack a mouse, but not a cable to connect to a trackball\mouse? Why the distinction?

What distinction? Again. I have more than one mouse that I didn't have to pay for or get shipped to me. Why use a controller for a 5 button cp if it can be done with a mouse?

As far as your ifs - I challenge you to find me a trackball or spinner that is an arcade grade or actual arcade model that is not compatible with the interfaces stated above.

What for? I never stated I had a trackball or spinner that was not compatible with the interfaces stated above.

I have several Arkanoid and Midway spinners, as well as a Tornado, and a several Atari  trackballs(Mini, Midi, & Maxi). So even though there are no pictures on this site documenting how they are hooked up to any of the existing controllers, I assume they would work, because there is no way I'd add to the cost by buying another just for a controller.

How many trackballs and spinner panels do you plan on making anyways? Please don't tell me this is going to be a frakenpanel. You've already stated you've got multiple interfaces, why go through all the extra hassle for an interface that won't last and may require constant adjustment?

I assume that the stated third party solutions never need adjustment. (Not that I know what kind of adjustment you are referring to).

A mouse can be hacked to any of these original arcade trackball or spinners, which I prefer over the third party solutions available now anyway.

True - but will it be durable? Probably not.

Mechanical parts failure is not an issue with the optics from a mouse, so what durability are you referring to?

And a 4 or 5-button mouse would give me more options than my Tornado spinner and I'd only need to use the included single USB mouse cable.

Same amount of wires - not getting your point here...

The point is what was said. The 5 button spinner cp I'm building first cannot be done with just the Tornado spinner I have. But it can be done with a 5 button mouse.

The MiniPAC or Hydrogen can be used for the more complicated control panels

So how many panels are we talking about?

I'm working on one cp at a time and the 5 button cp is my first concern.

I have an idea; why don't you clearly and concisely state what your end result will be and we can give you a correct solution, rather than dancing around and pulling bits and pieces from you one tooth at a time...


My "end result" is a 5 button cp...

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

[D_Harris]

Actually, Darren, there is a ton of info out there about optical controls.  Which is really overkill for the most part, since virtually all of them require only 4 connections.  5vDC, Ground, Data A and Data B.  If your trackball has 8 wires coming out of it, it very, very likely has these 4 wires duplicated for each axis.   Usually the 5v and ground from each optical board are tied together and brought out into the same connector for 6 wires.  But not always.

I thought that this would be the site that documents hardware pin-outs for hacking. (I'll have to look elsewhere).

And I haven't yet found an optical arcade control that the Opti-Wiz hasn't been able to talk to.  You should really refrain from making definitive (and speculative as well) statements about products you have never used, and apparently do not understand.

What definitive statements are you referring to? (And what is wrong with speculative statements?). Your site says, "Compatible with virtually any device utilizing "Active Low" opto-electronics". Based on that I made the assumption that the Opti-Wiz would work with the spinners and trackballs I have. What statement did I make that you have a problem with?

As a side note, optical spinners (the kind which read the surface of a cylinder) are not very accurate. 

Finally. This is the kind of information I was searching for when I made the first post. (And I assume you are referring to optical mouse hacks). What's the resolution of the Opti-Wiz?

This type of technology is great for a relative pointing device like a mouse, where one routinely re-adjusts the physical position of the device, but probably not for a more absolute control like a spinner.  I actually did this and offered them for sale about 8 years ago (might even have an old photo around).  But they didn't take off, and in retrospect, it's no wonder.  They did work ok and it was an interesting concept back in the days of low-resolution, traditional encoder wheels, but certainly not very impressive by today's standards, given the availability of small, high tech, high resolution and reasonably priced solutions.

The optical mouse I have here is a Logitech MX-518. Was your hack for a spinner or trackball?

If you still want to hack a mouse, by all means do so.  They are all different inside.  Some work, some don't.  The designers don't care that they may not work when you hook your arcade controls to them, because they only need to work with the components they put inside the mouse in question.  Additionally, virtually no-one uses a ball mouse anymore, and those are the kind you would be looking for.  In the old days, it was common to tear apart a popular mouse brand and document it so it was easy for others to find it "in the wild" and follow suit.  Today, there is literally no such animal.  You may be able to find the old ball mice (mouses?) from time to time, at a thrift store or a flea market, but hacking is something you'll most likely need to approach on your own, especially if it's not a model that has been documented.  You may have success and you may not.  Even if you do, you may not be able to find that model again...at least not easily.  Those who consider time to be equal to money, obviously find the dedicated controllers to be more attractive because they are documented, reliable and easily sourced.  That's the big difference.

Well if time were equal to money the mouse would still be cheaper for me.(Finding X.Y. power, & ground isn't that difficult). Perhaps it's my part of the country, but ball mice are easy to find. (And they are all I've ever used with my computers).

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

[D_Harris]

It will work depending on the track ball.
A smooth, white, trackball without any patterns, does not have enough texture for the optical sensor to pick up.

Computer trackballs are that way today.
The newer one consist of an optical sensor on the bottom and a ball that has a pattern.

Have you actually tried that particular trackball? (I certainly would put one of those in any cp I made). 

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

[Havok]

Ok, so let's get this straight. You've got a cheap ass mouse that you are dead set on using, even though you have better options sitting around. Fine. You want a 5 button control panel. With a spinner, and maybe a trackball. Great. So you hack said mouse which gives you an X and Y axis for a trackball, and a Z axis for a spinner. 5 buttons max with a mouse. (Most only give you three - are you sure you get five with what you have?)

I hope you remember that you will need at least one button for coining up a game, and one for exiting the game. I suppose you could combine the buttons for coin up and start so you save one there. That leaves you only three for actual gameplay. Is that enough for you? what games do you plan on playing? Sure you don't want to add other admin buttons? A pause button would be great. How about player 2 coinup? Some games require a separate input there. What about a tab button, so you can configure the games within mame?

Do you see how limited you are yet? Those interfaces that are "overkill" actually can come in quite handy, and are cheap to boot.

BTW - Randy's in your part of the country, as am I - we're all in the same state.

[D_Harris]

Ok, so let's get this straight. You've got a cheap ass mouse that you are dead set on using, even though you have better options sitting around. Fine. You want a 5 button control panel. With a spinner, and maybe a trackball. Great. So you hack said mouse which gives you an X and Y axis for a trackball, and a Z axis for a spinner. 5 buttons max with a mouse. (Most only give you three - are you sure you get five with what you have?)

I hope you remember that you will need at least one button for coining up a game, and one for exiting the game. I suppose you could combine the buttons for coin up and start so you save one there. That leaves you only three for actual gameplay. Is that enough for you? what games do you plan on playing? Sure you don't want to add other admin buttons? A pause button would be great. How about player 2 coinup? Some games require a separate input there. What about a tab button, so you can configure the games within mame?

Do you see how limited you are yet? Those interfaces that are "overkill" actually can come in quite handy, and are cheap to boot.

BTW - Randy's in your part of the country, as am I - we're all in the same state.

Then perhaps it's my part of the state.(NYC).

Nevertheless, the problem here is that you're not reading or understanding me.

I said 5 buttons and a spinner. 5 buttons and a spinner. 5 buttons and a spinner...

And I'm talking about game play buttons.(Not that any of this was supposed to be about my specific project).

Admin and other functions will be relegated to the keyboard.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

[Havok]

Have at it then. It will work, but mouse hacks are so passé, and keyboards with arcade cabs are lame.

You are right, I'm not understanding you. I guess it's similar to someone who drives a Kia; they think it drives great, until someone lets them drive a Mercedes.

You, my friend are a Kia...

 

[D_Harris]

Have at it then. It will work, but mouse hacks are so passé, and keyboards with arcade cabs are lame.

You are right, I'm not understanding you. I guess it's similar to someone who drives a Kia; they think it drives great, until someone lets them drive a Mercedes.

You, my friend are a Kia...

 

And I didn't say anything about an arcade cab...

(This is to be a very small panel).

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.