Trackball orientation?

[NipRing]

I'm trying to research 2-1/4" trackballs for my control panel.  But i'm working with very limited width and depth an i understand that fully, and take those restrictions into consideration in my searching. However having never owned a trackball i dont know how it needs to be orientated. U-Trak for example is not square but rather an elongated hex/octagon. Can it be mounted any which way and through software tell it which way is up/down left/right etc?  There is a drawing on the U-Trak page that gives dimensions. Since i'm limited on space that 145mm would fit better than the 176mm.  Is that drawing correct way it needs to be mounted?

Thanks

[DillonFoulds]

Nope, it's gotta face a certain way. Sometimes you might get lucky with a 90degree rotation, and then swap axes manually, pre-usb controller.

The utraks in particular have an arrow pointing to "up" and i don't think it's particularly easy to swap the axes on them.

[BobA]

If the trackball has an up indication it is usually required due to the bearing setup.  I makes sure that the ball is properly supported in use.

[NipRing]

Ok. thanks for helping me sort that out.

[MPH]

U-Trak comes with an arrow pointing to the rear of the CP.

[RandyT]

As a general rule of thumb, trackballs will have one roller parallel with, and closest to, the face of the monitor for the vertical axis and another perpendicular for the horizontal axis, on the left.  The wires on most units exit somewhere near the lower right corner when viewed from above.  It's possible to swap axes and directions by manipulating the wiring, but that's not usually the best approach for most installations, as it is pretty much accepted that the aforementioned orientation is the most versatile, based on the physical interactions of the ball and the rollers.