38mm (1.5") Industrial Trackballs on Ebay

[AGarv]

I'm not the seller of these, but they look very similar to the 1.5" mini-trackballs that HAPP sells for $250.  These are NOS and ship from the UK for $36, although the auction is almost over.  You will need an opti-pac or something similar to use this.  I went in for one to put on a new bartop project, thought I'd share!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Heavy-duty-38mm-Console-Mount-Stand-Alone-Trackball-/250732874400?pt=UK_BOI_Industrial_Automation_Control_ET&hash=item3a60d80aa0

[yakk11]

Thanks for the tip!  How does this work for games like golden tee?  Does it spin well?  I have a Sega Blast City and am doing a custom panel.  I only have 5" to work with, so this may be my only option as the 2.25" doesn't sound like it will fit. 

[AGarv]

I can let you know more once mine arrives (may be a while as it is coming from the UK).  If it is anything like the Happ 1.5" trackball, it won't have the intertia/spin of the larger trackballs (consensus on the Happ 1.5" seems to be not great for Golden Tee-ish movement but good for Centipede-ish movement). If you have space restrictions (like me) it should be worlds better than a hacked computer trackball.

[yakk11]

That would be great.  Thanks!

[jrose78]

 I wonder if it would be good for missle command. I am very interested. Keep us updated. Thanks!

[AGarv]

Alright, the trackball came in, and I have had a chance to sit down with it.

First off, a 1.5" trackball is SMALL.  For comparison, a 3" trackball is about 14 cubic inches, and the 1.5" trackball is only 1.8 cubic inches!  So, the 1.5" trackball isn't 50% the size of a full size 3" trackball, but rather only 13%...

Given the super small size, the trackball has an entirely different feel than a traditional 3" trackball.  The rollers are decent and the overall construction is certainly industrial quality, but the ball just doesn't have the mass to spin freely if you give it a good whirl.  I do not think putting in a heavier ball will change this, as the current ball is quite dense and heavy for its size.  Also, due to the small size you really can only have one finger on it comfortably and still control it well, which again feels nothing like an arcade trackball.

So, the bottom line is... it will look cool on a bartop and can fit into a small space, but it really is not going to simulate the feel of an arcade trackball.  Since I already have it, I may still use it on my bartop project just to give someone the option to play trackball/mouse games, but I cannot recommend it as a proper replacement for larger trackballs!

[jrose78]

It would be cool to have a comparision against the happ 1 1/2 trackball but that goes for an insane amount of money!  . Hey at least you got the trackball for a good price!  I ordered one to as I was thinking about including it in my cocktail table and I had 10 ebay bucks to use.   When you get a chance can you give us some pics?

[AGarv]

Yes, I would love to hear from anyone that has the Happ 1.5" trackball too.  My guess is that it performs very similar - most of the issues with the one I have seem to stem from the super small ball size.

I will be sure to post some pics of the trackball I have next week when I am done traveling.

[jrose78]

I received my trackball. Here are some pictures.

[jrose78]

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[jrose78]

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[AGarv]

Cool, thanks for posting those - I am still on the road!

What are your thoughts on the spin / appropriateness for a bartop?

[jrose78]

I think its as good as its gonna get for this small a trackball.  It doesn't free spin .  I agree the quality seems very good. I do think a more solid ball could work though if you could find one.

[yakk11]

Thanks for your info!

[Minwah]

I hate to reply on such an old topic but since it has some good pictures and info it makes sense not to make a new topic.

I just bought one of these to try out, potentially for a small arcade cabinet. It does not free spin at all as standard. BUT I tried removing the rubber o-rings on the rollers (visible in the pic of the internals), which are obviously there to grip the ball. With these removed it does free spin slightly, and still works fine.

Having tried out a few games with it like this, it seems great for most of the non-bowling/golf type games - for these games it is difficult (possible though for a few I tried) to spin enough, and more importantly, hard to do accurately as the ball is so small. However for Centipede, Missile Command, Liberator, Cabal, Snake Pit etc it works really well for it's size. I would recommend it if you want to play these types of games and don't have room for a bigger arcade trackball.

[AGarv]

Thanks for posting this - mine also did not free spin all that well.  I will try removing the O-rings.