lighting a trackball

[GregD]

Wondering what the best option is to light a standard Happ 3" trackball.  Not looking for RGB or anything like that.  I just want it lit green.  I suppose I will need to replace the white trackball with a translucent ball right?

[HaRuMaN]

Yes.

[RandyT]

Email me.  I can offer you an upgrade kit with a diffused translucent green ball and high power light unit.  IMHO, you won't find a better green illuminated trackball replacement.

RandyT

[alfonzotan]

I just bought one of these, attached it to the bottom of my control panel with zip ties, and fiddled with it until the light was aligned properly right underneath the Happ case.  It shines up through the translucent trackball (orange in my case) and works great:

http://www.meritline.com/usb-led-light-silver---p-23897.aspx

[monkey puzzle]

A cheap option would be what I did. Just buy some high power LEDs with resistors from EBAY. Fit one resistor to each LED that you use, conect them all in parallel and wire back to your pc power supply.

[Cynicaster]

I've got a pretty dimly lit basement, so I was able to get away with some spare Christmas lights I had lying around.  Kind of red-neck, but works great. 

[Mysterioii]

A cheap option would be what I did. Just buy some high power LEDs with resistors from EBAY. Fit one resistor to each LED that you use, conect them all in parallel and wire back to your pc power supply.

Yeah, I've bought tons of LEDs of off ebay (most coming from Hong Kong/China) and I've never had any problems.  A lot of the made-in-china electronics on ebay are junk but I've had pretty good luck with raw components.  I've gotten some LED *assemblies* that were crap, obviously hand soldered and probably by someone just learning the ropes (or a kid).  But you can get bulk packs of all different sorts of LEDs pretty cheap.

A translucent ball is key though.  Randy said he could hook you up with a translucent green one but if I were you I might at least consider getting the frosted white one in case you ever decide to go the RGB route in the future.  I also saw a marbleized blue one on ebay recently... that would look pretty cool in green and illuminated from below.

Here's the blue marble one I saw (the guy sells the ball separately too).  It *looks* translucent (or partially-translucent) in the picture but it doesn't describe it as translucent, so maybe it's just an oversaturated picture making it look that way?  Assuming it passes some light I wonder if you could get it to look a decent shade of green by lighting it from underneath with yellow or green LEDs...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-BLUE-MARBLE-TRACKBALL-GIVE-YOUR-GAME-NEW-LOOK-/120300774446

[Edit]:  Sent a message to the seller and he said those are white/blue opaque trackballs that won't pass light, so those don't work.  Still, a semi-translucent marble swirl seems like that could be pretty cool (hint hint, Randy...)   

[mcseforsale]

Randy...will you be putting these upgrade kits on the site?  You had mentioned a black translucent trackball, but I never saw pics and it never made it on the site.  I got all my EI2's wired up, but my trackball looks kinda lonely.   



AJ

Email me.  I can offer you an upgrade kit with a diffused translucent green ball and high power light unit.  IMHO, you won't find a better green illuminated trackball replacement.

RandyT

[Mysterioii]

He's got the electric ice version if you're inclined to go full RGB (currently out of stock in the 3" version apparently).  I haven't seen him list colored translucent balls like the green one he mentioned though.

http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=74&products_id=273

[EDIT] ah I think I see... if you order his store-branded Groovy-TB 3" trackball, there are options for red, green or blue diffused translucent balls.  He just doesn't seem to have a store listing for the balls by themselves.

http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=74&products_id=363

[mcseforsale]

Yeah.  In another thread, he said that he has some *black* translucent trackballs that he could package up, but I will need to see what they look like first.  It was over in the vendor/fs forum....post 31, I think:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=107167.0

Man, I'd love to sneak in a translucent trackball with new bearings and spindles under the wife-dar...

AJ

[yotsuya]

Those of you with a U-Trak, do you know what size screw you would need to mount the light kit on the bottom using the small hole next to the main one?

[AndyWarne]

Those of you with a U-Trak, do you know what size screw you would need to mount the light kit on the bottom using the small hole next to the main one?

This is a self-tapping size 4.

Talking balls we have translucent pearl and translucent red balls on their own orderable by email  but not green. We have the new version of the trackball RGB illumination kit (which I need to get some pictures of).
andy@ultimarc.com

[mcseforsale]

What are prices and yes...pics are awesome!!

AJ

Those of you with a U-Trak, do you know what size screw you would need to mount the light kit on the bottom using the small hole next to the main one?

This is a self-tapping size 4.

Talking balls we have translucent pearl and translucent red balls on their own orderable by email  but not green. We have the new version of the trackball RGB illumination kit (which I need to get some pictures of).
andy@ultimarc.com

[yotsuya]

Those of you with a U-Trak, do you know what size screw you would need to mount the light kit on the bottom using the small hole next to the main one?

This is a self-tapping size 4.

Talking balls we have translucent pearl and translucent red balls on their own orderable by email  but not green. We have the new version of the trackball RGB illumination kit (which I need to get some pictures of).
andy@ultimarc.com

Thanks, Andy! That's why you're the best!

If it's a #4, what is the length?

[PL1]

Edit: Added clarification to buttons and parts list.

I designed my portable modular CP to run off one USB connection that feeds an unpowered hub--maximum 100 mA current draw per connection.

It uses 3 Button Blaster LEDs with resistors from GGG (BB and R1), 14 LED 12V buttons from Paradise(LB), and an 11 ohm current limiting resistor (R2).

------------5V------------------------>
|     |    |           |     |     |    |  
BB  BB  BB       LB   LB  LB  LB (Total of 14)
|     |    |           |     |     |    |  
R1  R1  R1        -------------------->
|     |    |                    |
|     |    |                   R2
|     |    |                    |
-----------Ground--------

The left side is the trackball circuit, the right side is the buttons.

Green lines on the attached picture represent the R1 resistors--bend leads to route around LEDs. 5V and Ground wires can be attached to different holes on their respective rails to make mounting easier, if needed. I also fastened a piece of plastic on the underside to insulate the solder connections from shorting out.

This whole 17 LED + resistor configuration draws about 81 mA.

The only thing I might change about it is to use only 2 BB LEDs, since using 3 lights up my U-Trak much brighter than the Buttons.

Partial parts list:
Solderable breadboard - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040Z6OK6/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00

5v USB Power Tap Cable - http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=78&products_id=299

ButtonBlaster LED (with resistor) - http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=83&products_id=263

LED Buttons - This circuit uses 12V LEDs powered by a 5V circuit. this allows the LEDs to last longer and draw less current. http://www.paradisearcadeshop.com/en/led-pushbuttons/234-led-convex-arcade-pushbuttonwhite-led-convex-arcade-pushbutton.html

30 Connection Black Daisy Chain (.250") - Makes wiring the LED buttons really easy http://www.paradisearcadeshop.com/en/jamma-harnesses/406-30-connection-black-daisy-chain-110.html

30 Connection Red Daisy Chain (.250") - http://www.paradisearcadeshop.com/en/jamma-harnesses/407-30-connection-black-daisy-chain-110.html

[Santoro]

I went simple -

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=71848.msg1268632#msg1268632




I got the LEDs from SuperbrightLEDs.com some time ago for a pinball machine upgrade but they work great here too.  The socket is the same one used for recent Happ coin doors.

[mcseforsale]

Damn.  I broke one of those sockets!    I wish I could order just that...

Neat upgrade, though!

AJ

[Mysterioii]

I designed my portable modular CP to run off one USB connection that feeds an unpowered hub--maximum 100 mA current draw per connection.

It uses 3 Button Blaster LEDs with resistors from GGG (BB and R1), 14 LED buttons from Paradise(LB), and an 11 ohm current limiting resistor (R2).

------------5V------------------------>
|     |    |           |     |     |    |  
BB  BB  BB       LB   LB  LB  LB (Total of 14)
|     |    |           |     |     |    |  
R1  R1  R1        -------------------->
|     |    |                    |
|     |    |                   R2
|     |    |                    |
-----------Ground--------

The left side is the trackball circuit, the right side is the buttons.

This whole 17 LED + resistor configuration draws about 81 mA.

I'm having trouble understanding how things add up here, the three button blasters from GGG are expected to draw 20mA each so that only leaves 21 mA through 14 LEDs, which shouldn't be enough to light them up.  Are all your buttons illuminated all the time or do they only illuminate when pressed?  Something just doesn't add up there.

It's also a bit of bad design form to run parallel LEDs with a single current limiting resistor.  While all the LEDs may be ideally identical, in the real world they won't be.  Some will end up getting a little more current than others, may cause them to have a reduced lifespan.  And if one or more were to burn out then the current through the others will go up.  Probably not that big a deal but thought I'd mention it.

[PL1]

I designed my portable modular CP to run off one USB connection that feeds an unpowered hub--maximum 100 mA current draw per connection.

It uses 3 Button Blaster LEDs with resistors from GGG (BB and R1), 14 LED buttons from Paradise(LB), and an 11 ohm current limiting resistor (R2).

------------5V------------------------>
|     |    |           |     |     |    |  
BB  BB  BB       LB   LB  LB  LB (Total of 14)
|     |    |           |     |     |    |  
R1  R1  R1        -------------------->
|     |    |                    |
|     |    |                   R2
|     |    |                    |
-----------Ground--------

The left side is the trackball circuit, the right side is the buttons.

This whole 17 LED + resistor configuration draws about 81 mA.

I'm having trouble understanding how things add up here, the three button blasters from GGG are expected to draw 20mA each so that only leaves 21 mA through 14 LEDs, which shouldn't be enough to light them up.  Are all your buttons illuminated all the time or do they only illuminate when pressed?  Something just doesn't add up there.

It's also a bit of bad design form to run parallel LEDs with a single current limiting resistor.  While all the LEDs may be ideally identical, in the real world they won't be.  Some will end up getting a little more current than others, may cause them to have a reduced lifespan.  And if one or more were to burn out then the current through the others will go up.  Probably not that big a deal but thought I'd mention it.

Great questions/observations, Mysterioii.

The first thing to remember is the difference between published specs and actual working values.  The specs are the upper limits. I try to stay well within the limits.

Second, some of this is what some of my co-workers would refer to as "FM" - F. . .antastic Magic. (Uh, yeah, that's it.)

One way to envision electronics is to compare it to plumbing: current=amount of water, voltage=water pressure, etc. You know what happens when someone is in the shower and someone else flushes the toilet--parallel load applied to the supply results in decreased flow and a  response from the shower.

Several clarifications:

1. If you take apart the LED buttons from Paradise, and pull the LED completely out of the mounting socket, you find that the LED already has a current limiting resistor soldered to one leg. (not shown in my ASCII diagram)

2. I used 12V LED buttons, but powered them with 5v based on one of Bryan's (armi0024) posts in this thread:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=112752.msg1200674#msg1200674
Mine draw about 3.7 mA each and are are constantly on.

3. The trackball lighting circuit draws 56mA when powered separately from the buttons, but only 40 mA when I add it to the button lighting circuit.

NOTE: When the GGG ButtonBlaster page says, "don't look directly into them, or you might be seeing them long after you cut the power!" they aren't kidding.

4. I just noticed that the 5V from my USB power tap is reading 4.8V. This might account for some of the difference from the expected readings.


Even after playing around with electronics to the component level for the last 30 years, some of this multi-stage series+parallel design math is still a little confusing, but I find it helps to throw the components on a solderless breadboard to test the circuit before final assembly.  This way I can change variables and test differences between the specs + actual operating measurements before I actually commit to the final circuit. That's how I came up with the value for R2--cautious trial and error after calculating values at http://ledcalc.com/#calc .

Scott

[aevans0001]

Randy, Do I understand that you have a product to upgrade a 3" Happ trackball to rgb?  I am very interested and would love to get a link.  If you could send me a link It would be great!

[Zeosstud]

My solution was to buy a strand of 12v LED lighting from Menards.. It is the kind that come with a plugin and connection and lights up the whole thing that way, but also, you can cut it off in pieces. Leaving the part that is easily plugged in and works like a champ intact.. I cut off the smallest piece from the other end as I could, turns out it contains 3 LEDs.. I then tapped into the 12V and ground of my PC and ran some cable out the back long enough so I could simply center the middle LED under the hole in my U-Trak and used gorilla tape to tape the thing in place, my wife soddered the 12v wire to the + connection and ground to the - connection of the little piece of led and done.

- Zeosstud