Trackball tracking

[Hammerbot]

I noticed after I mounted my trackball (Happ 3") that it has an inherant "drift" to it. I believe it is because of the way that it rests on the 2 encoder axis. When you give it a good spin (like driver off the tee on a par 5) the ball starts to drift away from straight because of the friction on one side of the ball and not on the other.

Has anyone else noticed this?

Were the original trackballs built this way? I never noticed a drift on any of the Golden Tee games I played but I do remember slicing a lot...(probably not related)  I also never sprinkled a handfull of MDF dust on it before playing to see the ball turn to the side.

It wouldn't effect Centipeed or missle command, but I was curious if they were made different before.

[Radical]

Mine does that also.   I figure it just needs to be used some and broken in.

[u_rebelscum]

I don't get any noticable drift, but you might need to break in the bearings a little before driffing goes away.  Switching which axis gets which bearings ard/or roller can help, too.  If it's really bad, you might have a bad bearing, dirty bearing, a flat spot on your ball or a roller, or too much worn in roller(s).  Try theRealBobRoberts for some hints on trackballs (link to bearings page, he has more).

[PacManFan]

Yeah, that's definately dirty bearings or rollers, A good trackball should roll almost silently and smoothly, with no "bumps" or "dings". When it starts pulling to one side and slowing down quickly, you've got dirty bearings.

-PMF

[grafixmonkey]

Mine came that way too...   hmmmmmm....    *twiddles fingers*

I can roll my trackball fast in the up-right direction, and by the time it stops spinning the mouse has drifted from the top right corner to the top left corner.  (so it's even reversing right-aimed spin and turning it into left-aimed spin.)

Is your trackball mounted on an angled panel?

[Hammerbot]

My CP is angled about 6 deg.

It seems as though it woudl need to be supported on both sides of both axis to negate the friction from the roller shafts.

The bearings will reduce the friction but it can't be eliminated in this setup.

Someone (not me) needs to build a trackball that rides on an air pocket that is encoded by a metallic surface grid imbedded in the ball itself. Magnetic sensors could probably be used to encode the sucker...

I don't know. I just want to eliminate my hook...

"Donny says magnets."  (can you place that one Finch?)

[mpm32]

Green Quarter,

Chicken pot, chicken pot, chicken pot pie

[grafixmonkey]

My CP is angled about 6 deg.

My CP is angled too.  Maybe that's what does it.  What happens if you shim your cab up a little bit in the front, to make the CP level?  does the ball roll straight?  might be worth a try.

Someone (not me) needs to build a trackball that rides on an air pocket that is encoded by a metallic surface grid imbedded in the ball itself. Magnetic sensors could probably be used to encode the sucker...

I don't know. I just want to eliminate my hook...

Wow, that's a lot of effort to play golf, minus the outdoors, sunshine, and physical swinging of the club...  (sorry, never understood video golf games.     Or video fishing games.  Maybe if there was a golf game, with fatalities, or something.)