How do hack a Pole Position steering wheel to a USB mouse?

[unclet]

Let me just say that I have done the Twisty Grip mouse hack a couple of times and it works great.  Now I would like to hack a USB mouse to a Pole Position steering wheel which has it's own encoder wheel.

Seemed simple enough when I got the Pole Position steering wheel assembly....... I would take a Belkin USB mouse apart and mount the PCB over the existing encoder wheel (see photo).   Thing was I found out I needed to have the encoder wheel go between the X-axis optics instead of the Y-axis optics since I use Mame32 and I found that the encoder wheel was to wide to fit into the space to access the X-axis optics.  

What are my options?  How should I mount the USB Belkin mouse PCB to my Pole Position assembly encoder wheel?

When I got the Pole Position assembly, the Pole Position PCB which fits nicely around the encoder wheel was included.   Is there some way to use the Pole Position PCB and attach that to my USB mouse optics somehow (ie: solder wires from the Pole Position PCB directly to the USB mouse PCB)?  If so, please let me know how to wire it up since I have no clue.

I was thinking my other option (which I am not to crazy about) was to remove the X-axis optics from the USB mouse PCB and mount them to a wafer board from Radio Shack and then run wires from the wafer board back to my USB mouse PCB.  This will allow me to mount the wafer board optics over the encoder wheel easier.   But hopefully there is an easier way.

PS:  I will attach pics of the front and back of the original ATARI Pole Position PCB along with pics of teh USB mouse PCB.

[unclet]

Here is a pic of the Pole Position Atari PCB

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Here is a pic of the Pole Position Atari PCB (back pic)

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Here is a pic of the USB mouse PCB (front)

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Here is a pic of the USB mouse PCB (back)

[jerryjanis]

I don't know anything about the Pole Position board in particular, but here are some pictures of other boards that have been hacked.  You may be able to trace the circuit board and identify what goes where, if it's basically the same as these boards.

http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=9837;start=msg73421#msg73421

Here's a picture of the 720 Degrees optics:



Maybe try PM'ing Acdelmor and see if he got his working.

[Rocky]

unclet,

The Pole Position optic board looks like it has 4 connections. They would have to be X1, X2, Ground, Power (5v?)

Assuming that it runs on 5v, you can easily run wires from your USB mouse to the optic board.  The hard part is figuring out what is what on the optic board.

As far as the USB mouse, they are easy to figure out.
 
Usually one side of the optics has 3 pins (not the side that sends the IR signal). On the ones I've hacked, the 2 outer pins are signal (e.g. X1, X2) and the middle is 5v. Find ground from one of the mouse switches and you are set. Try tracing the wires on the optic board and seeing what you can figure out on that end.  Is the Pole Position Optic board labeled with anything?

Good luck,

Rocky

[Chris]

The Pole Position optic boards are supposed to be electronically compatible with Happ trackball optics, so any mouse hack that works on a Happ trackball should work on a Pole Position wheel.

--Chris

[eightbit]

Old post on how to do this- http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=6101;start=msg42109#msg42109

I never tried it, at the time I was not able/willing to try soldering it. I just scabbed a oscar mouse hack to it.

[unclet]

Here is a better picture of my Pole Position PCB board:

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Here is a better picture of my Pole Position PCB board:

[SirPoonga]

You can pickup the atari pcbs from bob roberts.  Plus you see them all the time on ebay, usually listed as 720 optics.

[unclet]

Also, if I can locate which of the 4 pins are X1, X2, 5V and Ground, then could I simply solder wires from these four pins right to the underside of my USB mouse PCB somehow?   Will the USB mouse be able to decode the signals the Pole Position PCB sends?

[unclet]

SirPoonga:
I am confused.....I already have an Atari PCB for my Pole Postion (ie: it says Atari 80) on the PCB.   I am just trying to figure out how to connect this to my USB mouse PCB or how I can just attach my mouse PCB directly to the encoder wheel....

[Rocky]

Also, I can located which one of the 4 pins are X1, X2, 5V and Ground, then could I simply solder wires from these four pins right to the underside of my USB mouse PCB somehow?   Will the USB mouse be able to decode the signals the Pole Position PCB sends?

This is how I did my mouse hacks (2 spinners and a trackball).  All you have to do is match the wires correctly    (i.e. solder wires to the mouse PCB and then the other ends to the Pole Position PCB)

It looks to me (from your picture) that the 2 outer pins are signal.  I'm not sure, though

Rocky

[jerryjanis]

Also, I can located which one of the 4 pins are X1, X2, 5V and Ground, then could I simply solder wires from these four pins right to the underside of my USB mouse PCB somehow?   Will the USB mouse be able to decode the signals the Pole Position PCB sends?

Assuming Aceldamor had his figured right, it should be, from left to right, X1 +5v GND X2 (in the following picture, the 4 solder points at the top of the circuit board):



I think it is correct, judging by the fact that:
1) The +5v goes directly to the resistor
2) The other side of that resistor goes to one of the optics
3) The other side of that optic is the Ground

This logic holds for my Star Trek spinner and the Atari 720 Optics.  Assuming that the same logic holds for the Pole Position card, you should be all set.

Luckily yours doesn't look so complicated as the one that Eightbit has, so you shouldn't have to take the board apart.

Once you think you know which pins are X1, X2, +5v, and Ground, I describe how I did a similar hack (720 Optics->USB mouse).  Also, there are a few links to some other pages that describe mouse hacks, that I used when I did mine.  Check out the following page:

http://www.jstookey.com/arcade/720/720-arcadejoy.php

[u_rebelscum]

Also, I can located which one of the 4 pins are X1, X2, 5V and Ground, then could I simply solder wires from these four pins right to the underside of my USB mouse PCB somehow?   Will the USB mouse be able to decode the signals the Pole Position PCB sends?

Assuming Aceldamor had his figured right, it should be, from left to right, X1 +5v GND X2 (in the following picture, the 4 solder points at the top of the circuit board)...[snip]

Looks that way to me, too.  Note that most old Atari optical PCBs were active high, so you might need to add a resistor somewhere.  I know I've seen pics on where to but it here.  I'll see if I can find it.

[unclet]

Ok, let me know about the resistor......  

BTW:  What would happen if I needed a resistor but did not add one?

[u_rebelscum]

Have you looked at this trackball hack thread?

They talk about a 1k pull up resistor, but it's for active low sensor boards.  So maybe you don't need them on your board?

Some info related to your question, anyway.

[GearHead]

I agree with jerryjanis and u_rebelscum on the pinout of the board.  This is a much simpler board than the one I did the hack on before.  Here's a pic with the connectors labeled.

[GearHead]

Depending on the mouse you use you may need some resistors on the outputs tied to ground.  2K resistors should do the job.  Schematic below....  This board plugs right into an Optipac and works nicely.

[unclet]

GearHead:
Thanks for the effort, but I have no idea what that pciture is trying to say     I am not that electronically inclined.

Anyway, I am going to connect the Pole Position PCB directly to a Belkin USB mouse (model #F8E813-USB).  Does that sound good?  

PS: Will I hurt my computer and/or mouse if I do not use a resistor when I needed one?

[unclet]

I ran wires from my "X-axis" mouse PCB optics to the Pole Position PCB, but nothing happens when I spin my Pole Position steering wheel.

My computer does recognize the Belkin USB mouse since I can spin one of the flywheels (which came inside the mouse hardware) through the "Y-axis" and the cursor moves.  When I spin it through the "X-axis" it does not move.

Thing is, I left the X-axis optics attached to the mouse PCB, is this bad?  I mean, do I have to remove the X-axis mouse optics from my mouse PCB to allow the Pole Position optics to work?  

Or, do I in fact need to add a resistor somewhere.  if so, please tell me where exactly I need to sodler the resistor too, based on my Atari Pole Position PCB shown in the above postings.

PS:  I am assuming my Pole Position PCB does in fact work like the guy I bought it from indicated.... but I am not sure.

[aredhel]

You need to remove the sensor from the mouse board.  With it inplace one or both of the signal lines are being held high.  Don't remove the led if you need the other axis to work as is. If you can't tell the led from the sensor post a photo in which we can see the wires on the PCB and some one should be able to tell you.

If that dosn't work you will need to test some things.  Hook the Pole PCB to 5V and leave the signal pins unconnected and use a volt meater between ground and a signal pin.  If it's working right then it should jump between 0 and >3v volts as you turn the wheel.

Next plug the mouse in and use a volt meater between its ground and the three pads where the sensor was attached.  One should be +5v, the other two should be 0v or some where in between 0 and 5 volts.  If the two pads are at 0v then hook them to the signal lines from the Pole PCB and it should just work.  If the two pads are inbetween then after you connect them to the Pole PCB you will need to add two resistors, one between each signal line and ground.

You should note that if I got the +v and ground on the photo reversed then almost nothing I said holds true and the wiring will be vary difrent.  You should be able to tell by using a diode check on a volt meter on the leds.

[unclet]

I guess what you mean by the "led" is the transmitter on the mouse PCB?   Anyway, I removed both the transmitter "led ?" and receiver from the X-axis of the mouse PCB since I do not need the other axis (ie: Y-axis) to work properly.    I will test this out tonight.  My fingers are crossed since if this works, then my final panel of my 6-panel rotating driving cab would be complete thus I can start to assemble the surrounding MDF pieces and be very close to finishing.  My goal is to finish a couple weeks before XMas.

PS:  I am honored to be a part of your first BYOAC post ..... thanks for the information and Welcome to BYOAC.

[unclet]

Works like a charm.....thanks for all the help.

[Aceldamor]

Doh....looks like I got here a little too late, damn vacations. Anyhoo my hack works just fine, thanks JJ for using my stuff as a basis for comparison, it actually makes me feel like a contributor.  I would also like to mention with theese hacks working I have re-found my love for Ivan Stewart, Super Sprint, and all the others again...WOOT!!  Now it's just a matter of making some kind of make shift mounting box until I can make my dedicated driving cab...

[Texasmame]

Hmm. . .