Trackball question.

[SNAAAKE]

Okay using the mouse is getting annoying for navigation.
I would like to install a trackball.
Which will be the easiest but cheapset way to do it?

Which ps2 ready trackballs are good?
and some links to "how" would be great.I did look around but not much luck there(maybe I should look more).

Ideas ?

[paigeoliver]

I own the following trackballs.

Atari trackball (Crystal Castles).
Wico/Imperial 3" PS2
2.25" Happs trackball with serial interface PCB.

The Wico is nice, smooth and heavy.
The small happ's ball is light and fast.
While the Atari ball is somewhere in the middle, but not as smooth as either one (I attribute that to ball wear, the trackball assembly itself is rebuilt, but the ball has a lot of mileage on it).

I suggest looking for one of the Wico/Imperial PS2 trackballs. I bought mine new in box on ebay for $40 a while back. It even came with 3 buttons.

Only other thing you could need is a mounting plate, Happ's and Bob Roberts both have them.

[SNAAAKE]

how do I mount a 3" trackball  
Home depot carries 3" holesaw ?
or cut with jigsaw ?
Can I do without the trackball plate?
Just with carriage bolts ?
(just dont like the way it looks with a plate)

Thanks in advance  

[CCM]

how do I mount a 3" trackball  
Home depot carries 3" holesaw ?
or cut with jigsaw ?
Can I do without the trackball plate?
Just with carriage bolts ?
(just dont like the way it looks with a plate)

Thanks in advance  

If I remeber correctly you cut out a 5 1/2" square for the Happ's 3" trackball mounting kit.  If your using a CP overlay and lexan, just rout the top of the control panel enough to make the mounting plate flush.

[Raider]

If you want to go without having any bolts on your cp the mounting plate is prolly the way to go.

They are pretty ugly though... You'll want to hide that... Different ways to go.

You need a jigsaw and router... Maybe a 3" holesaw (BTW I bought mine at Home Depot).

I just laid down the trackball enclosure and traced it right onto the underside of the cp for what to cut out with a jig... Then used a colored pencil for the parts that needed to be routed out. If you go with an Atari/Happs you'll see what I mean when you get it.... There's a couple recessed lips on two ends. Dunno about wicos.

As CCM said route out a recess for the mounting plate to fit into on top of the cp... One of the benefits of having a plunge router, makes that easy. Then you'll need to drill corner holes to bolt it down. Now just what to cover that with.

The easiest and flushest way is prolly to use a laminate or thin lexan on the cp of some sort.

I tried something a bit different and used filler over it then primer then latex black paint.But only because I had probs getting thin lexan for the size I needed. Came out good and was flush looking. Later on I just decided that I wanted a plexi topper though because it looks better.

The plexi topper is 1/8" thick. Same as what you have on your Mamestation I believe.  I just flipped the cp over, lined up the holesaw to the recess in the mounting plate, and drilled just enough for the guide hole to go through (The holesaw will catch onto the mounting plate), then flipped it back over and drilled it out from the top. Then i beveled the inside of the hole off with a detail tool. Made it look more flush than it is.

[SNAAAKE]

Okay cool I can do it.last Q,my cp is 5/8" wood+1/8" plexi.Do I still need to route the bottom?

[Raider]

I used 3/4" wood and 1/8" plexi and had to route out two slamm sections at 1/2" depth if I recall right... So yeah you prolly would. Happs prolly still has the mounting schems up.

If a router is a prob... You could jigsaw out a hole (About 5-6" as someone else mentioned), do a 3" holesaw cut on the plexi, and bolt the trackball assembly right to the plexi. You wouldn't have to have a mounting plate then, but you would have some small boltheads showing. Should hold fine. Just don't make the hole in the wood of the cp overly large.