Ultimarc Trackball: PS/2 Vs Opti-pac ??

[Mickey Juice]

Hey eveyone!

I was just about to order my parts from Ultimarc and have a question regarding the trackball.

The Aussie distributer of Ultimarc stuff has the same trackball which can come pre-wired to a PS/2 interface for plug&play operation.

From the ulitmarc site it just comes with no interface so it can be connected to an Opti-Pac.

My Q is, is one method preferable over the other ie connecting via the PS/2 port or using an Opti-pac? I was going to buy from ulitmarc as the price is cheaper compared to my local distributer, but I may have to buy an Opti-pac now  
I don't think a t'ball can be connected via an I-pac2 (which i'll be using) and i'm not buying a mini-pac.
Is there any other methods or can the trackball be easily wired for a PS/2/USB connection?

Thanks!

[Tiger-Heli]

Hey eveyone!

I was just about to order my parts from Ultimarc and have a question regarding the trackball.

The Aussie distributer of Ultimarc stuff has the same trackball which can come pre-wired to a PS/2 interface for plug&play operation.

From the ulitmarc site it just comes with no interface so it can be connected to an Opti-Pac.

My Q is, is one method preferable over the other ie connecting via the PS/2 port or using an Opti-pac? I was going to buy from ulitmarc as the price is cheaper compared to my local distributer, but I may have to buy an Opti-pac now  
I don't think a t'ball can be connected via an I-pac2 (which i'll be using) and i'm not buying a mini-pac.
Is there any other methods or can the trackball be easily wired for a PS/2/USB connection?

Thanks!

www.oscarcontrols.com sells a USB mouse interface (pre-hacked mouse) for like $13 which would be good for this.

[Fuzzguitar]

Hey Mickey how did you end up going with this?

I'm in the same boat as you, plus I'm wondering about the Ultimarc/Ozstick/Suzo Trackball... does it feel too small?

Another thing is, I've only ever seen t'balls in Aussie cabinets (like Capcom Bowling) where no mounting plate shows on top - the ball just emerges from the surfaces.

Is it easy to mount like this? I'm most likely to be dealing with 2cm thick wood.

[Mickey Juice]

I ended up buying the T'ball from ulitmarc and used a mouse hack to turn it into a PS/2 mouse. It worked fine.

I screwed up with my CP design, as the angle of the CP is on too steep an angle, so the t'ball doesn't sit on the rollers properly when you spin it to the right....  So I'm going to rebuild that CP eventually  (it's on a cocktail machine).
As far as size goes, it's not too bad. It's the size of a cueball, so it's not big as Golden Tee or those games, but it did the job for me.

As far as the mounting plate not being visible, I'm not sure how the arcades do it, but you could just recess the plate into the wood, using a router.. then it would be flush with the CP.

[Mark70]

I also saw the 2 1/4" trackball on ulitmarc's site.  It's a great price compared to Happ's 3" trackball and even to their 2 1/4" trackballs.  I was hoping to find more feedback on this trackball since it's a significant savings.

It is a free spinning trackball unlike a computer trackball.  ie it would still be good for golden tee?

[rockmes]

l did have a Ultimarc trackball that l bought from Chris at Ozstick with the ps2 mouse hack that he makes for it- it works well. But recently l got my hands on a 3" Beston Imperial trackball and l must say " it kills the Ultimarc one". it rolls better and its feels higher and easier to use. l am currently making a mouse hack for it instead of using an opti-pac. My current spinner is using a hacked mouse  serial port which works great. So really there is no need for an opti-pac if you can go to the trouble of making the interface, its easy. There are a few web sites that show you how to do this.
My page has pics of my control panel-
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~rockmes1/