Author Topic: Translucent trackball lighting. (Read 5744 times)

JesterDEV · « **on:** April 11, 2004, 05:58:51 pm »

I got a great deal on a 3" blue translucent trackball on ebay ($12+s/h). I've been using my golden tee trackball for quite sometime, and figured it was time for a change.

Anyway, I was thinking about using a standard(?) led that a computer uses. I have tons of old computers, and parts laying around so I figured I'd use what I have. But I'm wondering if it will be bright enough? I have some green, some red, and some orange. I don't think the color will make that much difference in the brightness but you never know. It's either that or I buy a USB light (sort of like those tubes to light a computer case). Any advice?

Sasquatch! · « **Reply #1 on:** April 12, 2004, 12:32:19 am »

A standard LED will not be nearly bright enough. You'll want to either use the standard 14v incandescent bulb, or a superbright LED.

I bought a white "4 LED Cluster LED" from glowire.com to light my translucsent blue trackball, and it works GREAT. So great in fact, that I had to move it off-center a little bit, because it was TOO bright!

walls83 · « **Reply #2 on:** April 12, 2004, 05:16:14 pm »

I think I bought a trackball from the same guy Jest. How is it? I would also Like to know about wiring a light for it.

jimmyjet · « **Reply #3 on:** April 12, 2004, 06:55:03 pm »

How about tapping into the power supply for the coin door lights and using the same type of fixture? That's what I was planning on doing. It should be bright enough.
jimmyjet

Daniel270 · « **Reply #4 on:** April 12, 2004, 08:02:16 pm »

I've seen this done on the Zelda MAME in the examples page...
Why not an LED cannon?

http://www.cpusforless.com/1laledcaco.html

I'm going to try one of these out on mine and see how well it works!

Daniel

Sasquatch! · « **Reply #5 on:** April 12, 2004, 10:02:57 pm »

Quote from: jimmyjet on April 12, 2004, 06:55:03 pm

How about tapping into the power supply for the coin door lights and using the same type of fixture? That's what I was planning on doing. It should be bright enough.

Sure, in fact that's what I'm doing on my new cabinet: I have 12V/GND leads going to the coin door lights, and then up to the control panel to light the "4 LED Cluster LED" from glowire.com (which also uses a 12V connection).

hulkster · « **Reply #6 on:** April 12, 2004, 11:51:58 pm »

Quote from: Daniel270 on April 12, 2004, 08:02:16 pm

I've seen this done on the Zelda MAME in the examples page...
Why not an LED cannon?

http://www.cpusforless.com/1laledcaco.html

I'm going to try one of these out on mine and see how well it works!

Daniel

man, those looked good, and cheap! tell me when you are going to buy one of these, and let me know how well they work. they come pre assembled so thats a definite plus for me since im a wuss when it comes to wiring. let me know!

walls83 · « **Reply #7 on:** April 13, 2004, 12:00:22 am »

The only thing I see is youll have to get an power cord extender. Atleast for me I would have to get one. I was looking at the 4 light cluster. but this is a def. purcase either way its to cheap not to buy.

Daniel270 · « **Reply #8 on:** April 13, 2004, 01:28:21 am »

It's going to be a while.... real life always comes first, but when the chance comes, I'm definitely going to get at least one or two of those LED cannons.

hulkster · « **Reply #9 on:** April 13, 2004, 07:08:17 am »

yes, life does indeed come first....*sigh*....well whoever gets one first, tell the other how it is.

OSCAR · « **Reply #10 on:** April 15, 2004, 11:03:36 pm »

On the Centipede I'm restoring, I took a little liberty to replace the white fire button and off-white trackball with translucent blue ones for a bit of variety. I'm lighting them super bright LED's, one for each. From how my trackball looks with a single super bright LED, I would have to think that a LED cannon would be overkill for a trackball.

Here are two pics of my cp; the first one is with the camera flash, the second one without a flash. And neither pic is really that representative of how bright they are to the eye, I had to reposition the trackball LED because it was too bright at first.

hulkster · « **Reply #11 on:** April 16, 2004, 07:45:19 am »

yeah, but the cannon things are really easy. those led's require wiring up. ive seen tutorials, but im still scared

so id be more apt to go with the cannon's, and if i have to, just put a piece of paper or something over the led (not touching) to dim the light. wont that work?

OSCAR · « **Reply #12 on:** April 17, 2004, 01:39:15 am »

Quote from: hulkster081 on April 16, 2004, 07:45:19 am

those led's require wiring up. ive seen tutorials, but im still scared

Are you planning on putting buttons or joysticks in your control panel? Those require two wires per switch, just like how a LED needs two wires. The only difference between a pushbutton and an LED is the resistor, which isn't any harder to connect to a wire than anything else.

If you can let me know what your difficulty is with LED's, I'd be happy to help you out.

Sasquatch! · « **Reply #13 on:** April 17, 2004, 11:42:24 am »

Quote from: OSCAR on April 17, 2004, 01:39:15 am

Are you planning on putting buttons or joysticks in your control panel? Those require two wires per switch, just like how a LED needs two wires. The only difference between a pushbutton and an LED is the resistor, which isn't any harder to connect to a wire than anything else.

If you can let me know what your difficulty is with LED's, I'd be happy to help you out.

OSCAR was quite helpful to me when I started poking around with LEDs, so feel free to hit me up for anything too.

The main reason that I went with the LED cluster from glowire.com wasn't for ease of wiring, but ease of mounting. The cluster was already in a nice little holder, so all I needed was a piece of double-sided tape, and I was done. But the wiring itself is super-easy.

hulkster · « **Reply #14 on:** April 17, 2004, 12:38:54 pm »

Quote from: OSCAR on April 17, 2004, 01:39:15 am

Quote from: hulkster081 on April 16, 2004, 07:45:19 am
those led's require wiring up. ive seen tutorials, but im still scared

Are you planning on putting buttons or joysticks in your control panel? Those require two wires per switch, just like how a LED needs two wires. The only difference between a pushbutton and an LED is the resistor, which isn't any harder to connect to a wire than anything else.

If you can let me know what your difficulty is with LED's, I'd be happy to help you out.

sweet, thanks oscar! well i guess what im having trouble with is the fact that i will have to mess with my power supply. i dont like the fact that if i screw up wiring something, then my power supply could mess up. anyway, ive seen that you can buy a molex connector from like radio shack or something, then take wires from that to connect the lights. well what wires do i use? i dont know about the voltage or anything...i just know about arcade buttons to ipacs

. anyway, so how do i wire up the red or black wires to what parts of the led?? also, what are the best leds to get? ive seen that video tutorial thing where the guy reviews different leds but im still kinda confused. if you could point me in the right directions here, id be greatful!

walls83 · « **Reply #15 on:** April 19, 2004, 06:25:15 pm »

I got my Tans Blue Trackball today and boy is it pretty. Im making a New CP this week so I dont know how it looks or rolls yet.

CthulhuLuke · « **Reply #16 on:** April 19, 2004, 07:29:27 pm »

I used a super bright blue LED from Radio shack, used a little 9v wall adapter with resistor and what not. *portable phone adapter thingy, just cut the wires off one end* I'm actually making a resistance calculator program as we speak in Visual C++ .NET, I'll post it when I'm done for any LED enthusiasts, its actually just a direct rip of the website:
http://metku.net/index.html?sect=view&n=1&path=mods/ledcalc/index_eng
just converting all the equations from javascript to C++, put some doubles and rounds in there, and I'm good to go.
The only hard part of the entire LED thing is finding the correct resistance, but if you have a program or website to do it automatically it saves you a headache of having the wrong calculations.

OSCAR · « **Reply #17 on:** April 19, 2004, 08:45:41 pm »

Oops, sorry Hulkster, I didn't notice your reply.

I'm sure you've seen this already, but my LED driver page has some info regarding how to figure the correct resistor to use with an LED, as well as links to some other LED projects.

An easy way to tap into your power supply is to use a cheap power supply "y" splitter, http://www.qvs.com/sata/images/cc2125y.JPG, and cut off an end (not the end that will plug into your ps!). The red is +5V, which is more than enough for a super bright LED. Radio Shack will have some super brights if you don't want to order something online.

An LED should have one leg long than the other, that is the leg that you connect to the +5V source, putting the correct resistor between the LED and the +5V wire. HTH.

Zakk · « **Reply #18 on:** April 19, 2004, 08:58:18 pm »

I'm pretty sure the canon LED's are just superbrights in a plastic housing, although Oscar was right, they were a bit too bright...however, they come with a little swivel stand, and if you change the angle on the led, it drastically changes the light going through the ball, so it's a pretty good alternative. I've retrofitted a few of my other projects for people, since the most common complaint with the old bulb arrangement that I had used was that it made the ball warm on one side, and cool on the other, which felt funny when you played. Of course the new light puts off no noticeable heat, so they are a good solution. One thing, I HIGHLY reccomend matching the LED color to the color of the ball. The 12V auto bulb I used made the blue ball a sickly green, where a blue LED made it glow properly. Perhaps a superbright white would give a good color too, but blue was definitely best.

hulkster · « **Reply #19 on:** April 19, 2004, 09:24:41 pm »

Quote from: OSCAR on April 19, 2004, 08:45:41 pm

Oops, sorry Hulkster, I didn't notice your reply.

I'm sure you've seen this already, but my LED driver page has some info regarding how to figure the correct resistor to use with an LED, as well as links to some other LED projects.

An easy way to tap into your power supply is to use a cheap power supply "y" splitter, http://www.qvs.com/sata/images/cc2125y.JPG, and cut off an end (not the end that will plug into your ps!). The red is +5V, which is more than enough for a super bright LED. Radio Shack will have some super brights if you don't want to order something online.

An LED should have one leg long than the other, that is the leg that you connect to the +5V source, putting the correct resistor between the LED and the +5V wire. HTH.

well oscar, your method sounds easy, yet when you say connect to the end of a superbright LED, does that require soldering?!? *cringes and hides in the corner*....or can you use quick disconnects?

Zakk:
do they have blue LED's at radio shack? im also going to get some blue coin rejects for my happ coin door, and light them with blue...or white?....led's?

Zakk · « **Reply #20 on:** April 20, 2004, 12:35:05 am »

I try to avoid radio shack...crazy prices.

I've ordered about 10 of these online. For $2 you can't go wrong. I even have one mounted in my pc case in a window pointed at my keyboard so that as it gets dark I can still see what I'm typing on a black keyboard. They're just great since they're plug and play.
http://www.cpusforless.com/1laledcaco.html

However, you really should try some soldering. Hell if I can figure out how to weld in a couple of days, you should be able to figure out soldering in 10 mintues. I have faith in you.

Once you do it, you'll wonder how you got along without knowing how! (Oscar said the same thing to me a couple of months ago about welding!)

hulkster · « **Reply #21 on:** April 20, 2004, 07:12:17 am »

k, so are you saying i should go for the LED cannon things?

Zakk · « **Reply #22 on:** April 20, 2004, 10:36:47 am »

Oh you are stuborn! Yeah, they will work, but remember they only come with a tiny little power cord, so on all the ones I put into cabs I had to cut the wire and solder in an extention, since the pc plugs are usually at the bottom of the cab, and the panel is a fair distance away. I think you can get hard drive power extensions though, but I've never seen one longer than 12 inches.

Go get that soldering iron

OSCAR · « **Reply #23 on:** April 20, 2004, 11:23:07 am »

Sorry if I goofed you up. I though the LED cannons were those cluster things with a bunch of super brights all bundled together. THAT would be overkill for a trackball, but the single LED cannons that Zakk linked look pretty much like what I used, except mine didn't have the fancy housing or connector. For that price of $2 each, it seems pretty hard to beat since it has the housing & connector already.

KevSteele · « **Reply #24 on:** April 20, 2004, 12:41:37 pm »

Quote from: OSCAR on April 20, 2004, 11:23:07 am

Sorry if I goofed you up. I though the LED cannons were those cluster things with a bunch of super brights all bundled together. THAT would be overkill for a trackball

I don't know, Kelsey, I really like the 4-LED white cluster that I used on my SlikStik. The light level seems just right, at least to me:

I got my cluster from Glowire.com:

http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/lazer.html

Pretty simple to install, as it has a molex connector on it. I just rigged up a "molex extension cable" and used the double-sided tape included with the cluster to stick it directly below the trackball.

Kevin

OSCAR · « **Reply #25 on:** April 20, 2004, 12:48:39 pm »

Maybe those Glowire clusters don't use as bright of LED's as the one I used?? A single superbright (forgot the mcd) on my trackball was more than enough light, too much actually, I had to angle the LED a bit because it was too distracting.

Zakk · « **Reply #26 on:** April 20, 2004, 12:55:41 pm »

I do agree about the angle, it would kind of catch my eye while I was playing when it was directed straight through the ball... if that cluster pointed straight up through that ball Kev? It looks great, but how about a shot without flash/room lights, that's when I really noticed it bugged me most. Although it -looked- better with the light shining right through it.

I'd love to see a combo, if anyone ever bought one, of those clear UV juggling balls and one of those UV led's that kevin reviewed...that might be killer.

KevSteele · « **Reply #27 on:** April 20, 2004, 12:55:47 pm »

Kelsey,

It may also depend on how close the LEDs are to the ball. My cluster is mounted to the bottom panel of the controller, so it may not be allowing as much light directly into the trackball controller (which only has a small opening on the bottom).

Kevin

OSCAR · « **Reply #28 on:** April 20, 2004, 01:11:34 pm »

Quote from: kevsteele on April 20, 2004, 12:55:47 pm

Kelsey,

It may also depend on how close the LEDs are to the ball. My cluster is mounted to the bottom panel of the controller, so it may not be allowing as much light directly into the trackball controller (which only has a small opening on the bottom).

Kevin

Build a small campfire, sit real close. Build a big campfire, sit way back?

KevSteele · « **Reply #29 on:** April 20, 2004, 01:51:15 pm »

Hot off the digital camera, here's a semi-darkened room shot:

The lighting is just perfect (it's not even as bright as it looks in the shots, just a rich blue glow)

I'm guessing the light is at a slight angle, since the bottom board is flat and the top panel is on a slight slope. However it's set up, it came out great.

I'm guessing I found the ideal angle and distance purely by accident, but heck, we all deserve a bit of accidental good luck now and then, right?

Kevin

JesterDEV · « **Reply #30 on:** April 20, 2004, 02:22:27 pm »

Quote from: walls83 on April 12, 2004, 05:16:14 pm

I think I bought a trackball from the same guy Jest. How is it? I would also Like to know about wiring a light for it.

Did you get it yet? Mine looks good with no scratches or anything. Sorry I took so long to reply. I had no idea there was this many posts. Could have sworn I subcribed to this thread..

Anyway, I went out and got a USB lighting system from circuit city for $15. It has two lights that you can change the color on via a small button on a power switch type thing. It works quite well. Depending on the color I chose it lights up either green, light blue, or bright blue. The other colors are not bright enough to do anything. The only problem is that I have to turn it on everytime I turn on my machine. I'm looking for a way to turn it on automatically, but havent really tried to hard yet.

hulkster · « **Reply #31 on:** April 20, 2004, 02:46:27 pm »

Quote from: Zakk on April 20, 2004, 10:36:47 am

Oh you are stuborn! Yeah, they will work, but remember they only come with a tiny little power cord, so on all the ones I put into cabs I had to cut the wire and solder in an extention, since the pc plugs are usually at the bottom of the cab, and the panel is a fair distance away. I think you can get hard drive power extensions though, but I've never seen one longer than 12 inches.

Go get that soldering iron

actually, i have a soldering iron, came with a little computer tool kit thing i got. never used it though obviously. so uh, how do i go about this?

Zakk · « **Reply #32 on:** April 20, 2004, 04:16:17 pm »

Quote from: hulkster081 on April 20, 2004, 02:46:27 pm

actually, i have a soldering iron, came with a little computer tool kit thing i got. never used it though obviously. so uh, how do i go about this?

Take two wires, strip off the outer plastic sheath, twist them together, dip them in flux paste, hold the tip of the iron to the twisted wires, then touch the whole thing with the solder when it gets hot enough, or cheat like I used to and apply the solder to the tip, then heat it into the wires (not the right way, but it -will- work for a beginner!)

hulkster · « **Reply #33 on:** April 20, 2004, 04:26:36 pm »

uh okay, sounds cool....whats flux paste? put it in retard terms please

Zakk · « **Reply #34 on:** April 20, 2004, 05:09:17 pm »

Paste flux is awesome, wherever you put it, solder goes. Here is a pic of a couple of different kinds of flux paste, and different thicknesses of solder. Neat thing is... plumbing works the same way. You put flux on the joint, heat it up, and then apply the solder, and it gets sucked into the joint wherever the flux is.

So really, just get some of the paste, and it's 1-2-3.

froggerman · « **Reply #35 on:** April 20, 2004, 09:04:37 pm »

Quote from: Zakk on April 20, 2004, 05:09:17 pm

Paste flux is awesome, wherever you put it, solder goes. Here is a pic of a couple of different kinds of flux paste, and different thicknesses of solder. Neat thing is... plumbing works the same way. You put flux on the joint, heat it up, and then apply the solder, and it gets sucked into the joint wherever the flux is.

So really, just get some of the paste, and it's 1-2-3.

Just don't go anywhere near your electronics with Acid Core solder, the type used in plumbing, or you will be very sorry.

hulkster · « **Reply #36 on:** April 20, 2004, 11:13:22 pm »

okay, so do i put this paste flux stuff on the thing im soldering the wire to? ive never heard of anybody doing this.

Zakk · « **Reply #37 on:** April 20, 2004, 11:28:04 pm »

http://www.epemag.wimborne.co.uk/solderfaq.htm#howto

There's a pretty in-depth faq on soldering. Basically, you want to put the solder on the wire you want to connect. So say twist the wires together, dip them into the paste, then heat and apply the solder wire. Doesn't take much flux, a tin of it is cheap and will last forever. It really is easy.

Sapper · « **Reply #38 on:** April 30, 2004, 04:26:33 pm »

I made a "homemade" lighting assembly for my TB (3" Happ HB) out of the following materials:
-1 superbright clear LED
-1 resistor 100 Ohm
-The reflector from a cheap sacrificial flashlight (the kind that comes free with batteries)
-a piece of paint stirrer stick
-hot glue
-wire
I ran the 5V lead from the OptiPAC to the resistor and then to the LED. I hot-glued the LED into the old reflector, and then the reflector through a hole in the paint stick. Glued the assembly in place, and then screwed it to the bottom of the TB. It works like a charm, and only cost me ~ $6 Cdn (or 0.50 US). See Pics...

Sapper · « **Reply #39 on:** April 30, 2004, 04:28:41 pm »

View of bottom of TB

Xiaou2 · « **Reply #40 on:** May 02, 2004, 01:15:34 am »

for Led lighting - its very focused light. This is why its so harst to look at them thru the trackball directly.

I recomend making a 'lightbox'. Make a small box like unit that holds the led out of view of the trackball (IE: do not place the led under the ball)...

The lightbox should be white inside - so that the light bounces arround inside of it. This will diffuse it - yet should be enough to light up the ball without that harsh beam.


Main	Restorations	Software	Audio/Jukebox/MP3	Everything Else	Buy/Sell/Trade
Project Announcements	Monitor/Video	GroovyMAME	Merit/JVL Touchscreen	Meet Up	Retail Vendors
Driving & Racing	Woodworking	Software Support Forums	Consoles	Project Arcade	Reviews
Automated Projects	Artwork	Frontend Support Forums	Pinball	Forum Discussion	Old Boards
Raspberry Pi & Dev Board	controls.dat	Linux	Miscellaneous Arcade	Wiki Discussion	Old Archives
Lightguns	Arcade1Up	Try the site in https mode		Site News


Unread posts \| New Replies \| Recent posts \| Rules \| Chatroom \| Wiki \| File Repository \| RSS \| Submit news