Logitech Mouse Hack to Trackball

[Stormy151]

I bought a couple of cheap Logitech First Wheel mice to use for interfacing a trackball and spinners on my cab.  Later, I read somewhere that a mouse hack with a Logitech mouse wouldn't work.  I was bummed that I would have to buy another set of mice.

Then I started thinking about it, and figured if the mouse worked the same way as other mice (IR Led and a "light chopper" wheel) there was no reason it shouldn't work.

Anyway, I figured it out, and it works!  Is there any interest in a tutorial?  

I know there's a million mouse hack tutes out there, the only real difference is the way the detectors wire up.  I figure maybe that info can at least be added to existing tutorials...

[jerryjanis]

I know that I'd be very interested.  I always wondered about the logitech mouse hack, and what the difference is.

[Stormy151]

It's really easy- at least it was for what I used, the First Wheel Mouse.

The only difference I found was that the detector had 4 leads.  All the detectors in all the tutorials I came across had 3 leads.  Basically there was Output 1, Output 2, +5v, and ground.

That was it.  I tied the +5v and the ground from both detectors together, and into the +5v and ground pins on the trackball, which was a Betson/Imperial.

Remember I said I bought 2 mice?  I ruined the first one by not paying attention and hooking up +5v and ground backwards.  Oops.  

[Minwah]

That's interesting to know...the problem I had with a Logitech was that the sensor had 3 pins as usual, but the hack simply did not work

[Stormy151]

Maybe it depends on the model?      I thought I'd hit a major curve ball when I saw the detectors had 4 legs.  The IR LEDs even had 3 legs.  Don't ask me what the the 3rd leg does, it's an LED- should only need power and ground...  

When I fried the first one I, the computer kept saying "Unrecognized USB Device" when I plugged it in.  Which was wierd because I had hooked up the axes one at a time and they both worked individually, and the computer recognized it as a pointing device.  

[OSCAR]

Minwah is correct, the Logitech mice I've also had trouble interfacing with arcade optics are the ones with a 3-pin phototransistor.  I haven't tried hacking a Logitech for years since they never worked.  Possibly they have changed their board since I last cracked one open and now use the 4-pin style and those work with arcade optic boards.