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Using an optical mouse for a trackball.
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markb:
I've recently built my first Mame/Game cabinet and am now in the process of putting on additions such as light guns, external volume control, steering wheel, trackball etc in addition to the 2 joysticks I started with.

So far I have done everything on the cheap but now it's time for the trackball. I had an idea this morning that instead of hacking a standard roller mouse it may be better to use an inverted optical mouse housed in very close proximity to the bottom of the trackball.

I done some research and it seems that an optical mouse works by picking up imperfections in the surface of whatever it is run over to detect motion. After purchasing a field hockey ball for
Bgnome:
i have heard of people attempting this, but pretty much stopped due to the 2 problems you mentioned.  the first was the ball.  if you are happy with a roughed up field hockey ball then that is fine.
as for the axis, i am unaware of a software solution.  i believe that mame will let you map mouse axes so you can try mapping that axis in reverse.  as for a hardware hacking solution, i could see how thats possible but cannot help you out in that respect either..
daywane:
I know it called B.Y.O.A.C.
I do enjoy building them. Very much so. I ahve built my own spinner . that was fun and works great.
hacked side winder to death.
Hacked Play Station controllers.

TRACK BALL  >:(
I have spent enough money on used track ball to make me sick. I have taken apart so many mice just to find out its the wrong type
I got 2 working but thay were so worn out I hated them.
( Man am I going to get flamed) Bite the bullet and get a new one.
I just got a new one from ebay $80.00 usb and ps2 with 3 button wires
I put up a good seller plug in the for sale section of this site.
here is one of his auctions.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=13718&item=6118355217&rd=1
I do not know him personally but I will buy from him again
I am VERY happy with mine
patrickl:
I think you can switch axes in MAME too yes. The ball would be a bigger issue for me. I think my logitech trackball is optical and it uses a patterned ball. That looks quite OK. But then it's a PC trackball so it won''t work for games (no free rolling).

If you want to buy a trackball then maybe an Ultimarc is a cheaper option. There is a thread comparing the 2 1/4 Ultimarc trackball vs Happs They come without an USB hack though.
brained:
I think you can use an optical mouse with a trackball, I've found out that the IC inside mice can acomplish several tasks, you can look at the technical reference from that IC and it will guide you through

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