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

  

Author Topic: Trackball Size  (Read 4143 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

marcopolo

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 68
  • Last login:September 28, 2011, 02:11:53 am
  • Life's a ---smurfette---
Trackball Size
« on: September 30, 2002, 11:56:49 pm »
Two questions regarding trackballs:
1. what was the size used in the original Centipede games: 2 1/4", 3" or 4"

2. any recommendations on which size is best for MAME control panels - centipede, Cabal, marble madness, etc.

Any advice / recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Mark

Tommy Boy

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 113
  • Last login:April 13, 2010, 04:13:56 am
Re:Trackball Size
« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2002, 12:03:59 am »
You're in luck: TigerHeli just posted a link to an awesome FAQ that answers this and a few more questions.  Give it a read.

http://www.fraggersxtreme.com/arcadepanels/faq.htm#Should%20I%20use%20a%203-inch%20or%20a%202-1/4%20inch%20trackball?
(link fixed by moderator)
« Last Edit: October 01, 2002, 01:06:17 am by JustMichael »

marcopolo

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 68
  • Last login:September 28, 2011, 02:11:53 am
  • Life's a ---smurfette---
Re:Trackball Size
« Reply #2 on: October 01, 2002, 07:39:44 pm »
I still need some advice on this please... the FAQ did not fully answer my questions.

Anyone you currently has a trackball on their MAME control panel please let me know what size works best for a majority of the games..2.25", 3" or 4".  YOur feedback is greatly appreciated.

mark

hyiu

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1481
  • Last login:August 29, 2014, 05:36:15 am
  • too many games... too little time....
    • www
Re:Trackball Size
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2002, 10:24:37 am »
I am currently using a 3 inch trackball (the crayola ball or kidsball)....

feels good... reason I use it is because its simple and cheap... result is acceptable for my $30.....

Another Brilliant mind ruined by education....  :p

u_rebelscum

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3633
  • Last login:April 21, 2010, 03:06:26 pm
  • You rebel scum
    • Mame:Analog+
Re:Trackball Size
« Reply #4 on: October 03, 2002, 11:27:08 pm »

2. any recommendations on which size is best for MAME control panels - centipede, Cabal, marble madness, etc.

Any advice / recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Mark


centipede: (answer in the FAQ ref'ed) 2 1/4"
Cabal: some machines had 2 1/4", some 3"
marble madness: I think were 2 1/4"
golf games: I think all are 3"

In addition to the happs trackballs, Imperial 3" trackball can be bought with a ps/2 connection (~$80), and wico sells 2 1/4" for ~$25, 3" ~$50 last time I looked.

my 2 cents:
Testing a 2 1/4" kensington expert mouse against  a 3" happs and a 3" wico: I like the 3"s better.  Longer spin, bigger "grip" area, plus the arcade quality.  My happs spins longer and the ball/casing fitting is better than my wico, but my wico spins smoother.  I think others have found the wico smoother also.  Still debating which 3" I like more.  However, the 2 1/4 vs 3 test isn't really fair since my 2 1/4" isn't a real arcade trackball.  
Robin
Knowledge is Power

brandon

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 817
  • Last login:June 08, 2025, 02:40:01 pm
  • I <3 arcade games.
Re:Trackball Size
« Reply #5 on: October 03, 2002, 11:43:58 pm »
sort of OT, but I was wondering what mouse is best to use for a hack... as far as sensitivity and strobbing.  does the encoder on the original mouse have to be similar "pitch" as the trackball?  I mean I'm sure it would work either way but as far as performance which is best??

Chris

  • Trade Count: (+2)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4574
  • Last login:September 21, 2019, 04:59:49 pm
    • Chris's MAME Cabinet
Re:Trackball Size
« Reply #6 on: October 04, 2002, 12:25:06 am »
I have a 2-1/4" trackball that was part of a keyboard/trackball combo... I see some people have replaced their 2-1/4" ball with a billiard ball.... would the extra weight of a billiard ball bring my trackball to a more arcade fee, or would it just wear out the plastic rollers in the trackball faster?

--Chris
--Chris
DOSCab/WinCab Jukebox: http://www.dwjukebox.com

Tiger-Heli

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5447
  • Last login:January 03, 2018, 02:19:23 pm
  • Ron Howard? . . . er, I mean . . . Run, Coward!!!
    • Tiger-Heli
Re:Trackball Size
« Reply #7 on: October 04, 2002, 08:54:23 am »
Answering a bunch of replies here:

Marcopolo:  Beyond what I said in the FAQ, I think more arcade games used the 3-inch tball than anything else.  If these are the games that you usually play, (or even if not), I doubt you'd be disappointed with the 3-inch tball.

Chris:  I have heard that the 2-1/4 inch billiard balls improve performance of the ARCADE trackballs b/c of the added density.  I'd be nervous about trying it with plastic rollers, though.

Brandon:  I haven't done any of these first hand.  I've played around a little.  Nathan Strum of www.cheeptech.com recommended the Kensington 3-button Valumouse USB for his projects.  If you are going to use the mouse optics with a trackball encoder wheel it definitely helps if the encoder wheels are similar pitch.

BTW, http://www.oscarcontrols.com/order.htm sells prehacked Logitech mice for $16.00 and compatible encoder wheels for $3.50, dunno if these wheels would fit your trackball though.

Personally, I prefer the concepts in http://mamewah.mameworld.net/MouseHack.html and http://www.members.shaw.ca/bakaye/tballhack.htm, both of which use the original trackball optics and then hook into the mouse at a higher level.  If you try this route, OSCAR has posted that Logitech mice DO NOT like to work with optics other than their own, so I would hack a non-logitech mouse for this.
It's not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it's what you leave behind you when you go. - R. Travis.
When all is said and done, generally much more is SAID than DONE.

brandon

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 817
  • Last login:June 08, 2025, 02:40:01 pm
  • I <3 arcade games.
Re:Trackball Size
« Reply #8 on: October 05, 2002, 03:26:57 am »
yeah tigerheli, I was wanting to use the trackballs existing optics and encoder, I didnt know which mice would be compatible and also how they would interpret the pulses from the optics.... I like the idea of trying some cheap USB mice and see what happens... that way with win98 and analog+ I can always add more!!  ;D  thanks for your input... :)
« Last Edit: October 05, 2002, 03:27:52 am by brandon »