anyone tried this?

[darkmavis]

been reading the forums for ages now  (just waiting for my cab to arrive the ill be on the job!)  after seeing the trackball lovleyness on this site ive decided i want one on my cab.  now all yours look ace sunken in but if i did that, it would be terrible, (wookdowrk wasnt my strong point.) so i thought of one of these
http://www.techspot.com/reviews/hardware/trackball_explorer/prod.jpg  could i use this for trackball games?  or should  just buy a trackball and forget thr idea? thanks again for your inputs  

[Shape D.]

People have tried them before but the general consensus is an arcade trackball will work better. those are ment more for accurate smaller movements compared to an arcade trackball that is meant more for quick movements. I guarentee you it will suck for golden tee

[darkmavis]

bah.... ah well was  worth asking i suppose..  so if i get  a trackball, i need an optipac.. does that fit on top of my jpac? do i need to power it?  thanks again for your help

[olsteve]

Happs sells trackballs with USB or PS/2 connections

[NoOne=NBA=]

Just get an Oscar USB Mouse Hack to go with the trackball.
I think he even sells an interface harness that will hook a Happ trackball directly to the mouse hack.

As far as mounting the trackball goes, you don't really need good woodworking skills unless you are a perfectionist.
Just get a mounting plate for it.
Then all you have to do is cut a big square (or kinda square, it won't show) hole out of your CP.
The plate won't sit quite flush, but it will still look good.

[darkmavis]

thaks people for all the replys,  im gonna order one now, whats the best size to get?

[Lilwolf]

btw... cheapest new trackball

2 1/4 from ultimarc -            $35
mounting kit                        $15    (10 if you go from www.therealbobroberts.com)
hacked mouse from Oscar - $10
                                           
so for 60 bucks and your done..  Just keep it in mind.

That trackball should be fine for centipede and the like.  Don't expect any game that needs fast motion to work at all.  The rollback (move fast to the left and you guy goes slow to the left) is pretty bad on most PC trackballs.  I've heard there is one that works well, but it cost more then buying an arcade trackball.

But bigger is better. 

[NoOne=NBA=]

thaks people for all the replys,  im gonna order one now, whats the best size to get?

Depends on what you're after.
Most of the arcade games used 3", so that is probably the most "arcade accurate" size.
Atari used those big 4-1/2 inchers, but I wouldn't recommend them for anything except the Atari sports games.

Which leaves the 2-1/4" ones.
They did ship in alot of games, and were very common in cocktails.
They are the easiest to control, for games like Centipede, because you are fighting less inertia to move/stop the ball.
For games that require you to really spin the ball, they are not quite as good (IMO) as a 3" because your hand can contact the 3" for a longer period of time on those games prior to just letting it go.

[Chris]

I wore out three PC trackballs before I broke down and got an arcade ball.  PC trackballs just aren't built to take the punishment.

--Chris