Main > Main Forum
BAD-ASS trackball...
quarterback:
--- Quote from: NoOne=NBA= on January 21, 2005, 06:26:21 pm --- what's the point of using optics to transmit the data, rather than using an encoder wheel on the end of the roller?
--- End quote ---
I think the point was to have an easy, cheap 'hack' to attach a trackball to a Mame machine. Take a cheap optical mouse, get any kind of old trackball (with or without any other sort of controller interface) hook them together and you're in business.
brandon:
actually I think the optical setup would be superior to rollers with encoder wheel for a few reasons. trackballs slip on the rollers instead of turning sometimes but movement would still be registered because the optic would see the ball move. Also to my knowledge they dont have the problem with strobing as badly but I cant say with certainty.
brandon:
--- Quote from: SOAPboy on January 21, 2005, 04:18:00 am ---
--- Quote from: brandon on January 21, 2005, 03:35:43 am ---http://www.clana3d.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=53
http://www.clana3d.com/html/mods/PXLmod_logitech/PXLmod_logitech1.htm
http://derfaust.myftp.org/XLmod.htm
--- End quote ---
any FPS player that uses that, does and will get owned constantly.. that thing is a JOKE for fps gaming..
but yeah, for a mame machine, could work out "well"
--- End quote ---
I havent tried one but I dont think it would be that different than a mouse keyboard setup except that you would have analog movements instead of digital and having to press "walk" run" or SSprint" buttons which is a pain.
Will:
Soap just to let you know you are sort of right and sort of wrong.The panther xl may suck in most peoples hands but there is exceptions to the rule .I for instance suck hard with that ugly thing but there is a guy in my old quake clan that absolutely owned all with that thing.He won two huge quake2 tournaments with close to 500 competitors in back to back years.These were not <auto-censored> tourneys and were run by Gamespy and yes there were many great mouse and keyboard players and they all got owned by this guy.He now plays with a mouse and keyboard because there are no working drivers for newer fps with the panther.On a side not before he got his panther xl he played fps with a flight stick for movement and a logitech trackball for aiming
u_rebelscum:
--- Quote from: brandon on January 21, 2005, 07:25:35 pm ---actually I think the optical setup would be superior to rollers with encoder wheel for a few reasons. trackballs slip on the rollers instead of turning sometimes but movement would still be registered because the optic would see the ball move. Also to my knowledge they dont have the problem with strobing as badly but I cant say with certainty.
--- End quote ---
You're making one assumption: an optical "skip" is not as bad as a mechnical-opto skip. That the optical will be able to compare frames and correctly see what direction was moved. Opticals can and do "skip" when they see wrong.
Even on the MS and logitech optical TBs, with (patented even) dotted balls, can miss a super fast spin. I have yet to see an optical able to correctly see me super spin it's ball (haven't tested the new kensington optical expect mouse TB, though). And on my new (but cheap) optical mouse at work the cursor can "walk" or "zoom" at the wierdest times; using it as the "base" optical on a hacked TB would have problem, I think.
Mechanical-Optos have problems, but so do Opticals. I think it's still case by case instances on which is better, depending on which sensor, ball, roller, encoder wheel, movement calculation software, or other hardware is going to be used.