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BAD-ASS trackball...

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RetroJames:


--- Quote from: NoOne=NBA= on January 21, 2005, 09:31:51 am ---
--- Quote from: M3talhead on January 21, 2005, 02:28:30 am ---why hasnt anyone designed a trackball... that would not spin rollers, but rather, trick the mouse into thinking that the ball was actually a "surface" it was moving over.

I should patent that,

--- End quote ---

Think about what you just asked.
If the trackball DIDN'T spin the rollers, it wouldn't MOVE.
If the trackball doesn't move, and the optical sensors don't move,
--- End quote ---


ericball:


--- Quote from: M3talhead on January 21, 2005, 02:28:30 am ---I came up with this idea after thinking how I could modift an optical mouse to work with trackball games. Since trackballs today still use the same principles as mouses, only bigger, I thought, why hasnt anyone designed a trackball with colored, swirled, dotted, or textured image trackballs that would not spin rollers, but rather, trick the mouse into thinking that the ball was actually a "surface" it was moving over.

I should patent that,

--- End quote ---
Sorry, you are a few years too late.  Check out the early Logitec TrackMan.  They used a "marble" with a special semi-random dot pattern which was then easily picked up and tracked by the optical sensors & processor.  These days the optical mice have a lot more processing power and better sensors so they don't need much texture or pattern to work.


u_rebelscum:


--- Quote from: M3talhead on January 21, 2005, 02:28:30 am ---I should patent that,
--- End quote ---

You'll have to go against Microsoft and Logitech .

(Notice how their balls are all dotted all over.)

M3talhead:

DAMN YOU BILLY GATES!  >:( >:(

NoOne=NBA=:


--- Quote from: 1hookedspacecadet on January 21, 2005, 09:35:41 am ---I think he means the rollers will not be used to transmit the movements

--- End quote ---

If the rollers are still there, and the rollers are still turning, what's the point of using optics to transmit the data, rather than using an encoder wheel on the end of the roller?
The rollers will still gunk up, they will still wear out, so there is NO advantage to this system.

The only reason optical mice are replacing ball mice is that there are no moving parts inside to gunk up, or wear out.
Well that, and I think there's a group of people that just like their mouse to glow (which CAN be done with a ball mouse, if you feed an LED off the USB port)



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