trackball suggestions

[d8thstar]

hey everyone, i am finally taking the plunge to add a trackball (maybe two) and two spinners to my cab.  a few emails with andy whom i ordered an optipac from and he suggested that if $$ isn't an issue, that i should go with happs.

so my question to the board, can anyone suggest from the different models on happs site as to what i should get?  if i go with one, i dont think space would be an issue but if i go with two, a may need to get smaller balls (heh)

thanks everyone, T

[rampy]

I may be wrong... but it's my understanding, when considering the under the panel girth... the  2 1/4" trackball has similiar plastic housing dimensions to the 3" tb...

I think the other options like highball, etc ... are a matter of preference...

rampy

[d8thstar]

thanks for the reply.  i guess my main concern if the mounting of the sizes is roughly the same would be if there is any difference in interfacing them with an optipac?

for instance, some come with ps/2 and usb interfaces and some do not.  would this make a difference since i will be using the opac?

i guess i'm a bit of a worry wart and am afraid that i may screw things up...

[Rod1968]

for instance, some come with ps/2 and usb interfaces and some do not.  would this make a difference since i will be using the opac?

i guess i'm a bit of a worry wart and am afraid that i may screw things up...

If you are going to use an OPT-PAC you do not want either of these (ps2/usb) they interface to the computer without the need for the OPT-PAC. if you are going to use the OPT-PAC get a regular old arcade trackball.

Rodney

[u_rebelscum]

so my question to the board, can anyone suggest from the different models on happs site as to what i should get?  if i go with one, i dont think space would be an issue but if i go with two, a may need to get smaller balls (heh)

Happs 3" come in three flavors: original, high lip, and high ball.  The high ball model has the ball sitting higher with more of the ball above the plate.  The high lip is basically the same as the original except you can mount it on thicker boards than the original (1/4" instead of 1/16", I think), but the high lip also comes with a spacer so it can be inter-changed with older, original balls.

The 2 1/4" only has the original model.

The 3" mounting plate is only half an inch bigger than the 2 1/4" (6.5" vs 6").

If you are using the optipac, do not get the usb or ps2 kits; the optipac will do this instead, for a lot less.

[Smack]

Aside from the spce issues, I've got 4 different trackballs.

A happs 3 inch on one cab, 2 Wico 2 1/4 inch ones on my cocktail, and a Golden Tee 3 inch ball on another cab.

If I were to only have one, I'd get a Golden Tee trackball. Its higher and much heavier than the 3 inch happs one. It spins like mad and interfaces straight through a happs interface or an optipac. Cakewalk.

I think the GT trackballs are about the same cost as  the regular 3 inch. The mounting seems to be the same too, but don't quote me.

just my 2 cents.

Smack

[d8thstar]

so do i also need a mounting plate or do these trackballs come complete with everything i need (optipac on the way)?

thanks everyone for the feedback so far!

[rampy]

so do i also need a mounting plate or do these trackballs come complete with everything i need (optipac on the way)?

thanks everyone for the feedback so far!

If you are going to use a wooden control panel you'll need a mounting plate...  happs sells em as does the real bob roberts (it's called an atari trackball mounting plate, but will fit a happs/wico/betson)

If you had a metal control panel you could probably mount it directly to it.

Rampy

[gibble]

So if a person goes with a regular happs trackball and the optipac does it still function as a mouse?  What about mouse buttons?

[Smack]

Yup.

The optipac supprts 2 mouse buttons per port as well.

[u_rebelscum]

... and a Golden Tee 3 inch ball on another cab....

Smack

Can you give more info on the "Golden Tee" TB?  Happs has too "GT" targeted TBs: the high lip and the high ball.  Sounds like yours has the ball set high like the happs high ball, but isn't a happs, yes?  Wico or Betson, or some other manufacturer?  Thanks

[Smack]

I'm pretty sure that the one that I have is the "High Lip Ball". the panel that I got off ebay is a Golden Tee Fore panel. So I'm gonna take a stab and say that it is the high lip one. It's defninately a happs one. (The optics are happs and the construction matches my 3 inch ball.)

Here's a couple of crappy pics of the GT one and my old Happs 3 inch one.


This is the GT one.


The happs 3 inch.

It's kinda tough to get a good picture, but you can definately see the difference in the curve / height of the ball if you look by the edges.

The panel from the top is this:


The trackball mounts underneath the lexan. It's routed out under the lexan. You can't see the 4 bolts that hold the trackball on, just the bolts that hold the mounting plate on.

Word.
Smack

[u_rebelscum]

I'm pretty sure that the one that I have is the "High Lip Ball".

Great pictures: thanks a lot!  I was wondering because I have a happs high lip TB, too, and wondered how it compared to yours.  Since it's the same, I guess it compares quite well.