Anyone used the happs 1.5 inch trackball?

[evlbeaver]

My cabinet is of the ArcadeDepot cocktail variety so control space is at a premium. 

I have the player 1 control panel set up with a t-stick with red ball handle and four buttons.  On the player 2 side I have a Tornado spinner and two buttons for tempest.  The third control panel has two leaf joysticks with six buttons each.  Obviously I don't do the cocktail flipping two player thing.

I am really missing a trackball.  I already have a happs 3 inch and I am planning on putting it in an extrenal enclosure and just sitting it on top of the table when in use (or maybe add a shelf on back)

I am not real happy with this plan.  I am thinking of trying to find a way to shoehorn the spinner and one of the happs 1.5 inchers in the player 2 panel.  A swappable panel arrangement might also be a possibility.

Any thoughts?  Does anyone have any experience with this trackball?

[RayB]

No but i think I have seen it in use in kiosks (internet kiosks, wedding registry kiosks...) It's meant to be a mouse-replacement in public use like I mentioned above.

If you give it a good spin, I don't think the ball continues to roll like a bigger trackball does. But maybe this can be fixed by finding a same size really heavy ball (Make one out of steel?).

[evlbeaver]

Thanks for the feedback.  I have seen the kind you are talking about.

I was just not sure if they were the same brand or not.  On the kiosks I have seen it looked as if the trackball were integrated with a keyboard.

[Wienerdog]

How much space to you have for the mount?

[Magnet_Eye]

Can't you fit a 2.25" trackball in there? I emailed arcadedepot about his 2 player CP's, and he mentioned being able to fit that size in the middle of the layout.

But that's probably done before the fact.

PS- got picks of your machine to share? 

[evlbeaver]

He can make them wider now than he used to.  You think a track ball would fit between the joysticks on the two player side?  I guess I could play centipede horizontally.

I don't really want to lose the spinner and replacing the player 1 joystick would be out of the question.

Here are some pics:

[evlbeaver]

and another:

[Flinkly]

not to chap anyone, but would you really need it to spin like a normal trackball does?

[evlbeaver]

You are probably right.  I didn't give a lot of thought  to the control panel depth issues for golf games.

That external enclosure may be the best solution after all.

[Stingray]

1.5 inch just seems to small for playing games to me.

-S

[Quarters]

I would order a 2 1/4" TB. You will not be able to fit the mounting plate. With a bit of creativity I'm sure you can find a way to install it. My TB is a Ultimarc 2 1/4 and my CP is no larger than yours.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,27612.0.html

[Flinkly]

um, i was just thinking, but since you have a metal control panel, you don't need a mounting plate, which means you could fit a 2 1/4 inch trackball in there no problem...i think.  check the dimension though.

[evlbeaver]

Actually only the player 1 and 2 positions are metal.  The side panel is wood.  That makes it very tight even for some joysticks.

I am going to try out the external enclosure for awhile and see how that feels.  Then I may rig a removable shelf on the back of the cabinet.  If that works out I may permanently alter the cabinet and build a fourth control panel similar the one on the other side. 

Either that or try to build some kind of swappable arrangement for the panel with the spinner.  Somehow this approach just seems cooler if I can find a way to do it right. Plus its the correct orientation for Centipede/Millipede.

I am giving up on the 1.5 inch idea though.  I agree it would be too small.

[Wienerdog]

That's what I would do, build that side panel as a swapable CP.  Now THAT is something we could all help out with! 

[whammoed]

Are those 9" or 11" panels on the ends?

[Hoagie_one]

Gamedork did some custom work for me with swappable panels, maybe he can help you out.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,33417.0.html

[Fat_Trucker]

TBH mate I have an Ultimarc 2.25 trackball which just about fits the bill for gaming sizewise.......just. I think a 1.5" would be too small to be practical.

[evlbeaver]

whammoed:
They are the nine inch panels.

Hoagie_one:
Those metal panels look very promising.  I will have to give that some thought.  It might work with a metal base frame and a rectangular removable plate that had the controls mounted.  The panels could be drilled and tapped and you could use those PC case thumb screws to secure the panel.  I just need to do some measurements to see if it would work out.

[evlbeaver]

Well my kids just made up my decision for me.

I hooked up the trackball in a standalone enclosure and added a few trackball games to the cabinets menu.  My kids love the bowling and shuffleboard games.  The lack of any panel depth to speak off would make these games very difficult to play (possibly painful.)

I think my only viable option now is to mount the trackball on the fourth side of the cabinet.  I will mount it high enough so that when sweeping the ball you hand will pass over the top of the table.

I may still consider a smaller trackball in a removable panel for the vertical trackball games.  But for the time being I will have to settle for playing it from the horizontal orientation.

[tmasman]

You could always BYO-TB...
Take one of the logitech Trackman Marbles (1.5" ball) & find a way to mount it (custom mounting plate).  Even getting your hands on an older 2.25" trackball (desktop model) & making your own mounting plate.

I'm actually building a separate enclosure for my trackball too (for my upright cab)... But it's one of those "to each his own".