Dreaded newbie here--help with Happ trackball!

[Rain0975]

Howdy all!

I recently chanced upon a great deal for an arcade cabinet, so I picked it up.  I found that the game it originally contained was PC-based, and the built-in controls are a Happ 2-1/4" trackball with a serial interface kit.  Problem is, I'm having a hack of a time getting it to work with my PC, so I thought I might ask for some input from those of you who have been there and done that.

The interface kit should make this simple, I know, and the trackball seems like it's connected properly--but so far I've been unable to get Win95 or DOS to really recognize the trackball.  I've managed to fool Windows into at least seeing some data from the trackball, but only by booting up with one serial mouse and then connecting the trackball, and even then I could onluy get either button recognition or cursor movement, but not both.  Likewise, with a pure DOS mouse-test utility, I can occasionally see data from the trackball, but it's very quirky; moving the trackball registers random button presses, for example.  I've also tried hacking the thing with the guts of an old Microsoft serial mouse, but with even less success.  

So here are my questions: anybody been through this before?  Is there something, obvious or not, I might be overlooking?  Obviously it could be that the trackball's PCB's are fried, or the interface PCB, but how might I go about testing those units independently to rule them in or out?

Any insight I might get is very much appreciated--I should be blasting Centipedes by now, at least!  
Rain0975(@hotmail.com)

[Smack]

For all the hassle involved, I'd say to consider an Optipac to replace your existing interface. They're only like $40 so cheap is very good.

www.ultimarc.com

Other reasons to consider this would be you could use it as ps/2 mouse, you could wire in buttons, not to mention having the ability to set up a 2nd trackball later if you want as well as spinners.

Figure what your time is worth as far as knuckling around and mickeymousing stuff goes...

Have you tried using the optimouse driver under dos to enable the serial mouse?

My 2 cents...

[SNAAAKE]

or you can get the ebay ps2 trackball that works right there..simple ehh .