Last min trackball

[darthbane2k]

My cab has already been completed, without a trackball in mind. However I was thinking of mounting one on the top. Obviously my options are then limited to PC trackballs.
I was thinking of using this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/ASIN/B000092RMK/202-0337865-1663078?SubscriptionId=0DMHDG98AJFCBJVMEY02

and vinyl dyeing the plastic Black to match the cab.

Would it do the trick?

Im only really interested in marble madness, Golden Tee (to a lesser extent) and segasonic the hedgehog

[PCtech]

If I understand, you want to add the trackball to your existing control panel, without "making a hole" for it, basically you want to just stick it on top of the existing control panel.

IMHO, I wouldn't bother dying the trackball.  It's going to look "added on" no matter if you dye it or not. 

This is a lot of work, and is just the way I would handle it but....I would cut a new control panel (with room for the trackball), and re-mount the existing controls on the new panel (Obviously a problem if you have artwork/plexi that you don't want to mess up.)

Maybe make a second control panel, with trackball, spinner (maybe a steering wheel), and just swap the 2 panels back and forth depending on your needs.  It helps to have extra room when using the trackball, and a 2nd panel, would give you plenty of space. 

I'm not saying you shouldn't "add-on" a trackball, I just think you would be wasting your time trying to make it look good.  If concerned about looks, rebuild....just my opinion.

Good luck either way!

[darthbane2k]

If I understand, you want to add the trackball to your existing control panel, without "making a hole" for it, basically you want to just stick it on top of the existing control panel.

IMHO, I wouldn't bother dying the trackball.  It's going to look "added on" no matter if you dye it or not. 

This is a lot of work, and is just the way I would handle it but....I would cut a new control panel (with room for the trackball), and re-mount the existing controls on the new panel (Obviously a problem if you have artwork/plexi that you don't want to mess up.)

Maybe make a second control panel, with trackball, spinner (maybe a steering wheel), and just swap the 2 panels back and forth depending on your needs.  It helps to have extra room when using the trackball, and a 2nd panel, would give you plenty of space. 

I'm not saying you shouldn't "add-on" a trackball, I just think you would be wasting your time trying to make it look good.  If concerned about looks, rebuild....just my opinion.

Good luck either way!

Nah, Im not a fan at all of inter-changable control panels.

Im probably going to scrap the idea.. my only real regret is not being able to play segasonic. However its my friend who is bugging me to get a trackball put in for marble madness/golden tee.. gonna have to do without im afraid.

[divemaster127]

I would not dye, if i could not add the trackball to the panel i would just forget it

[fixedpigs]

might as well try it out...

if you truly end up hating it...then it will be worth making another control panel...

if it's adequate...then no sense in going through all of the extra work...

[quarterback]

I don't think you'd have much luck playing Golden T with that trackball without sending the ball flying across the room

[juggle50]

I think Kennsington makes a wireless one as well.  That way you could put it away and it wouldn't disrupt the athetics of the cab but bring it out when you want to play a specific game.  I have a cocktail cab with no room for a trackball and that is what I'm going to do.

Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/tech-data/B0000YDGSO/ref=dp_nav_0/104-5113715-9679111?%5Fencoding=UTF8&n=172282&s=electronics

I think I've seen it cheaper somewhere.  Of course it's no substitute for a real trackball but it will at least make most trackball and spinner games playable.

[quarterback]

You could buy a Wico Command Control trackball.    It's an honest to goodness Wico arcade trackball and even comes in a square 'box' that would probably sit on your CP fairly well.

I think I've got one in the basement I'd be willing to sell.  PM me if interested

It looks like this:

[DrumAnBass]

The Kensington wireless trackball that I looked at (http://us.kensington.com/html/4136.html)  doesn't have ball bearings like their older trackballs. Might be fine for a game of centipede but doubt it would work for anything that requires serious spinning.

Their older trackballs do have ball bearings; I am in the process of hacking a serial Turbo Mouse 5 that I picked up on eBay for $25. One note - the Turbo Mouse/Expert Mouse version 4 are easier to hack then version 5. Version 5 has 2 of the bearings mounted in the circuit board, but the 3rd is mounted to the plastic case so I am having to keep the lower half of the case and chop it down to make it flat... Lots of dremel fun..!