Ok, crazy mouse hack idea here.

[marcoval]

So, first off I would like to know what mice are best for doing a mouse hack for a spinner and trackball. However, as I'm sitting here thinking about it, I wanted to know if anyone has attempted doing this... Applying a mouse hack to a wireless mouse? Yes, you would have to change the batteries every once in a while, but is it possible? The wireless I'm using now is a MS Intellemouse Wireless Optical, can optical mice be used for hacks?

CRAZY!

[_Iz-]

What would be the advantage to hacking a wireless mouse?

The obvious cons are:
Batteries, potental lag, expensive (wireless mice ain't cheap!)

I can't think of any pros...

As for using an optical mouse, I think it's possible, but I've never tried it, or heard of anyone else doing it. I searched extensively before I hacked my trackball to a regular mouse because I also considered the idea (just optical not wireless). It might work if you had a hole in the bottom of the trackball case and got the optical sensor close enough to the ball to "read" it. Depending on how you positioned the mouse one axis would definitely be reversed. Not a problem for MAME as you can set MAME to reverse an axis but could be a problem if you want to use the trackball as a mouse in windows.

[marcoval]

Well as to expense I can get them cheap, $15, because I have a friend who gets me stuff from the MS company store.  The advantage I would imagine would be wire clutter inside the cabinet. The main question I have though is what mice have proven successful for doing a mouse hack?

[Dak-ak]

maybe im crazy, but why not wire the mouse up to a power supply? a resistor inline with the power should make this possible..

....but, it fails to help with the wire mess :-)

seems like wireless mice aren't worth the effort, unless you have it external from your cab! (which isn't what we are talking about at all)

~Dak~

[u_rebelscum]

As for using an optical mouse, I think it's possible, but I've never tried it, or heard of anyone else doing it. I searched extensively before I hacked my trackball to a regular mouse because I also considered the idea (just optical not wireless). It might work if you had a hole in the bottom of the trackball case and got the optical sensor close enough to the ball to "read" it. Depending on how you positioned the mouse one axis would definitely be reversed. Not a problem for MAME as you can set MAME to reverse an axis but could be a problem if you want to use the trackball as a mouse in windows.

People have tried it and, IIRC, posted their results here.  Sometime this search is hit or miss.

None got an optical mouse to work.  IIRC, the problems were getting the curved trackball positioned correct distance and location at the same time (so the mouse thinks it's a flat surface), and the trackballs being too shiney for the optical sensor to track a texture.

[MinerAl]

I've been thinking about using an optical mouse for a spinner... instead of a wheel with holes in it and light sensors hacked to a mouse, the optical mouse could be positioned facing a striped drum, no hack.  You'd still have the positioning issue, but it should readily register stripes going by on a sufficiently large-diameter drum.  The drum could be its own flywheel as well.

[RandyT]

I've been thinking about using an optical mouse for a spinner... instead of a wheel with holes in it and light sensors hacked to a mouse, the optical mouse could be positioned facing a striped drum, no hack.  You'd still have the positioning issue, but it should readily register stripes going by on a sufficiently large-diameter drum.  The drum could be its own flywheel as well.

You mean something like this?  




Did this about a year ago.  It does work, but installation can be a little tricky.

RandyT

[marcoval]

Interresting solution there with the spinner. What I'm most likely going to use the wireless mouse for is just have it external to the cab so in occasions I do need to use it.

[MinerAl]

You mean something like this?  

Heh, yeah, except for the checkerboard instead of stripes on the drum, you pretty much have exactly what I was thinking of.   Does it take up more vertical room than, say, an Oscar spinner?  It looks horizontally smaller.

[SirPoonga]

you know, most optical mice just need a surface to read, doesn't have to be stripped or checkered.  Can be solid color, like my desktop:)

[RandyT]

Heh, yeah, except for the checkerboard instead of stripes on the drum, you pretty much have exactly what I was thinking of.   Does it take up more vertical room than, say, an Oscar spinner?  It looks horizontally smaller.

It's not really checkered.  It's more of a wierd halftone .  Many patterns were tried and that one worked the best.

It's about 2x the vertical size of a normal spinner.  Without radical modifications to the mouse board, there's not much that can be done about it.

you know, most optical mice just need a surface to read, doesn't have to be stripped or checkered.  Can be solid color, like my desktop:)

True, but you still need an irregular surface that can be "seen" by the mouse.  That's why very smooth surfaces don't work well.

The pattern definitely makes a difference here.  If you look at an optical trackball, you'll also see a pretty irregular pattern of spots on the ball.  

Like I wrote above, I tried a few different patterns.  Tried "no pattern" as well.  This one easily worked the best.

RandyT

[eightbit]

You mean something like this?  

You going to sell those?