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Translucent Trackball question...
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Effayy:
I've been mulling this idea in my head for a while, but I'd like to get some opinions from those of you who already own a trackball....

I've seen (somewhere, but I forget) that you can buy a crystal-clear trackball.  I was wondering how (if) they diffused light properly if backlit by LED.  Would the entire trackball light up properly in a dark room, or would the light simply pass through it and project on the ceiling? 

I was also wondering if there was enough room at the base of the trackball itself to insert a peice of cardstock with a design cut out of it.  If The LED sat underneath the pattern, which in turn sat underneath the trackball, would you be able to see that design clearly when looking down on the trackball?

- FA
MovingTarget:
I think the light would be somewhat diffused but I'm confident there would be angles that wouldn't show any light at all (like maybe if you were standing directly to the side of it.

As for the pattern idea, there really isn't that much empty space beneth the ball to put a pattern much bigger than a quarter.  I'm guessing you could see it if you looked straight down the ball at it or at least a warped view of it (like a fun house mirror). 

I'm not sure the effect you're imagining would be very dramatic.  Maybe you could pick up a cheap translucent ball (glass or plastic) from someplace like Pier One imports and do some experimenting.  That would be cheaper than buying the trackball.

rdagger:
I have a clear 3" Happ trackball and it does not diffuse the light well.  If you put an LED directly below the ball, you will see a round colored circle on the ceiling.  The ball tends to focus the light.  An incandescent bulb works better because it disperses the light more, but is still not great and can be distracting to game play. 
Your best bet is probably this one:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=51991.0
ahofle:
I agree that the translucent trackballs do not disperse light well with one LED. 
The other option is to wait until this is available from whammoed:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=51658.0
JustMichael:
Clear trackballs act as a spherical lens and will focus the light on the ceiling.  The milky white translucent trackballs become the color that shines into them.
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