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FIXED!!! Pole Position wheel/opto to Mini-Pac
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Texasmame:
After much dicking around, seems like the MINI isn't recognizing any signal from the opti board, with or without resistors.  It's supposed to switch over automatically when it senses a signal (killing the trac input) but it doesn't seem to be doing that.

In touch with Andy for further advice, but I'm suspecting the MINI has issues.  :P

Why?

1.  Opti board is known good using a mouse hack.
2.  Tried both with and without the resistors using the MINI -  no difference.


As a side note, the ground wire for the MINI's spinner interface does not check out with the other MINI grounds for continuity.  I suspect, however, that's supposed to be the case and that it only "hooks up" when the software switch senses the spinner being used, then it kills the ground for the trac.   :dunno

EDIT:  Just tried hooking it up to an XP laptop in case it was a 98se thing - same results.  All works fine, installs two Human Interface Devices and one mouse.  Just won't switch between trac and spinner inputs when it should.
Texasmame:

--- Quote from: Kremmit on October 28, 2006, 10:23:08 pm ---I successfully hooked a Pole wheel up to an Opti-Wiz without any hacking or anything, I wonder if it had a different optic board from yours, or if the Opti-Wiz can handle "Active High" signals better than the Mini.

Hmm.. seems like I remember there being an Active High/Active Low jumper on the Opti-Pac, is there one on the Mini-Pac?

--- End quote ---

Huh.  On the jumpers - the pics on the Ultimarc page for the MINI show jumpers, but mine is a different design - definately NO jumpers on it.   :dizzy:

See below. . .  must be a newer version.
Kremmit:
You could test the mini's spinner input by wiring one axis of the trackball to the spinner input instead of the trackball input.  Remove the ball from the case, and hand-spin one axis separately from the other.  Then you'll know if your issue is with the spinner input on the mini, or the combination of the mini and that particular optical board.

And hey, good thing you have such a fine mouse hack handy, hey?  ;D
trcroyle:

--- Quote from: Texasmame on November 01, 2006, 07:22:06 pm ---As a side note, the ground wire for the MINI's spinner interface does not check out with the other MINI grounds for continuity.  I suspect, however, that's supposed to be the case and that it only "hooks up" when the software switch senses the spinner being used, then it kills the ground for the trac.   :dunno

EDIT:  Just tried hooking it up to an XP laptop in case it was a 98se thing - same results.  All works fine, installs two Human Interface Devices and one mouse.  Just won't switch between trac and spinner inputs when it should.

--- End quote ---

Some quick thoughts:

Does the trackball work when the spinner isn't connected? How about  vice versa?

Have you tried wiring the spinner up to one of the trackball axes rather than to the spinner jumpers?

And, just a long shot, but it looks like the trackball connections at the minipac are x1, gnd, 5v, x2 but the spinner is gnd, x1, x2, 5v. Is there any chance you have the spinner hooked up in the trackball order? (on the minipac rather than the wheel).
Texasmame:

--- Quote from: trcroyle on November 02, 2006, 10:01:22 am ---
--- Quote from: Texasmame on November 01, 2006, 07:22:06 pm ---As a side note, the ground wire for the MINI's spinner interface does not check out with the other MINI grounds for continuity.  I suspect, however, that's supposed to be the case and that it only "hooks up" when the software switch senses the spinner being used, then it kills the ground for the trac.   :dunno

EDIT:  Just tried hooking it up to an XP laptop in case it was a 98se thing - same results.  All works fine, installs two Human Interface Devices and one mouse.  Just won't switch between trac and spinner inputs when it should.

--- End quote ---

Some quick thoughts:

Does the trackball work when the spinner isn't connected? How about  vice versa?

Have you tried wiring the spinner up to one of the trackball axes rather than to the spinner jumpers?

And, just a long shot, but it looks like the trackball connections at the minipac are x1, gnd, 5v, x2 but the spinner is gnd, x1, x2, 5v. Is there any chance you have the spinner hooked up in the trackball order? (on the minipac rather than the wheel).

--- End quote ---

Well, your post got me thinking.  About all I hadn't done with the MINI for fear of frying it, was reverse the 5V and GND wires.  Sure enough, the wiring diagram is wrong.  The black is supposed to be the 5v and the brown the GND but they are opposite.  Check out the diagram from the Ultimarc page.

I mean, I'm not reading that wrong, right???

Thanx, all!  I'll let Andy know that needs to be corrected!
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