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USB adapter for trackball from HAPP
caykroyd:
Is there any problem just buying the USB adapter for a Happs trackball? I see people getting the optipac and hagstrom MEsomething-or-other. Does the USB not have as good a response or not as much flexibility? Any cooments?
Lilwolf:
Being 100% NOT an expert... but what I remember reading. The rollback problems are fixed with better optic disks compared to better encoders. Of course the faster the readings the better... but most USB mice are pretty good. (SOMEONE PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG)
The cheapest solution
ebay usb mouse for 2 - 3 bucks. Hack away.
The cheapest easy solution.
Oscar sells hacked USB trackballs for a few bucks.
The better solution for multiple optical devices
Optipac.
I don't know about happs... but it will be good and expensive. I wouldnt' go there unless you have a real real reason. The Optipac is great.
btw, I have an optipac, but the serial version. I haven't upgraded it yet, but think I might just hack a few mice first to try them.
Cue-Ball:
USB is a very fast interface for something as low bandwidth as mouse or keyboard input. The main reason that most people use the OptiPac is because you can easily run multiple optical devices (trackball and spinner, for instance) through one interface. Also, people who use DOS instead of Windows don't have the option of using USB since it relies on Windows drivers. I have the OptiPac myself and highly recommend it if you're going to have more than one optical device. Installation is super easy and it's not a very expensive part in the grand scheme of things.
BASSOFeeSH:
The newer Optipacs have USB capability as well.
I don't have an USB adapter from Happs, but I DO have a USB trackball from Happs & it works flawlessly IMHO. Plug it in, it's recognized & all 3 buttons work. I don't know how this differs from the USB adapter though.
u_rebelscum:
--- Quote from: caykroyd on April 03, 2003, 12:32:08 pm ---Is there any problem just buying the USB adapter for a Happs trackball? I see people getting the optipac and hagstrom MEsomething-or-other. Does the USB not have as good a response or not as much flexibility? Any cooments?
--- End quote ---
I have the happs trackball USB interface as well as a USB optipac. I don't notice a difference at all while playing or in windows. Happs, betson, and wico trackballs work fine in both. Happs USB board is smaller (~1/2 the area) than the optipac, and uses a normal A/B USB cable you can buy any where. The optipac uses a special serial to USB cable.
I like the optipac better just because I can hook up more than one trackball for about the same price. But I like multiple trackballs. ;)
BTW, the happs USB and optipac USB can be plugged into the same computer at the same time (and get multiple mice in winME/98 with Mame:Analog+; I've tested three TBs at a time, 2 on the optipac, one on the happs).
FWIW, I noticed happs has a new "red PCB" sensor board included on its (on sale, 3" highlip) trackballs. I have the old green pcb on my happs TB.