cheap USB trackball found

[HeadRusch]

I ordered a couple..they LOOK like the ones CompUSA was selling...only for $4 bucks a pop.

I ordered a couple to check em out, for those of us who aren't hell-bent on putting an expensive trackball in our cabs...FYI.

Store URL: http://www.softwareandstuff.com/index.html

[Sasquatch!]

...for those of us who aren't hell-bent on putting an expensive trackball in our cabs...FYI.

...or for those of us who got in too late on the iBalls from outpost.com.    Thanks for the tip!

[Chris]

I have that trackball.  As it is it's not very good (tons of friction), but if you remove the top cover and add a little 3-in-1 oil to the roller ends (there are no bearings in this one; the plastic rollers snap into plastic holders), it'll be usable as a mouse or for older games like Missile Command or Centipede.  It backspins too much for games that require heavy spinning like Golden Tee or World Class Bowling.

The ball is about 2 inches in diameter.  If I remember right, with the cover off I was able to replace the ball with a cue ball to get an arcade-size trackball, and the extra weight helped it spin a bit better.  I ended up not using it because it was a bit too large for the space I had for it.

--Chris

[IceCold]

Anybody who has this, could you tell me(before any modifications) how wide this is?  I want to just set one in between my 2 8 way joysticks on my control panel, for mouse control, so I need to know how wide they are.  I want to know how wide the whole thing is, not just the ball.

Thank you.

[anthony691]

I have that trackball.  As it is it's not very good (tons of friction), but if you remove the top cover and add a little 3-in-1 oil to the roller ends (there are no bearings in this one; the plastic rollers snap into plastic holders), it'll be usable as a mouse or for older games like Missile Command or Centipede.  It backspins too much for games that require heavy spinning like Golden Tee or World Class Bowling.

The ball is about 2 inches in diameter.  If I remember right, with the cover off I was able to replace the ball with a cue ball to get an arcade-size trackball, and the extra weight helped it spin a bit better.  I ended up not using it because it was a bit too large for the space I had for it.

--Chris

How sure are you? It would rule to put a 8 ball in there.

[Chris]

It's 4.25 inches wide by 5.5 inches long.

[IceCold]

It's 4.25 inches wide by 5.5 inches long.

Thank you for the information!  

[Chris]

How sure are you? It would rule to put a 8 ball in there.

I am 99% sure that this was the case.  I just don't remember if I had to remove the idler wheel or not. With the larger ball in there, I had to break out two out every three spoke on the encoder wheels to avoid backspin.  This reduced the resolution a bit much, though, so if you go this route you probably only want to remove every other spoke... but don't expect to do a Golden Tee whizzzz with it...

--Chris

[HeadRusch]

Golden Tee notwithstanding, for games like missle command, crystal castles, marble madness however, it should probably be ok.

Break offf every other wheel of the encoder eh? I gotta consider that....I just got my 2 in.....trying to figure out if I even want to try to mount one of these suckers in my CP or not......

[CGRemakes]

Have many people tried mounting this particular trackball?  I think it will be just what I'm looking for.  I only need a trackball mainly for navigation and maybe for centipede.  I don't ever play any other trackball games, so I didn't want to spend a ton for a genuine Happ's trackball.

[CGRemakes]

Wow, you aren't kidding!  These puppies are worth just about $4.00.  Mine doesn't roll worth a darn.  I'll try oiling it a bit and see if that helps.

[Chris]

Wow, you aren't kidding!  These puppies are worth just about $4.00.  Mine doesn't roll worth a darn.  I'll try oiling it a bit and see if that helps.

They make great interfaces for a Happ trackball, though...

If you have a cue ball handy, try removing the upper cover and using the cue ball.  The extra weight really made a difference for me...

[CGRemakes]

It actually rolls a little smoother now after a little use.  I think it will work for what I need.  I've been playing a little Bubble Puzzle (Puzzle Bobble clone), and it works very well with it.