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more trackball problems
Wade:
Wow, I thought I had finally solved my trackball problems. Not so. Maybe some of you might know what I've done wrong.
My mouse hack *seemed* to work properly, and one of my optic boards seemed bad. Here is how I reached this conclusion:
1) test - only one axis works
2) swap connectors of mouse hack, and move the good optic board to the other axis
3) test - the other axis now works (so both axes of the mouse hack appear okay, as does the trackball wiring harness)
4) no matter which axis I put the "bad" optic board on, it would never work
5) conclusion - the one optic board is bad.
So I ordered a new optic board and new rollers (I have one of the most expensive trackballs ever).
BTW, the new rollers didn't make a difference in the feel of the ball at all, and I really couldn't tell a difference in the ball height either. They were very slightly worn, so if you aren't sure if you need to replace yours, you probably shouldn't replace them. I wasn't sure how much of a difference it would make.
I plugged the new board in place of my "bad" board. Guess what? Same result, that axis still doesn't work properly. Moving my original "good" board to the other axis again makes the other axis work.
It looks like my mouse hack works, but will only allow one axis to work at a given time. Anyone know what I've done wrong??
I'm getting really tired of this. At least I shouldn't have to spend any more money on the problem (assuming, I don't resort to buying an Oscar mouse hack!)
Ebay 3" trackball: $20+12 shipping
mounting plate: $10
new black ball: $15+6 shipping
new rollers and optic board: $18+10 shipping
---------------
Grand Total: $91!!! and plenty of headaches
Wade
Wade:
Okay, I tried to make mouse hack #3 (or was it #4??) and it finally worked. It is a serial mouse though (all the others were ps/2) so I think I might have to get power from somewhere else (I used an old PC power supply just to test the hack).
Can a serial mouse supply 5 volts power to drive the trackball? This would be much cleaner since my PC in my cabinet is fully boxed up.
Thanks,
Wade
Chris:
A serial mouse will not source 5V. If you want to make one more go at a mouse hack, you may want to try USB, if you're not using DOS and have a USB port available. Serial mice poll very slowly, and you may not get the best response out of that trackball.
My local Staples has "USB E-Mail Mice" in the clearance bin for $4.50. The bright idea here was that the wheel would light up when you have mail, but I guess no one bought it.
Otherwise, you can draw 5V from the power supply or a USB port.
--Chris
Wade:
Yeah, I was worried about performance. It seemed to work well scrolling around the screen (Missile Command) but I haven't tried it for fast spins for horseshoes, bowling, golf, etc. I guess we'll see (fingers crossed).
I can't use USB because I use DOS. If I could use USB I definitely would have bought a hack from Oscar, well worth the $10 IMO.
I think I need a new soldering iron too with a smaller tip! I'd probably have been more successful with the hacks all along if my iron wasn't such junk.
Wade
Chris:
Well, do this then: Get a power jack from Radio Shack, the kind that would accept the plug from an AC adapter. Drill a mounting hole in a blank backplate for your PC and mount the jack in the plate. Run the wires from this jack to a 4-pin Molex connector to hook up to a hard drive power connector, and you now have a 5V power jack on the back of your PC.
--Chris