Hardwiring mice

[TheManuel]

Does anyone know if it's possible to hardwire two mice together so that they control the same pointer and yet only occupy one input port on the PC?
Both mice use the same driver and go into the PS/2 port.

[Tiger-Heli]

Does anyone know if it's possible to hardwire two mice together so that they control the same pointer and yet only occupy one input port on the PC?
Both mice use the same driver and go into the PS/2 port.

http://store.yahoo.com/trianglecables-site/7inps2ycabtw.html

Don't know if it works or not, though. . .  :-(

If you order one, I'd like to know if the Keyboard side of it works and if the Keyboard LED's function correctly with it.

[_Iz-]

Does anyone know if it's possible to hardwire two mice together so that they control the same pointer and yet only occupy one input port on the PC?
Both mice use the same driver and go into the PS/2 port.

Why do you want to do this? What purpose would it serve?

[TheManuel]

http://store.yahoo.com/trianglecables-site/7inps2ycabtw.html

Don't know if it works or not, though. . .  :-(

If you order one, I'd like to know if the Keyboard side of it works and if the Keyboard LED's function correctly with it.

I have looked at those in the past but I think that only works for laptops that have the capability to take in a mouse and keyboard or two mice through the same port.  I'm not sure it would work on an ordinary PS/2 port.

[TheManuel]

Why do you want to do this? What purpose would it serve?

The idea here would be that I'm putting together (slowly) a control panel that includes a trackball.  The CompUSA Crystal Trackball to be exact.  It is basically a PS/2 mouse.

I want to also add a spinner which does not need to be independent of the tradckball since I will always use either one or the other.  The spinner will be mouse-hacked.  I happen to have a spare mouse that uses the same driver as the trackball when I connect it to my PC (Windows XP) but is also PS/2.  

On top of that I have my regular USB mouse for my system.

So you see, it would be very convenient to hardwire both if possible.

I wanted to see if anyone knew this before breaking the mouse open and finding out I can't use it.

[Chris]

See http://www.arcadecontrols.com/arcade_input.shtml#Y-Adapters .

--Chris

[_Iz-]

Hack the spinner directly to the compusa trackball pcb leaving the original functionality intact so both function simultaneously. No extra mouse required...

Should be super easy for the spinner, just 2 signal wires to one of the axis, power and ground...

[TheManuel]

See http://www.arcadecontrols.com/arcade_input.shtml#Y-Adapters .

--Chris

Yeah but those are too expensive.  I'm trying to look for a cheap alternative.

[TheManuel]

Hack the spinner directly to the compusa trackball pcb leaving the original functionality intact so both function simultaneously. No extra mouse required...

Should be super easy for the spinner, just 2 signal wires to one of the axis, power and ground...

Do you mean buying the optoelectronics separately and wiring them to the trackball?.  

How can I leave the trackball functionality intact otherwise?

[Tiger-Heli]

http://store.yahoo.com/trianglecables-site/7inps2ycabtw.html

Don't know if it works or not, though. . .  :-(

If you order one, I'd like to know if the Keyboard side of it works and if the Keyboard LED's function correctly with it.

I have looked at those in the past but I think that only works for laptops that have the capability to take in a mouse and keyboard or two mice through the same port.  I'm not sure it would work on an ordinary PS/2 port.

The one you are talking about is one mouse and one keyboard to a laptop PS/2 port.  They don't work for MAME.  The one I linked two is 2 mice or 2 keyboards to a desktop (or laptop) PS/2 port.  But I haven't used one, so I can't say how well they do or don't work.

[_Iz-]

Do you mean buying the optoelectronics separately and wiring them to the trackball?.  

Yeah, or get a spinner that comes with this stuff.

How can I leave the trackball functionality intact otherwise?

Just wire to the appropriate connections on the trackball pcb without disabling or removing anything existing. You're basically wiring in parallel.

[TheManuel]

The one you are talking about is one mouse and one keyboard to a laptop PS/2 port.  They don't work for MAME.  The one I linked two is 2 mice or 2 keyboards to a desktop (or laptop) PS/2 port.  But I haven't used one, so I can't say how well they do or don't work.

Sorry.  My oversight.  It would be awesome if that worked but I am a little wary in this case.  It seems to me most mayor companies would have a version of this product if it were as simple as that.
Who knows, maybe i'm being paranoid.

[TheManuel]

How can I leave the trackball functionality intact otherwise?

Just wire to the appropriate connections on the trackball pcb without disabling or removing anything existing. You're basically wiring in parallel.

That brings us around to my original question.  I would essentailly be wiring two mice together wheather it is using a gutted mouse or Radio Shack opto-electronics or a commercial board.

You believe it is possible then?

By the way, I would build my own spinner (based on somebody else's writeup) and still gut the mouse to go as el cheapo as possible since I do not play a lot of spinner games (yet) but still would like to have it.

[Tiger-Heli]

The one you are talking about is one mouse and one keyboard to a laptop PS/2 port.  They don't work for MAME.  The one I linked two is 2 mice or 2 keyboards to a desktop (or laptop) PS/2 port.  But I haven't used one, so I can't say how well they do or don't work.

Sorry.  My oversight.  It would be awesome if that worked but I am a little wary in this case.  It seems to me most mayor companies would have a version of this product if it were as simple as that.
Who knows, maybe i'm being paranoid.

Yeah, I kinda agree with you, that if it really worked that well, more people would offer it.  Also, Stephan Hans and Purple MAME have keyboard splitter circuits on their sites and Stephan has a serial joystick splitter as well.   Maybe this would work for a PS/2 mouse as well???

[TheManuel]

Yeah, I kinda agree with you, that if it really worked that well, more people would offer it.  Also, Stephan Hans and Purple MAME have keyboard splitter circuits on their sites and Stephan has a serial joystick splitter as well.   Maybe this would work for a PS/2 mouse as well???

Stephan has great stuff on his site.  However, the serial splitter would not work for PS/2.  They are totally different interfaces.  
The keyboard splitter would have more potential but if it worked for mice as well, I'm sure someone would know that and the Y-Adapters section of this website would indicate that you can use the keyboard splitters for this purpose.

Thanks for pointing those out.

[_Iz-]

That brings us around to my original question.  I would essentailly be wiring two mice together wheather it is using a gutted mouse or Radio Shack opto-electronics or a commercial board.

You believe it is possible then?

By the way, I would build my own spinner (based on somebody else's writeup) and still gut the mouse to go as el cheapo as possible since I do not play a lot of spinner games (yet) but still would like to have it.

Well, I have a hacked mouse with both a trackball and spinner wired to it in parallel. Only difference here is you are using the original, fully functional trackball pcb and adding a spinner instead of using a mouse, removing all optics and wiring others in their place. You're technically not wiring 2 mice together, you're just adding an extra "input" to one existing axis. Wiring 2 mice together would involve having the computer "talk" to pcbs on 2 mice. This *is* just one mouse and therefore avoids all those problems.

So to make a long story short, you need an "arcade" type spinner to add. (Just spinner mechanicals and basic optics only). Make one styled after one of oscar's with a universal optic board.

[TheManuel]

Well, I have a hacked mouse with both a trackball and spinner wired to it in parallel. Only difference here is you are using the original, fully functional trackball pcb and adding a spinner instead of using a mouse, removing all optics and wiring others in their place. You're technically not wiring 2 mice together, you're just adding an extra "input" to one existing axis. Wiring 2 mice together would involve having the computer "talk" to pcbs on 2 mice. This *is* just one mouse and therefore avoids all those problems.

So to make a long story short, you need an "arcade" type spinner to add. (Just spinner mechanicals and basic optics only). Make one styled after one of oscar's with a universal optic board.

I see your point.

One alternative would be to try and use from the mouse guts only the optics trying to figure out a way of not involving the PCB of the gutted mouse in the setup.  What's your opinion on this?

Another alternative, would be to buy a USB mouse fo the hack but that would mean having to buy the mouse and a USB hub as I ran out of USB ports already.

Yet another one, to buy a serial mouse.  Although, I did notice that the when I connect the trackball to the serial port (it is a combo serial and PS/2), it does lose movement resolution.

[gtjoe]

I did this with a ps/2 spinner and a ps/2 compusa trackball.

The only solution I found is using a ps2 to usb converter like this:
http://www.callcct.com/cgi-bin/cart/wamy.cgi?wuser=cables&searchtype=fieldmatch&fields=xindex&search=3054&table=inv&head=dhead.html&foot=rfoot.html&template=detail.html

You can only use the mouse port on the converter for a pointing device, so at most 2 ps2 pointing device.  A pointing device on the keyboard port of the converter was not recognized.

Other solution, is to use a USB mouse for your spinner.  

[Warborg]

I'd just go with the USB mouse, and get a 4-port minihub to hook it in...  That's what I did for my cab, at any rate...  I think it will save you a lot of headache if you hack all this together and something doesn't work, you will end up needlessly troubleshooting the trackball/mouse combo.  I think it's better to keep all the devices separate, much easier to track down problems and tweak things if need be.

[TheManuel]

Thanks to everyone that chipped in.

Hacking a USB mouse is the safest solution in this case while still maintaining cost low.

Adding the spinner to the trackball PCB would probably get me in trouble.  

Still, I would like to see Iz's setup, so if you have anything in the Examples page, please let me know.

The ultimate solution would be to make my CompUSA tracball work just as well in serial mode as it does in PS/2.  I'll make that the subject of a separate post shortly.
Second to this, would be to find a serial mouse with good performance and hack this.

I'll keep beating the dead horse to a bloody pulp.

Thank you all.

[_Iz-]

Still, I would like to see Iz's setup, so if you have anything in the Examples page, please let me know.

Click the "www" link below my avatar...







<------------------

[TheManuel]

Still, I would like to see Iz's setup, so if you have anything in the Examples page, please let me know.

Click the "www" link below my avatar...







<------------------

Oh I see, both are commercial devices.
Good job on getting away with a mouse hack to save on the interface.
You're a man after my own heart.

[_Iz-]

Oh I see, both are commercial devices.
Good job on getting away with a mouse hack to save on the interface.
You're a man after my own heart.

Yep, but I know for a fact that the configuration I described for you will work if implemented correctly...  

(Note: both the trackball and spinner were given to me (gift) as well *grin*)

[TheManuel]

Oh I see, both are commercial devices.
Good job on getting away with a mouse hack to save on the interface.
You're a man after my own heart.

Yep, but I know for a fact that the configuration I described for you will work if implemented correctly...  

(Note: both the trackball and spinner were given to me (gift) as well *grin*)

Dough!
Some guys get all the luck!
However, it does sound like "Honey, I know what I want for father's day"  

Good job!

[_Iz-]

hehehe! My wife thought I was completely insane at first. (Until I got it functional and she saw what a blast the kids were having with it.) I've actually caught her bragging to people about it...

Actually, I bought my basic cabinet carcass off someone with 4 huge garages stuffed full of arcade cabinets, parts, etc...   I got him so excited about my project he started donating the stuff I needed and couldn't afford!    He just made me promise to help him build himself one!  

[Tiger-Heli]

Hacking a USB mouse is the safest solution in this case while still maintaining cost low.

I'll keep beating the dead horse to a bloody pulp.

Thank you all.

If you go the hacked USB mouse route, www.oscarcontrols.com has a pre-hacked one (USB mouse interface) for $9

[TheManuel]

If you go the hacked USB mouse route, www.oscarcontrols.com has a pre-hacked one (USB mouse interface) for $9

That's good idea if shipping is low.  Buying a USB mouse would cost at least that.
Although he is from SE Michigan, where I live, so I could potentially save on the shipping.

Thanks for the suggestion.