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Trackball emulation question
Ladro:
I wish to emulate a Happ/Imperial Arcade trackball. I want to take the trackball out of the Arcade game, then replace it with this device which will emulate the trackball signals via keyboard imputs. Example: (My understanding is that there are 2 encoder wheels with 3 LEDs per wheel in such trackballs, I could be wrong but that does not change the goal or question). The simulator would generate an electronic signal (in place of the trackball's signal) based upon a keyboard imput such as "+, 583, -, 129" (a completely hypothetical series of numbers) said keyboard imput would be a simulation of a typical trackball movement, but much more pericise. Where would I buy such a device, or where would I buy the componets to build such a device?
u_rebelscum:
I'm not clear on what you want to do. Is it:
a) an "adapter" that takes numbers typed from a keyboard and translates them to a trackball value to be passed to the computer as a normal trackball (aka mouse).
b) an adapter that takes key presses from a keyboard and translate different keys to different mouse values. Examples: "a" is very fast left, "s" is as little slower left, ... "h" is zero left or right, "j" is slow right, "k" is a little faster right, .... "'" is very fast right.
c) an adapter that takes arrow key presses and translates them to a mouse signal.
d) other?
FWIW, c) can be done in mame or a software driver.
Another FWIW, a) would be hard to type "+126, -25" then press the enter key in the middle of a game. ;) But this is the only one that I can see as more precise than a normal trackball/mouse input.
Ladro:
Thank you for the reply. the question specifically relates to the arcade version of Golden Tee Golf. Hence player response speed is not a significant concern. You are probably aware that the GT computer software is proprietary so that changing the software drivers is not an option. I suspect that some reverse engineering of the encoder codes would probably be neccessary. The (a) option you gave most accuratelly describes the goal.
u_rebelscum:
--- Quote from: Ladro on June 03, 2003, 02:14:27 pm ---Thank you for the reply. the question specifically relates to the arcade version of Golden Tee Golf. Hence player response speed is not a significant concern. You are probably aware that the GT computer software is proprietary so that changing the software drivers is not an option. I suspect that some reverse engineering of the encoder codes would probably be neccessary. The (a) option you gave most accuratelly describes the goal.
--- End quote ---
Intriguing. Should be doable, but I'm pretty green at circuitry. :-\
_Iz-:
Why do you want to do this?