Yes, you read that right! Randy T at
www.GroovyGameGear.com has come out with yet another Electric Ice product! The RGB Balltop! Finally!
And it was worth the wait!The product is not yet available, as pricing is still being worked out, but I did have the pleasure to beta test the first prototype stick. But I imagine it will be available sooner than you think.
Essentially, the Electric-Ice is a modified "Versa Ball" stick that works with various joysticks. It looks very similar to this:
Versa Ball Stainless ShaftHowever, it has been modified for the RGB feature. What you are getting when you buy it: The specially drilled and filled RGB 1 7/16" shaft, the now famous off-white "electric ice" ball on top and a special 4-pole cable that acts as a wire strain reliever and allows the joystick to spin and not get tangled.
Shot of the RGB Ball-Top still sealed in the plastic:
Shot of the RGB Ball-Top uninstalled:(older wiring shown)
Shot of the old connector vs. new connector(The old connector is the one with the red shrink tube on it. It actually adds 1 3/4" to the shaft when connected. The new connector only adds 1/2" to the shaft! Huge improvement!
Shot of the RGB Ball-Top with the connector plugged in:(newer wiring shown)
Shot of the RGB Ball-Top installed on my panel:
When I first received it, I couldn't wait to try it out. It was well packaged with all of the necessary parts to get started. However, I will note that mine did not come with a dust washer or any e-clips. Hopefully, that will be included in the official release. However, I already owned a Versaball ball-top, so the dust washer and e-clips that I already had fit the new shaft like a glove.
One major design flaw that I noticed, was that the shaft (with the connector at the bottom of the shaft plugged in) was too long to fit into my control panel, since it would hit the bottom of the box. Those with no bottoms on their control panels should not have a problem. But, after a couple months of searching, RandyT managed to correct that problem with a new right angle connector, which cut down on the length of the shaft considerably. And it now fits!
I love the fact that it is the same color as my existing Electric-ice Products. Those who have the Electric-Ice T Trackball v.2.0 will be pleased, as it matches it EXACTLY. Same texture and everything.
Shot of the new RGB Ball-Top and the Electric-Ice T Trackball:
As for the colors, it works great as a stand-a-lone LED color. You can connect it directly to a +5v power source and depending on what ground wire you connect (3 total - R, G + B) that's what color you will generate. You can combine wires to create additional colors as well. Add resistors and you can achieve even more.
Primary Colors:Red Wire = +5v source - Connect this with the following to form that color:
Silver wire =
Red LED color (ground)
White Wire =
Green LED color (ground)
Yellow Wire =
Blue LED color (ground)
Additional colors:Yellow + White Wires =
Light Blue LED color (ground)
Silver + White Wires =
Yellow LED color (ground)
Silver + Yellow Wire =
Purple LED color (ground)
Silver + White + Yellow =
White LED color (ground)
However, where the RGB Ball-Top really shines (pun not intended) is when you connect it to an LED Wiz. By pairing it up with an LED Wiz you open up the possibility of over 100,000 different colors, where you have full control via software on what color you want it to change to. No special resistors need. It will work right out of the box. The possibilities are endless!
Here is a video of it in action:(Note: The true colors are closer to the reflection off of the panel)
In conclusion, you can't go wrong with this wonderful device. It was long overdue and it was indeed worth the wait. A big thank you goes out to Randy T at
www.GroovyGameGear.com for allowing me to get the first one before it hit the market. I'm glad I was able to help improve the harness connector underneath with my input and component searching.
Now the big question is... when is it going to be released to the public?
~ DeLuSioNaL