Encoder differences

[mr_doles]

Picking up a 3" happ trackball and had a question on buying an encoder to use with it.  What is the difference, other then price, for:
1)  Ultimarc - USB Opti-PAC Interface $43.00
2)  Ultimarc - Mini-PAC Opti. With Harness and USB cable $69.00
3)  GGG - Opti-Wiz USB "No-Solder" $16.95 + Trackball Cable for Opti-Wiz "No-Solder" $12.95 = $29.90

I would think that $29.00 would be the way to go but am I going to miss out on something that the others provide?  Are there other encoder options that I may be missing?  Looks like all are compatible with the Happ Trackball as well.

Thanks

[AndyWarne]

Might like to add this to the list:

http://www.u-hid.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15&Itemid=19

[u_rebelscum]

Optipac: Connect up to two trackballs and 4 spinners at the same time.  Can use 2 TBs, or 4 spinners, to (if wired correctly) 1 TB & 2 spinners at the same time.  Each TB can have two buttons, and each pair of spinners can have two buttons.  Buttons follow matching device combos, so a max of 4 buttons can be used at a time.  A little more than needed if you're only doing one TB.

Mini-Pac: A mouse + keyboard encoder; connect the TB & two mouse buttons, and a bunch of keyboard stick & buttons.  Great for starting a new CP, a little more than needed if the joystick & buttons are already connected and you're only doing one TB.

Optiwiz:  3 mouse axes and 3 mouse buttons.  Probably more up your alley if you're adding the TB to an existing board already wired up.  But...

A) Did you get the USB/PS2 trackball?  If you did, you don't need any of the encoders.

B) U-HID Nano:  Very flexible.  Can connect the TB and 6 buttons, or TB and 8-way joystick and two buttons, or TB & analog joystick and 4 buttons, or TB & spinner & 4 buttons.  The buttons can be mouse, joystick or keyboard (with max 3 mouse buttons).  Might be more than you need ATM, but with its flexibility it might be more useful it you decide to make any more changes.  Or if the TB is going on a new "TB dedicated" board, might be better than the minipac.


So it partially depends on what you plan to do with the TB, and what you might do in the future.  I suggest either optiwiz or the U-HID Nano if you're adding to an existing board, the minipac if you're starting a new board with TB and sticks and buttons, and the U-HID Nano if you're doing a new TB limited CP.


And let me state again, if you got the USB version of the TB, you don't need any encoder as an encoder comes as part of the TB's boards.  Be aware, though; some (many?) people have had problems with the happs USB boards.

[mr_doles]

It is not USB/PS2.  My mobo is dell so I can't use PS/2 and I did read a lot about USB issues, plus the price is right for this one.  I have the u360 for my joystick and buttons so I really only "need" the trackball but also "wanted" 2 more buttons to use.  So I am either looking at the OptiWiz or the U-Hid.  I like that the OptiWiz harness already has the Molex connector whereas the UHid harness would require some extra work.  Looks like I would also need the mouse button harness as well for the OptiWiz.

One more dumb question.  You said the optiwiz is 3 mouse buttons while the UHid is 6 buttons.  I assume that the mouse buttons can be mapped to be player 1/2 coin or player 1/2 start, or are they purely mouse buttons?  That may be the deciding factor.

Thanks for the input.

[u_rebelscum]

Mame can use any type of button: keyboard, mouse or gamepad.  But mame also has default buttons mapped to each "emulated input port" (ie: player 1 button 1 has the left ctrl key, mouse 1 button 1, and gamepad 1 button mapped to it.)  So...

To use the mouse buttons as coin or start, all you have to do is map them to those buttons, and unmap from the player action buttons.  Or, if you use the U-HID, you can map the buttons to send mame the '1', '5', '2', '6' keyboard keys (mame's default start & coin keys).

So both will work, with some setup.  Which is easier/better is mater of opinion, IMO.


BTW, good choice in controls.  But, no admin buttons, or are you "shifting" those?  Or do you less than 6/7 action buttons?  (If you want individual admin buttons, U-HID might be better.)

[mr_doles]

Thanks, I love the u360, it plays all my emulators perfectly.
I have the u360 for 6 buttons + P1/2 start on each side.  Pause and Exit are shifted to avoid accidents.  The "mouse" buttons will be coin 1/2.  I have yet to hit Tab for any reason, though I may rethink that now that I can.
Right now I use the Ultrastick mapper for the joystick and the .cfg in the ctlr folder for button mapping.  So with the OptiWiz I would do it in the .cfg and with the U-Hid I could use the U-config software to program it.
Six of one, half dozen of the other.

[taylormadelv]

I seem to like products that are not popular here for some reason but mikesarcade has a nice, cheap trackball adaptor
http://mikesarcade.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?sku=AGSTBINTUSB
has USB or PS2 option and gives three mouse buttons.
Of couse, if you need more than one trackball or a spinner + trackball, go with the optipac.

[mr_doles]

I seem to like products that are not popular here for some reason but mikesarcade has a nice, cheap trackball adaptor http://mikesarcade.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?sku=AGSTBINTUSB
has USB or PS2 option and gives three mouse buttons.
Of couse, if you need more than one trackball or a spinner + trackball, go with the optipac.

Just got back from vacation at the beginning on the week and missed this reply.  That looks like it will do what I want it to do and has all the connectors with it.  Can't beat that price either.  After shipping the optipac is ~$47.00 with the cables vs ~$25.00.

Anyone else use this?  Why is this not very popular?  I am always nervous because you get what you pay for.

[mr_doles]

*bump*
Anyone else have any thoughts on the Mikesarcade adaptor?  Nervous to order based on one persons option...no offence taylormadelv.

[severdhed]

i'm using two u360s in my cabinet, along with a optiwiz from GGG for my Utrak trackball.  in mame, you should be able to assign coin inputs to mouse buttons if that's what you want to do.  what i did was wire my coin switches to inputs on my u360s, since i had a 2 player 6 button panel, that left 2 inputs on each u360..one for coin and one for start.   i wired up player 1 buttons 5 and 6 as mouse buttons on the optiwiz.  that opened up two inputs on my p1 u360 to use as Pause and Exit.

i chose to go with the optiwiz because it was cost effective.  i am very pleased with it's performance.

[mr_doles]

Thanks severdhed, that is good advice on the layout.  I understand how I am going to setup the inputs and was going to go with the OptiWiz until taylormadelv chimed in with the one from Mikesarcade.  I just want to know if anyone else has used the one from Mikesarcade. The OptiWiz has good reviews so I know it is a good choice, just want an option on the other.  It is cheaper (about half the price) then the OptiWiz and does what I need it to do but again...you get what you pay for.

Anyone out there use this thing, does it perform well or should I suck it up and get the OptiWiz.

[taylormadelv]

Sounds like you should pay more and go with the more politically correct arcade parts  for this website. It doesn't matter that I have two of these working perfectly for months right now.. good luck!

[SlayerAlex]

Hi. dont mean to thread hijack or anything, but i diddnt want to clog up the bored with more threads when i have a related question. 

So whats this i hear about UBS issues? I ask because im deciding weather i want to get a usb track ball and a usb spinner and not deal with an encoder, or possibly buy a normal  arcade trackball and spinner and use an encoder for them.

with the happ usb trackball being 166$, (10$ more then normal trackball + Optipac) i was thinking of geting that for convience. But now having second thoughts if the usb one is known to have issues. Some insight from someone who has experence would really be helpful. Thanks a bunch

[mr_doles]

I have not experienced any problems I just read a lot of people complaining about them when I was doing research on what to buy.  From what I have read the best way to go is an arcade trackball and getting an encoder.

taylormadelv
I was not trying to insult you for having one, just wanted to know if anyone else had one and what they thought of it.

[Endaar]

with the happ usb trackball being 166$, (10$ more then normal trackball + Optipac) i was thinking of geting that for convience.

Ouch. Both GGG and Ultimarc have USB trackballs for a lot less than that. I've got the U-Trak from Ultimarc and it works great.

Endaar

[u_rebelscum]

Hi. dont mean to thread hijack or anything, but i diddnt want to clog up the bored with more threads when i have a related question. 

So whats this i hear about UBS issues? I ask because im deciding weather i want to get a usb track ball and a usb spinner and not deal with an encoder, or possibly buy a normal  arcade trackball and spinner and use an encoder for them.

with the happ usb trackball being 166$, (10$ more then normal trackball + Optipac) i was thinking of geting that for convience. But now having second thoughts if the usb one is known to have issues. Some insight from someone who has experence would really be helpful. Thanks a bunch

The first (few?) batch(es) of USB boards in the TB from happs didn't do well.  Some stopped working quickly, others took a year or so to bust, some have worked fine for years.  Happs supposedly came out with a new fixed board, but a) the boards looked the same so we here couldn't tell if a specific board was a pre-fix or post-fix board, b) the old boards were still out there, and c) people still were having problems with these TBs.  Whether it was due to the old boards still out there, or the new ones not fixed, we couldn't tell.  The complaints have died down, bu it's hard to tell if that's because all the old boards are gone now, or if noone (or a lot less) from here is buying them anymore.

with the happ usb trackball being 166$, (10$ more then normal trackball + Optipac) i was thinking of geting that for convience.

Ouch. Both GGG and Ultimarc have USB trackballs for a lot less than that. I've got the U-Trak from Ultimarc and it works great.

Yeah, both the GGG and Ultimarc come with there own high quality boards for less than that.

[severdhed]

with the happ usb trackball being 166$, (10$ more then normal trackball + Optipac) i was thinking of geting that for convience.

Ouch. Both GGG and Ultimarc have USB trackballs for a lot less than that. I've got the U-Trak from Ultimarc and it works great.

Endaar

I also have the Utrak which is awesome...however be aware that you can get it with or without the USB interface.  I opted to get it without, because their USB interface does NOT support mouse buttons.  (you have to buy one of their more expensive options if you want mouse buttons)

[taylormadelv]

I just like to see fair comparasons here. For obvious reasons, Randy and Andy dominate these forums and for good reason, their products are superior but not always unique in their application.
X-gaming sells a 3" USB trackball with three mouse buttons for $59 (on sale)
http://www.xgaming.com/arcade_trackball_part.shtml

And while putting together a new mame, I just discovered one huge advantage of the ipac vs the diy xarcade. The xarcade has no arrow keyboard controls out of the box and no shift buttons. That means I have no way to use the joystick to navigate the mame menu to select games after I've escaped a game. The shift keys are also important, since I can access almost every game control, except frameskip from the joystick and start buttons and never have to touch a keyboard or mouse!
The ipac is a very well thought out design and it's absolutely rock solid with old, boat anchor Macs running USB 1.1... Cheers Andy!

[mr_doles]

Well I ended up going with the one from MikesArcade after all.  I put more money into the joysticks, which for me will get more use then the trackball.  Really this one does exactly what I need it to do.  I put in the order Friday morning and got the shipment notification later that day.