Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Arcade Collecting => Miscellaneous Arcade Talk => Topic started by: xmrkite on February 02, 2012, 07:10:28 pm

Title: Options for hooking up trackball to my pc
Post by: xmrkite on February 02, 2012, 07:10:28 pm

Hello all, what are my options for hooking up a trackball to my pc? I am on a tight budget on this one and want to get a 3" trackball and hook it up for mame.

Any ideas?

-Thanks

Title: Re: Options for hooking up trackball to my pc
Post by: GregD on February 02, 2012, 09:15:18 pm

There are numerous options for a 3" trackball.  They can be purchased new from many different vendors including Ultimarc, Groovy Game Gear, Twisted Quarter, and X gaming.  Some come with a built in interface so they can be plugged in via usb or ps2.  Some need an external interface like Groovy Game Gear's optiwiz.  There are some lower cost 2 1/4" teackballs if you just want to use it outside of an arcade cabinet.  I got my Happ 3" trackball via an ebay auction for $10.  I needed to pirchase a $15 optiwiz to interface it to my pc.  You could always hack a mouse and use the optical interdace as well but for $15 for the optiwiz it wasn't worth my time.

Title: Re: Options for hooking up trackball to my pc
Post by: xmrkite on February 03, 2012, 11:04:27 am

OK, i bought one on ebay, a used happ one and then i bought an optiwiz. Will post back when I get it all hooked up.

-Thanks

Title: Re: Options for hooking up trackball to my pc
Post by: xmrkite on February 17, 2012, 11:45:58 pm

OK, so I got my trackball and opti-wiz and am wondering what you guys recommend. I am not sure how to hook the two up together. Why would they sell this thing without the cable needed? I got the non-solder version. Is there some cable I can make/buy for it?

-Thanks

Title: Re: Options for hooking up trackball to my pc
Post by: BobA on February 26, 2012, 01:23:11 am

There is a cable sold to connect your TB. 

Cable (http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=261)

Title: Re: Options for hooking up trackball to my pc
Post by: Garza on March 06, 2012, 11:20:39 pm

I wired up my own original arcade track ball with a little searching >http://www.jammaboards.com/guides/TRACKBALL_INTERFACE_WIRING_KIT.pdf (http://www.jammaboards.com/guides/TRACKBALL_INTERFACE_WIRING_KIT.pdf)< go to this web site it will give you the diagram you will need to wire up your track ball to the optipac. Also there is a not as graphic wiring diagram on ultimarc for wiring up the two. Also I used just cat 6 cable and a six pin molex connector connecting the two for ease of removal if need be. I wired up the 2 black ground and the to red wires each in one slot so you would have 2 red in one molex slot and 2 black in one molex slot then 1 yellow, 1 brown, 1 green, and one blue. On the other side of the molex connector I put in six of the cat 6 wires in and ran that to my optipac. Really easy. Let me know if you need more explanation I can help if you need it. Good luck and always have fun!