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Main => Project Announcements => Topic started by: mst3kpimp on April 24, 2012, 12:50:43 am

Title: My Happ Trackball Mame Box Project
Post by: mst3kpimp on April 24, 2012, 12:50:43 am
 (http://images61.fotki.com/v380/photos/9/1793119/10618164/topb-vi.jpg)

(http://images40.fotki.com/v1263/photos/9/1793119/10618164/open2-vi.jpg)

(http://images16.fotki.com/v369/photos/9/1793119/10618164/mousechipboard-vi.jpg)

(http://images51.fotki.com/v103/photos/9/1793119/10618164/side1-vi.jpg)

(http://images55.fotki.com/v585/photos/9/1793119/10618164/top-vi.jpg)

(http://images60.fotki.com/v367/photos/9/1793119/10618164/screensmall-vi.jpg)

 I wanted to play games like Centipede, Missile Command and Marble Madness on my PC so I got a Happ trackball on Ebay cheap and three arcade buttons.  I performed the mouse hack with little trouble although I had to go to several thrift shops to find a ball mouse with a USB connector as no store carries these anymore.  I didn't have to remove the 3 buttons from the mouse board and just soldered the wires on top of them.  After I constructed the enclosure using scrap wood.  What can I say, it's pretty and it works.  total cost $25  yaaaay
Title: Re: My Happ Trackball Mame Box Project
Post by: GregD on April 24, 2012, 08:01:21 am
Nice work.
Title: Re: My Happ Trackball Mame Box Project
Post by: Asheville on March 29, 2016, 10:59:26 pm
Beautiful work!  Hey, I realize that nearly 4 years have passed, but I figure it won't to ask:  can you share with me the connections between the trackball and the mouse?  I have the exact same hardware.

- Michael
Title: Re: My Happ Trackball Mame Box Project
Post by: JimmyU on March 30, 2016, 12:06:53 pm
Beautiful work!  Hey, I realize that nearly 4 years have passed, but I figure it won't to ask:  can you share with me the connections between the trackball and the mouse?  I have the exact same hardware.

- Michael
It would just be easier to buy rablack's trackball encoder (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,129928.0/all.html). I think it's around $10, but it's plug and play and you don't have to worry about a mouse hack.
Title: Re: My Happ Trackball Mame Box Project
Post by: Asheville on March 30, 2016, 01:30:59 pm
It would just be easier to buy rablack's trackball encoder (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,129928.0/all.html). I think it's around $10, but it's plug and play and you don't have to worry about a mouse hack.

Not just as easier - much easier, and cleaner.  Thanks.  I will contact Rablack now.

- M
Title: Re: My Happ Trackball Mame Box Project
Post by: pbj on March 30, 2016, 01:43:34 pm
Old mouse is $1 and a mouse hack is one of the simplest and most satisfying things that anyone in this hobby can do...

Title: Re: My Happ Trackball Mame Box Project
Post by: yotsuya on March 30, 2016, 01:50:59 pm

It would just be easier to buy rablack's trackball encoder (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,129928.0/all.html). I think it's around $10, but it's plug and play and you don't have to worry about a mouse hack.



Not just as easier - much easier, and cleaner.  Thanks.  I will contact Rablack now.

- M
I use Rablack97's encoder for my Tempest. It works great.
Title: Re: My Happ Trackball Mame Box Project
Post by: Asheville on March 30, 2016, 03:06:03 pm
Old mouse is $1 and a mouse hack is one of the simplest and most satisfying things that anyone in this hobby can do...

I have pair of $1 mice, and the card inside looks exactly like the one in this post.  If only I could see the wires better . . . .
I also have a $1 keyboard to take apart.  It looks like a simple thing to map wire combinations to the buttons and joysticks.  Looks like MAME will accept anything for inputs.

- M
Title: Re: My Happ Trackball Mame Box Project
Post by: dmckean on March 30, 2016, 03:26:21 pm
Hacking a mouse interface fairly easy, but hacking a keyboard interface is torture because of ghosting.
Title: Re: My Happ Trackball Mame Box Project
Post by: yotsuya on March 30, 2016, 03:27:45 pm
Hacking a mouse interface fairly easy, but hacking a keyboard interface is torture because of ghosting.
I actually had fun a few years ago finally trying a keyboard hack, but the problem I found is that the terminals aren't really suited for soldering. There's some kind of weird carbon conductive material.
Title: Re: My Happ Trackball Mame Box Project
Post by: dmckean on March 30, 2016, 03:45:11 pm
It took me weeks to get my stick working when I did the keyboard hack. It was one of my first ever electronics projects though, I would probably have an easier time with it today.  I remember I used the DeCosa guide I found on this site and cut up 2 broken Sega Genesis controllers for their cords. That was a really long time ago, probably 17 years now?
Title: Re: My Happ Trackball Mame Box Project
Post by: pbj on March 30, 2016, 04:52:23 pm
I've got three or four keyboards laying around I always meant to hack but it's not really worth the hassle these days.

Title: Re: My Happ Trackball Mame Box Project
Post by: rablack97 on March 31, 2016, 08:52:07 am
Old mouse is $1 and a mouse hack is one of the simplest and most satisfying things that anyone in this hobby can do...

Agreed, my board is more a luxury, to your point its not to deter a hobbyist from learning a new technique.  If  he can't get that to work as expected, then my boards would be secondary protocol.
Title: Re: My Happ Trackball Mame Box Project
Post by: yotsuya on March 31, 2016, 09:33:47 am
Old mouse is $1 and a mouse hack is one of the simplest and most satisfying things that anyone in this hobby can do...

Agreed, my board is more a luxury, to your point its not to deter a hobbyist from learning a new technique.  If  he can't get that to work as expected, then my boards would be secondary protocol.
I wouldn't sell your boards short, bro. They just work. :-)
Title: Re: My Happ Trackball Mame Box Project
Post by: Asheville on March 31, 2016, 10:19:49 pm
Thank you for all the replies!  I have to try the mouse and keyboard hacks, but if I don't have success, I will buy interface boards.  I'll be sure and post my game here when it's ready.

- M
Title: Re: My Happ Trackball Mame Box Project
Post by: rablack97 on April 01, 2016, 01:23:25 pm
Old mouse is $1 and a mouse hack is one of the simplest and most satisfying things that anyone in this hobby can do...

Agreed, my board is more a luxury, to your point its not to deter a hobbyist from learning a new technique.  If  he can't get that to work as expected, then my boards would be secondary protocol.
I wouldn't sell your boards short, bro. They just work. :-)

Oh im not bro, i know they work, but i did the hack too and it was more of a just to see if i could do it.  Ego-man thing i guess.
Title: Re: My Happ Trackball Mame Box Project
Post by: Automark on April 02, 2016, 07:07:14 pm
Thanks for this,
But i tried it with my 3" happ and 2 logitech mouse (ps2 & usb) but it did not work for me. With the usb i got some kind of result, but the crsor moved extremely fast. Even on the slow settings in control panel its way to fast. Anyone an idea?


Edit: hmm according to this page http://mamewah.mameworld.info/mousehack.htm (http://mamewah.mameworld.info/mousehack.htm) it doesnt work with logitechs  :banghead:
Title: Re: My Happ Trackball Mame Box Project
Post by: rablack97 on April 02, 2016, 10:50:18 pm
Oh yeah forgot to add that, the hack only works with a select mice.