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Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Voodooray on June 04, 2005, 09:35:41 am

Title: Rotary Pot Thingy
Post by: Voodooray on June 04, 2005, 09:35:41 am: Hi.
Does anybody know if this thing can be interfaced with a mouse?
(http://www.geocities.com/prfabrications/rotary_doodad.jpg)
It's the thing you sometimes get as a scroll wheel. Could i just solder it where the detector goes on one of the axis'?
The picture's a bit deceiving, it only has three legs even though it looks like it has more.
I would just do it and see but i don't have a spare computer to blow up.

Thanks Guys.
Voodoo Ray.
88 Acid Revival, Safe
Title: Re: Rotary Pot Thingy
Post by: Burger on June 05, 2005, 07:15:41 am: Hello there.
I can't help i'm afraid but i was curious why you wanted to do such a thing?
???
Beef Burger.
Title: Re: Rotary Pot Thingy
Post by: Voodooray on June 05, 2005, 02:43:49 pm: Hi Mr Burger or can I call you Beef? :D
I want to make my joystick into a rotary so i can play the second best game in the world, Ikari Warrior (my lawyers have asked me to point out that Ikari Warrior may not be universally recognised as the second best game in the world...........yet).
I saw a thread that i can no longer rember showing how to make a rotary stick from the parts of a mechanical mouse. Due to my frankly laughable attemps to track down said variety of mouse, i'm trying to think of another way.
I don't know how the pot thingy works i just wondered if anybody else did.
I suppose i could build it and take it to work, that would have big, surly Barry the I.T. man scratching his fat miserable head.

Thanks gang.
Voodoo Ray.
Title: Re: Rotary Pot Thingy
Post by: fl0yd on June 05, 2005, 03:58:46 pm: What type of joystick do you have?
Title: Re: Rotary Pot Thingy
Post by: markrvp on June 05, 2005, 06:30:27 pm: Here is the thread you mentioned:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,20018.0.html
Title: Re: Rotary Pot Thingy
Post by: Voodooray on June 06, 2005, 11:20:21 am: Hi Mark.
It wasn't that one actually, i really like that one but i can't get the parts for it. :'(
The version i remember actually had a special kind of mechanical encoder instead of an optical one but i think they are pretty rare these days.
I have this type of joystick at the moment Floyd -
(http://www.ultimarc.com/images/eurostik.jpg)
Not a great stick but if i could make a rotary out of it it might not be so bad, especially with a yellow octagonal handle made for it like an Ikari Warrior Stick (drooling.......).

Thanks Guys.
Voodoo Ray.
Title: Re: Rotary Pot Thingy
Post by: fl0yd on June 06, 2005, 11:30:15 am: I don't know that the component you have will be able to accomplish what is necessary, but I have a few directions you could take.

1) The mice necessary for the method that Mark linked to are easy to find, here's a link (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Manufactory=&PropertyCodeValue=0&PropertyCodeValue=0&PropertyCodeValue=836%3A7053&PropertyCodeValue=0&PropertyCodeValue=0&description=&MinPrice=&MaxPrice=&SubCategory=65&Submit=Property) to newegg.com with several already in the results.

2) The 12-way mechanical rotary + Druin's rotary interface may be possible.
Title: Re: Rotary Pot Thingy
Post by: Voodooray on June 06, 2005, 11:38:39 am: Hi Floyd, thanks for the response.
Title: Re: Rotary Pot Thingy
Post by: markrvp on June 06, 2005, 12:21:51 pm: Quote from: Voodooray on June 06, 2005, 11:38:39 am
Hi Floyd, thanks for the response.
Title: Re: Rotary Pot Thingy
Post by: fl0yd on June 06, 2005, 01:13:10 pm: I'm not too sure you really need all the fancy gears. I would think that an appropriately tensioned rubber band would work with the default encoder wheel.

I agree that the geared bands would be better, but if I didn't have a choice, I'd just go with the rubber band,
Title: Re: Rotary Pot Thingy
Post by: u_rebelscum on June 06, 2005, 03:08:49 pm: Quote from: Voodooray on June 04, 2005, 09:35:41 am
Does anybody know if this thing can be interfaced with a mouse?

Really depends on what the thing outputs, and the mouse you hack it to, but I'd guess yes.

I'm assuming the three pins have one power and two outputs, and the output follows the same quadrature "protocol" as a normal mouse axis. I'd guess they do, as it would be easy for manufactors to have three axis with the same protocol instead of two with one and the last with another, but IANAM. ;)
Title: Re: Rotary Pot Thingy
Post by: Voodooray on June 06, 2005, 04:47:00 pm: That makes sense, well bits of it did anyway. ;)
I don't really know the nuts and bolts of how a mouse chip interprets the info it gets but it seems logical, as you say, that a three axis mouse would have three identical inputs.

Thanks gang.
Voodoo Ray.
Title: Re: Rotary Pot Thingy
Post by: Thenasty on June 06, 2005, 06:51:17 pm: you might be refering to this type of mice

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,17149.0.html
Title: Re: Rotary Pot Thingy
Post by: Voodooray on June 08, 2005, 11:23:05 am: Yep, that's the one Nasty.
No chance of finding one so far though.

The shaft and the handle are no problem Floyd, i can make what i want with them really, just the belt drive bit i'm struggling with.

Oh well, nil desperandum!
Thanks guys.

Voodoo Ray.
Title: Re: Rotary Pot Thingy
Post by: Thenasty on June 08, 2005, 11:47:31 am: Quote from: Voodooray on June 08, 2005, 11:23:05 am
Yep, that's the one Nasty.
No chance of finding one so far though.

Voodoo Ray.

Did you not read those POST ?
Title: Re: Rotary Pot Thingy
Post by: Voodooray on June 09, 2005, 12:13:19 pm: Sorry nasty, i don't follow you? ???

Voodoo Ray.
Title: Re: Rotary Pot Thingy
Post by: fl0yd on June 09, 2005, 06:23:37 pm: I think he's referring to your statement that you don't have one of these mice, and can't find one.

The actual text of the linked post mentions that he has a couple for sale.
Title: Re: Rotary Pot Thingy
Post by: Voodooray on June 10, 2005, 08:56:34 am: Right, ok.