Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: pezkore on April 09, 2003, 11:25:28 pm
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I am about to build a custom Golden Tee control panel and i am somewhat interested in using a 3" tanslucent blue Happ trackball for the GT rather than the standard white trackball. This poses a few questions for the group- 1: will the translucent ball work just as well as the white one? 2:It is a jamma cabinet...how can i wire a florescent light that i would put in the control panel box so that when the game is turned on it lights up the buttons (also translucent) and the ball? Is there a way i can wire that into my current power supply? or would i have to include a second plug?
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You could use super bright LEDs to light your trackball (and even your buttons). They won't heat up and make the ball expand like some lights will. They take up almost no space and can be powered by a 12V or 5V source. Plus, blue LEDs will give your trackball a richer blue color than lighting it with a white light.
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where do i buy super bright LEDs and how do i go about wiring them? i know nothing about wiring
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the translucent balls are less dense than the "solid" er... opaque white ones... so they are little heavier for a wee bit more spin... (or so I'm told)...
You could get the light assembly from happs (although you could rig something up much easier/cheaper) and wire the incadescent bulb (or LEd) to the switching power supply just like anything else....
*Shrug* YMMV
rampy
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where do i buy super bright LEDs and how do i go about wiring them? i know nothing about wiring
go to Superbrightleds.com for led's
All you will need is like 4-5 led's, a 5V source, and some resistors to limit the current.
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Start by checking out OSCAR's project (http://www.oscarcontrols.com/led/).
I bought LEDs from Mouser. Here is a review of some LEDs (http://www.rc-cam.com/led_info.htm) from Mouser, Digi-Key, Super Bright LEDs, and Electronic Goldmine. This site has part numbers and even tells you what limiting resistors you'll need. I'd wire them in parallel versus in series.
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can i get the translucent ball from the happ website? if so, which section ( i couldn't find it). also, where can i get translucent buttons?
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You can buy a 3" blue translucent ball from Happ (http://www.happcontrols.com) (Happ part# 55-0200-12T), The Real Bob Roberts (http://www.dameon.net/BBBB/parts.html), or Arcade Shop Amusements (http://www.arcadeshop.com/parts.htm#Trackball).
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To answer your original question, you can wire a flourescent light fixture with a relay switch (http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F010%5F008%5F005%5F000&product%5Fid=275%2D218) that will turn it on whenever it sees a 12V current.
Also, you can buy translucent buttons, but only for leaf switches. The Real Bob Roberts (http://www.dameon.net/BBBB/parts.html) should have them too.
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Earlier, Rampy posted that the " translucent ball is are less dense than the "solid" er... opaque white ones... so they are little heavier for a wee bit more spin... (or so I'm told)..."
Did you mean that the white ball i heavier and therefore yields more spin, or that the translucent yields more spin . does that mean that i would have to hit the translucent ball harder to get the same spin out of it?
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Well it's a matter of physics. The density of the ball in this situation is almost negligible as far as speed is concerned because even the heavier ball will reach its maximum speed in a spin. Even the heavier one is light to enough to machieve max spin. (Though it may be easier to spin the lighter one anyways.)
However, the heavier one will achieve greater momentum and therefore keep spinning longer after you release. (Newtonian physics.)
;)
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Whilst on the subject of lighting trackballs I also want to light my 3inch translucent (Blue) Happs ball. I
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I’ve found these LEDs at a local branch of Maplin, and wondered if anyone would be able to tell me how many of these I would need for lighting the TB successfully.
Part no.: L-53MBD
IF: 20mA
Light output: 40mcd
How many? Of the one above? Well, twenty, thirty?
Maybe you should get a BRIGHT LED-type! ;)
Bright LED's have usually 2000mcd and more. (also depending on the color you choose) You don't wanna use a 40mcd-LED for lighting anything up.
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These were the ones they had titled as High Brightness!, They do have some brighter ones ~2000mcd but not in blue :(
Anyone know where I could get these in the UK?
Thanks.
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I got 2000mcd blue LED's from a mailorder here in Germany. Other colors go even higher! I'm pretty sure there must be some kind of electronic mailorder in UK, too - just search the web for it. :)
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I used a Blue translucent ball and backlit it with a flourescent bulb with a 12 volt relay to switch my arcade on. If you're interestedhere is a link: http://ajmmame.webajm.com/
ampapa, :D
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The way you're supposed to light these up is with a single 12V bulb. There is a light-assembly that screws into the bottom of the trackball that takes a bulb. You can then just run 12V from a PC molex connector. Looks fantastic and you don't have to mount an entire flourescent down there.
I don't think Happ has these assemblies on their site anymore though. Bob Roberts carries them though. They're cheap.
- Mike
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I wanted a clear ball but they want twice the price for a clear one so... I ordered a clear acrylic 3" juggling ball. When I get it I will let you know if this actually works.
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EPCO (http://www.epcomfg.com/rodandsheet.html) has some interesting specialty balls; although I can't imagine that they are inexpensive.
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this is where i got the ball from.
http://www.extremespin.com/juggling.html
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EPCO (http://www.epcomfg.com/rodandsheet.html) has some interesting specialty balls; although I can't imagine that they are inexpensive.
Either my eyes are playing trivks on me or those balls aren't perfectly round.
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looks round to me. but i am blind.
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The way you're supposed to light these up is with a single 12V bulb. There is a light-assembly that screws into the bottom of the trackball that takes a bulb. You can then just run 12V from a PC molex connector. Looks fantastic and you don't have to mount an entire flourescent down there.
I don't think Happ has these assemblies on their site anymore though. Bob Roberts carries them though. They're cheap.
- Mike
You say that you are "supposed" to light these with the 12 volt set up. Do high powered LEDs work as well/ better? Also, some of the control panels that i have seen that use a 12V florescent light to light a translucent ball and buttons produces and uneven lighting effect- the ball is bright and the buttons are about half as bright.
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I used a Blue translucent ball and backlit it with a flourescent bulb with a 12 volt relay to switch my arcade on. If you're interestedhere is a link: http://ajmmame.webajm.com/
ampapa, :D
I just thought you might like to know ampapa2- your control panel is what inspired me to use a light up trackball
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You say that you are "supposed" to light these with the 12 volt set up. Do high powered LEDs work as well/ better? Also, some of the control panels that i have seen that use a 12V florescent light to light a translucent ball and buttons produces and uneven lighting effect- the ball is bright and the buttons are about half as bright.
Supposed to as in that's what real games that have light-up trackballs do. This is a small 12V incandescent bulb, NOT a flourescent. It's the same bulb (lamp #161) that normally goes behind coin slots to light up the reject buttons. Happ made/makes a light fixture that attaches directly to their trackball to hold this bulb. Bob Roberts sells them.
Since it's a single very bright source directly under the trackball, it is lit up very well. I've never tried LEDs, I just went with the "official" part because I thought it would work the best.
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"I just thought you might like to know ampapa2- your control panel is what inspired me to use a light up trackball"
Ahhh.. Inspiration that's what I like....
Light it up however you like, part of the fun is building and being creative while doing it, just be safe. The flourescent bulb lights the buttons as well as the trackball, it was just darn esier than wiring each item individualy with a bulb.
ampapa,
:D
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it seems like the one flourescent bulb makes for an uneven light up of the control panel
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You are correct, on the ends there is a slight difference in intesity I can't argue that but they remain lighted and very playable.
Happy lighting... :D
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You can buy a 3" blue translucent ball from Happ (http://www.happcontrols.com) (Happ part# 55-0200-12T), The Real Bob Roberts (http://www.dameon.net/BBBB/parts.html), or Arcade Shop Amusements (http://www.arcadeshop.com/parts.htm#Trackball).
Here's the Happ one:
http://www.happcontrols.com/trackballs/950029xx.htm