Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Vicious Burger on June 13, 2009, 02:56:11 pm

Title: Trackball Not Recognised (Windows & Mame)
Post by: Vicious Burger on June 13, 2009, 02:56:11 pm
I have a Happ trackball in my CP connected to the Opti-Wiz with an adapter cable from GGG. Optiwiz connects to PC via USB. There are a pair of green wires that come off the trackball and join together at a crimp connector,which I assume is a ground wire,(isn't ground usually black?) If this is the case, where should i ground it? The PC is inside the cabinet,should i run a wire to the PC case to ground it,or somewhere else? All my other controls (joys & buttons) work fine,they have all the ground wires on them,and are all connected through the Ipac4. Spinner is USB.

I checked with my multimeter that power is coming from the optiwiz,and it is getting 5v through the adapter cable. I'm not sure how to tell if its a grounding issue or if the trackball is knackered
Title: Re: Trackball Not Recognised (Windows & Mame)
Post by: maddags on June 13, 2009, 06:47:13 pm
Black is not neccisarily black, alot of times it is green.  I have not used the Opti-wiz but I think you should connect the ground it is as well.  On GGG website http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=260  in the description it says that it has  Connections provided for 3 buttons, 3 axes, +5v and Ground.
Title: Re: Trackball Not Recognised (Windows & Mame)
Post by: Vicious Burger on June 13, 2009, 07:38:17 pm
Black is not neccisarily black, alot of times it is green.  I have not used the Opti-wiz but I think you should connect the ground it is as well.  On GGG website http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=260  in the description it says that it has  Connections provided for 3 buttons, 3 axes, +5v and Ground.


I'm pretty sure that when it says ground,it means for the cable that comes from the trackball. There are three 2-pin cables on the adapter cable. 2 of them (4 pins in all go to the x and y axis pins (according to Randy T) and the other go to 5v and ground. I'm pretty sure that the only grounding point on the optiwiz.
http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/1565/hpim0944.jpg
Title: Re: Trackball Not Recognised (Windows & Mame)
Post by: mlalena on June 13, 2009, 08:16:47 pm
Just to specify a point:
The 2 green wires on a Happ Trackball are a ground for static electricity buildup from the trackball.
You should ground this green wire so that the static doesn't burn out a circuit board, but the trackball should work without grounding.
To verify your trackball is the same as mine, if you take apart the trackball these green wires should lead to a copper foil near the rollers.
Title: Re: Trackball Not Recognised (Windows & Mame)
Post by: maddags on June 13, 2009, 08:24:16 pm
Sorry I missed understood,  as mlalena stated this is correct.  As I took a look at my Golden tee setup and they are infact grounded to a grounding block in the cabinet.
Title: Re: Trackball Not Recognised (Windows & Mame)
Post by: Vicious Burger on June 14, 2009, 03:24:28 am
Sorry I missed understood,  as mlalena stated this is correct.  As I took a look at my Golden tee setup and they are infact grounded to a grounding block in the cabinet.

And what is the grounding block grounded to ? The main power supply ground i guess.
Title: Re: Trackball Not Recognised (Windows & Mame)
Post by: Vicious Burger on June 14, 2009, 05:36:05 pm
Just to specify a point:
The 2 green wires on a Happ Trackball are a ground for static electricity buildup from the trackball.
You should ground this green wire so that the static doesn't burn out a circuit board, but the trackball should work without grounding.
To verify your trackball is the same as mine, if you take apart the trackball these green wires should lead to a copper foil near the rollers.

Yep,the green wires go to the copper bits where the crimp connector is screwed in.
I still cant figure this thing out. I tried to set it up on my other PC,but no luck with it there either.
Do you know of a sure way I can test it to see if the trackball is dead in some way?
I was trying to measure the voltage coming from the optiwiz,but it keeps saying OL .
Title: Re: Trackball Not Recognised (Windows & Mame)
Post by: RandyT on June 14, 2009, 11:43:23 pm
I still cant figure this thing out. I tried to set it up on my other PC,but no luck with it there either.
Do you know of a sure way I can test it to see if the trackball is dead in some way?
I was trying to measure the voltage coming from the optiwiz,but it keeps saying OL .

Again, it would be best to deal with this through support email, but the first thing I would recommend is for you to disconnect all wiring from the Opti-Wiz and plug the unit into your PC.  If the PC makes the normal "happy" sound under XP, then you will at least know that the Opti-Wiz is functional.  It should be, because we test each and every one of them on a trackball before they are shipped.

If it is, then the next possibility is the wiring.  Again, we test the harnesses as well, but it's the next thing to look at.  It's hard to know what all happens in shipping.

We can do some more in depth trouble shooting in email.
Title: Re: Trackball Not Recognised (Windows & Mame)
Post by: Vicious Burger on June 15, 2009, 03:55:43 am
Yeah the OL thing was just me having the meter on 2v instead of 20v,so no problem there. And once the wiz is plugged in it does make the happy sound.
Once the adapter cable is plugged into the trackball harness,i only get 5v to one side of the trackball. Maybe the ball harness is not wired up right.