My Happ Trackball Mame Box Project

[mst3kpimp]

 











 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

[GregD]

Nice work.

[Asheville]

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

[JimmyU]

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. I think it's around $10, but it's plug and play and you don't have to worry about a mouse hack.

[Asheville]

It would just be easier to buy rablack's trackball encoder. 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

[pbj]

Old mouse is $1 and a mouse hack is one of the simplest and most satisfying things that anyone in this hobby can do...

[yotsuya]

It would just be easier to buy rablack's trackball encoder. 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.

[Asheville]

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

[dmckean]

Hacking a mouse interface fairly easy, but hacking a keyboard interface is torture because of ghosting.

[yotsuya]

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.

[dmckean]

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?

[pbj]

I've got three or four keyboards laying around I always meant to hack but it's not really worth the hassle these days.

[rablack97]

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.

[yotsuya]

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. :-)

[Asheville]

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

[rablack97]

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.

[Automark]

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 it doesnt work with logitechs 

[rablack97]

Oh yeah forgot to add that, the hack only works with a select mice.