trackball backspin problems

[GMZombie]

ok i got my trackball running and whatnot but when i for example play golden tee golf 98 and try to hit the ball hard....it usually goes not far at all...like mabye 75yds if that....and when i play bowling the ball when the trackball is moved fast goes really slow...ive tried adjusting the pointer speed and that didnt help...any other options??? im runing win xp pro with a microsoft mouse hack..imperial trackball 3"

[Chris]

The question is: is the backspin physical (coming from the mouse hack) or virtual (coming from MAME)?  In Windows, spin hard.  Does the pointer glue to the edge of the screen, or does it jitter back and forth?  If it's rock solid on the edge of the window, you need to adjust MAME's settings, otherwise you need to do something with either the mouse drivers or a different mouse hack.

--Chris

[GMZombie]

i spun it in windows and it goes to the top of the screen....but it also goes to the right a bit even though i only goe straight up..

[Chris]

That's to be expected.

Step 1: In Windows Control Panel, under Mouse, make sure the mouse speed is exactly in the middle and accelleration is turned off, and enhance pointer precision is on.

Step 2: Follow the instructions at http://www.tweakxp.com/article139692.aspx.

Step 3: In the game you're getting backspin, make sure the analog sensitivity is at the default for the game (you may need to delete the game's CFG file).

Does any of this help?  If not, start reducing the analog sensitivity until the backspin goes away.

--Chris

[hiperco]

I'm having problems in XP as well.  When I roll upwards very fast, my Happ trackball actually causes the cursor to STOP partway up the screen for a while, then continues upward after the ball slows down.  This really makes Golden Tee play like $%# 

I tried all of the above tips, btw. 

[Chris]

What kind of mouse are you using for the hack?

[hiperco]

No hack here, using Happ 3 inch PS/2 / USB trackball.

Happens with PS/2 and USB.

This is a bummer after spending so much $$ on this one, I hope there's a solution somehow  :(a

[u_rebelscum]

I'm having problems in XP as well.  When I roll upwards very fast, my Happ trackball actually causes the cursor to STOP partway up the screen for a while...

If you're having problems in window desktop, focus fixing that before trying to adjust mame.  Desktop problems indicate one of a few things:
a) encoder wheel spins to fast for sensors
b) interface isn't fast enough to count the changes sent from the sensors
c) interface doesn't send the info fast enough to prevent overflows
d) window's mouse accelleration and/or speed is set too high

Since a-c are more toward the hardware side, see if it's d) first.  Do something like Chris suggestion step 1, except set the mouse speed very low and turn off enhanced precision.  (I could be wrong about the enhance part, see below.)

... accelleration is turned off, and enhance pointer precision is on...

Chris, I thought "Enhance pointer precision" was a renamed mouse accell.  (except I guess "enhance" can change the accell curve.)  Am I wrong here?

Hmm, with the change accel curve, I guess you might be able to make it a decell curve...  [shrug]

[hiperco]

Changing the speed/sensitivity in windows has the effect of moving the location where the cursor stalls on the screen.

I agree, starting to really smell like a hardware problem.  Since it happens with PS/2 and USB, I would tend think its in the trackball hardware.  I guess I'll have to screw around with it (open it up) and see what I can find.   

[Chris]

First off, stay with USB if possible.  It samples at twice the rate of PS/2.

I don't know anything about the Happ USB interface, but a cheap mouse hack may be a solution.  I have a Happ trackball hacked to the guts of one of those cheap $3.99 blue USB trackballs, and it works perfectly in MAME with default settings using the window settings I described above.  The hack was really really simple to do.  If you can get your hands on a cheap USB non-optical non-Logitech mouse or trackball, it would be useful to hack it as a troubleshooting step.  If it works and if you haven't had the Happs ball long, try to exchange it for a regular one.

The stalling also could be the trackball coming off the rollers for an instant, which can happen when the trackball hasn't been proken in.  that wouldn't explain the backspin, though.

[hiperco]

I've sent off a note to the ebay seller of my trackball (cointechtexas), I'll wait to see what he has to say...

[hiperco]

egads.  I think Chris hit the nail on the head, my CP is at an angle, which makes the ball come out of contact with the roller for a short time.  (the strange this is that you can't tell from a mechanical standpoint, it doesn't sound any different when this happens.

I think it would work much better if I rotate the trackball 180 degrees...I've looked for a utility to invert the trackball axes in Windows, but haven't found one yet (I think Mame can do it, so I'm focused on Windows XP at the moment).  Anybody know how to invert the mouse/trackball axis directions in XP 

[Chris]

egads.

[hiperco]

Thanks for the reply Chris, but I don't think the happ PS/2 / USB trackball can be easily reversed in hardware  (the Y axis is on the same PCB as the micro, so inversion would require cutting traces etc.)

A software solution would be prefereble 

[Chris]

Thanks for the reply Chris, but I don't think the happ PS/2 / USB trackball can be easily reversed in hardware

[hiperco]

Upon further review, its not a roller contact problem (I took the tb out, set it flat, and watched the disk carefully as it spins).  I also tried it on another PC, same problem.  (It doesn't stall in the X axis, btw).

I think this Happ trackball is defective.   

[slicer_d]

Are the encoder disks plastic or metal?  If they are plastic I think somebody was selling "more accurate" metal version that where supposed to be better.  I dont own a track ball so I really dont know much about all of this just something I remebered.

[hiperco]

Disks are plastic.  I think however that the problem lies with something else in the hardware (perhaps a frequency limit on either the optical pickup or the micro).  I'm sending it back for replacement. 

[hiperco]

I got my new trackball, and its SWEET  , I set a personal best "long drive" in GT2k without much effort

My original trackball was definitely defective.  Cudo's to "cointechtexas" on ebay for promptly replacing the bad one without any hassles.

BTW, sorry to the original poster for hijacking this thread

[GMZombie]

yea its cool i still havent figured out why this isnt working right...i tried everything...eh i may just buy the usb version mouse already hacked from oscars for 12 dollars...