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Help please - how to test a wico Command Control Trackball?

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quarterback:

--- Quote from: quarterback on June 21, 2005, 07:19:49 pm ---So I could pull a 9-pin serial jack out of an old PC and wire this into my KeyWiz as 'joystick 3' (or something), right?
--- End quote ---

NoOne=NBA=:

--- Quote from: quarterback on June 21, 2005, 07:42:48 pm ---So I could pull a 9-pin serial jack out of an old PC and wire this into my KeyWiz as 'joystick 3' (or something), right?   That's what it looks like to me, and that would be cool :)
--- End quote ---

You probably COULD, but it will WORK just like a digital joystick if you do.
IIRC, there were only two games for the 2600 that actually used the trackball AS a trackball.
For the rest of them, it acted just like a joystick.
When you spun lightly, it moved for a little bit then stopped.
When you spun hard, it moved for a bit longer, then stopped.
Missle Command was especially frustrating because you couldn't get from one end to the other quickly.
You spun the trackball, and the cursor just kind of floated along.


--- Quote ---Question:   The page I found with this information indicates that pin 7 is:  +5V, max. 50 mA

I read this as saying that I should not pump more than 50mA down this line.
--- End quote ---

You don't really PUMP voltage, it's just there, and is drawn by whatever device you hook up to it.



--- Quote ---So, before I blow anything up :),  I'm wondering "how many mA get pulled through a keyboard encoder that's hooked to a ps2 port, and will it be okay for me to hook pin 7 up to the +5v from my keyboard encoder?
--- End quote ---

I don't know.
I would GUESS you'd be OK; but, without seeing specs on your encoder and PS/2 port, it's only a guess.

quarterback:

--- Quote from: NoOne=NBA= on June 21, 2005, 08:51:54 pm ---
--- Quote from: quarterback on June 21, 2005, 07:42:48 pm ---So I could pull a 9-pin serial jack out of an old PC and wire this into my KeyWiz as 'joystick 3' (or something), right?
--- End quote ---

You probably COULD, but it will WORK just like a digital joystick if you do.
IIRC, there were only two games for the 2600 that actually used the trackball AS a trackball.
For the rest of them, it acted just like a joystick.
When you spun lightly, it moved for a little bit then stopped.
When you spun hard, it moved for a bit longer, then stopped.
Missle Command was especially frustrating because you couldn't get from one end to the other quickly.
You spun the trackball, and the cursor just kind of floated along.
--- End quote ---

Indeed, that makes total sense if each one is just hooked up to R/L/U/D like a joystick, it would just ACT like a joystick and the speed o' the spin wouldn't do nuthin... and that's not be exactly what I'm looking for :)
Thanks

NoOne=NBA=:
I'm not sure about the Wico ones, but the Atari-branded Wicos had a switch on them that set it from trackball to joystick.

I don't know what the difference in output to the 2600 was when you flipped that switch, as I never had either of the games that supported the trackball as a trackball, though.

You might be able to find out more info on the web somewhere.

RayB:
Just an FYI, you can also test it on a Commodore 64, Vic 20, Atari computers, etc... Basically anything that was compabitile with the joysticks.

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