p88-kmn@sm.luth.se (Kjell-Ove Mickelsson) (10/17/89)
I have a problem. You see i have a lot of disk's and diskboxes and diskdrives and all kind of things on my writingdesk beside my Amiga. This decreases the moveability (is it spelled that way) of the mouse. So i wonder if it shouldn't be more comfortable with a trackball. The trackball is a device similar to a mouse that is upside down, where you instead of moving the mouse, spin a ball very like a billiardball, that is placed on top of the device (The device itselfs is stationary and doesn't move). I know that the trackball exists to a lot of other computers such as the Macintosh and pc, but so far i haven't seen it available to the Amiga. I've found an old 'Wico trackball' (joystick compatible) and i am thinking of rebuilding it to be compatible with the amiga-mouse. The Wico have those wheels with infra-red??? sensors similar to the mouse, but instead of giving the correct mouse vertical and mouse horisontal signals required, it gives out pulses to the joystick up-down resp. joystick left-right pins in the joystickport. If anyone knows exactly how the amiga-mouse works, which signals it gives out and on which pin's, then i would like to share your knowledge. I also wonder if there exist any trackballs that are ready to buy and compatible with the amiga-mouse already, and in that case where to get one. If it do exists then please let me know the price of it, and where to get it from. Thanks in advance. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------. .I #OO #OO #OO #OOOOOOOO I II #OOO #OO #OOOOOO #OO##### I II #OOOOO#OO #OO #OO #OOOOOO Glory, happiness and joy I II #OO##OOOO #OOOOOOOO #OO### I was here before Kilroy. I II #OO #OOO #OO####OO #OO I II ### ### ### ### ### I II (The National Arcade Freak) alias Kjelle Mickelsson. University of Lulea. I I'----------------------------------------------------------------------------' '----------------------------------------------------------------------------'
dwl10@uts.amdahl.com (Dave Lowrey) (10/17/89)
In article <584@tau.sm.luth.se> Kjell-Ove Mickelsson <p88-kmn@sm.luth.se> writes: > I know that the trackball exists to a lot of other computers such as the >Macintosh and pc, but so far i haven't seen it available to the Amiga. >I've found an old 'Wico trackball' (joystick compatible) and i am thinking >of rebuilding it to be compatible with the amiga-mouse. >The Wico have those wheels with infra-red??? sensors similar to the >mouse, but instead of giving the correct mouse vertical and mouse horisontal >signals required, it gives out pulses to the joystick up-down resp. >joystick left-right pins in the joystickport. >If anyone knows exactly how the amiga-mouse works, which signals it gives >out and on which pin's, then i would like to share your knowledge. > I also wonder if there exist any trackballs that are ready to buy and >compatible with the amiga-mouse already, and in that case where to get one. >If it do exists then please let me know the price of it, >and where to get it from. > Check out the October 89 issue of "Amazing Computing". It has plans on how to hack up an Atari Track Ball so that it works with the Amiga. The author even rotated the Track Ball 90 degrees, and moved the buttons so that it was possible to use the ball and press the buttons with one hand. -- "What is another word | Dave Lowrey | [The opinions expressed MAY be for 'Thesaurus'?" | Amdahl Corp. | those of the author and are not | Houston, Texas | necessarily those of his Steven Wright | amdahl!dwl10 | employer] (`nuff said!)
jal@demeter.cs.wayne.edu (Jason Leigh) (10/18/89)
I find a Track ball a real nuisance to use, especially to replace a mouse. Just imagine how you would click and drag with a track ball and you'll see why; you have to have one had pressing down the fire button and the other hand rolling the ball. It would probably be cheaper to just put your disk boxes on the floor like I do and buy the smallest mouse mat you can find. -- :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) :^) ;^) O^: (^: (^: (^: (^: (^: (^: (^: :^) It is possible to make no mistakes and still lose. (v: :^) That is not a weakness, that's life. - Jean-Luc Picard (v: :v) :v) :v) :v) :v) :v) :v) :v) :v( $v: (v: (v: (v: (v: (v: (v: (v:
swarren@eugene.uucp (Steve Warren) (10/18/89)
In article <584@tau.sm.luth.se> Kjell-Ove Mickelsson <p88-kmn@sm.luth.se> writes: >I've found an old 'Wico trackball' (joystick compatible) and i am thinking >of rebuilding it to be compatible with the amiga-mouse. [...] > I also wonder if there exist any trackballs that are ready to buy and >compatible with the amiga-mouse already, and in that case where to get one. WICO makes a "mouse-compatible" track ball for the Amiga. It's about $60, and it works great if you don't mind an ugly hole where the old button used to be (WICO modified a track-ball designed for some other machine to get the Amiga version), bad button response (one button is *way* too firm, the other one you just can't tell if you've pressed it or not), and a generally hideous red & black plastic box that is about twice as big as it needs to be. But sure enough, whenever you roll the ball, that pointer moves real nice-like ;^). There is also an article in Amazing Computing that explains how to convert an Atari track ball into an Amiga track ball. That might be a better approach. >If it do exists then please let me know the price of it, >and where to get it from. I bought my WICO from Amazing Computers in Dallas, TX. --Steve ------------------------------------------------------------------------- {uunet,sun}!convex!swarren; swarren@convex.COM
monty@sagpd1.UUCP (Monty Saine) (10/18/89)
In article <584@tau.sm.luth.se> Kjell-Ove Mickelsson <p88-kmn@sm.luth.se> writes: > I also wonder if there exist any trackballs that are ready to buy and >compatible with the amiga-mouse already, and in that case where to get one. >If it do exists then please let me know the price of it, >and where to get it from. > >Thanks in advance. >II (The National Arcade Freak) alias Kjelle Mickelsson. University of Lulea. I I have an aquaintance here in San Diego who owns a small development company and he is currently working with a model of a track-ball for IBM, Mac, etc. He started about two weeks ago making the "mods" to allow it to work with Amiga's also. This track-mouse has four buttons - two on each side of the top half of the case, the lower one being about twice the size of the upper one. The buttons are switch selectable to be momentary or latching and their functions can be swaped side for side to allow left handed use. I have been promised a demo from the first run to beta test them for him. I will report further when I actually receive mine. Price was, I believe, to be greater than $125. Monty Saine
ejkst@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Eric J. Kennedy) (10/19/89)
In article <2161@convex.UUCP> swarren@eugene.UUCP (Steve Warren) writes: >There is also an article in Amazing Computing that explains how to >convert an Atari track ball into an Amiga track ball. That might be >a better approach. Maybe. The problem with the Atari track ball is that it is *huge*. The trackball with its housing takes more room than my mouse, even including room for the mouse to move around. ('course, I use dmouse, so I don't need much room!) The buttons are way too far apart for easy one-handed operation, too. Now, if you just want to play games with it, and save wear and tear on your mouse in the process, it's a great deal. I got my Atari trackball for about $9, and modified it in about an hour. A real hacker could probably do it in 15 minutes. (Now, who makes a good Centipede game? :-) -- Eric Kennedy ejkst@cis.unix.pitt.edu
bakerj@mothra.UUCP (Jon Baker) (10/19/89)
In article <584@tau.sm.luth.se>, p88-kmn@sm.luth.se (Kjell-Ove Mickelsson) writes: > I also wonder if there exist any trackballs that are ready to buy and > compatible with the amiga-mouse already, and in that case where to get one. > If it do exists then please let me know the price of it, > and where to get it from. > I bought a ready-made Amiga trackball from Computer Discount in Phoenix. It actually appeared to be a trackball made for another PC that was modified to be compatible with the Amiga. Anyway, it works great - no problems. J.Baker.
wolfe@cygnus.nm.paradyne.com (Mike Wolfe) (10/26/89)
In article <990@wsu-cs.uucp> jal@demeter.cs.wayne.edu (Jason Leigh) writes: > >I find a Track ball a real nuisance to use, especially to replace a mouse. >Just imagine how you would click and drag with a track ball [...] Of course you wouldn't have this problem if the interface didn't require you to hold down the mouse button while moving the mouse. I don't understand why this is the case. You should have to click to select/grab and click again to deselect/drop (but then again I'm not a MACer). Thank God this is a defaults option on the SUN. ---- Mike Wolfe UUCP {uunet,att}!pdn!wolfe PHONE 813-530-2196 DOMAIN wolfe@pdn.paradyne.com
mamba@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Paul A Deisinger) (10/26/89)
><6705@pdn.paradyne.com> wolfe@cygnus.paradyne.com (Mike Wolfe) writes: >In article <990@wsu-cs.uucp> jal@demeter.cs.wayne.edu (Jason Leigh) writes: >> >>I find a Track ball a real nuisance to use, especially to replace a mouse. >>Just imagine how you would click and drag with a track ball [...] > >Of course you wouldn't have this problem if the interface didn't require >you to hold down the mouse button while moving the mouse. I don't understand >why this is the case. You should have to click to select/grab and >click again to deselect/drop (but then again I'm not a MACer). Thank God >this is a defaults option on the SUN. I use a trackball 40% or so of the time. The trackball I have has a port in the back into which my mouse is plugged. I have the mouse on the left side of the keyboard and use the buttons on there while I move the ball with my right. This is an acceptable solution, also, holding down a button on the ball while moving it is not really difficult, though I must admit it is difficult to be accurate. I find that using a trackball is most useful when I am doing an activity that requires two people use the mouse (such as chess). It is much nicer to pass the ball than have to crowd around the mouse pad. (excellent choice for 3 player empire too). As far as the click-set vs. click and drag, it should be a snap to incorporate that as a feature in either Dmouse or ClockDJ (the latter being my favorite gadget on my system). Matt, Dave, see who can add this feature first! :-) PAD -- My other .sig is a porche. Boongawa.
mclek@dcatla.UUCP (Larry E. Kollar) (10/27/89)
In article <6705@pdn.paradyne.com> wolfe@cygnus.paradyne.com (Mike Wolfe) writes: >>I find a Track ball a real nuisance to use, especially to replace a mouse. >>Just imagine how you would click and drag with a track ball [...] >In article <990@wsu-cs.uucp> jal@demeter.cs.wayne.edu (Jason Leigh) writes: >Of course you wouldn't have this problem if the interface didn't require >you to hold down the mouse button while moving the mouse. I don't understand >why this is the case. I've played with a trackball for a Mac -- it was pretty easy to use. The button was on the lower left (and right) corner of the box, several inches from the trackball itself. It was no problem to hold down the button with my thumb and spin the trackball with my other fingers. The trackball has to be designed for this though; I could well imagine that a standard-issue game trackball would be harder to use. -- Larry Kollar ...!gatech!dcatla!mclek Pray for me: I drive on Georgia 400.
t-wader@microsoft.UUCP (Wade Richards) (10/29/89)
In article <990@wsu-cs.uucp> jal@demeter.cs.wayne.edu (Jason Leigh) writes:
=}
=}I find a Track ball a real nuisance to use, especially to replace a mouse.
=}Just imagine how you would click and drag with a track ball and you'll see
=}why; you have to have one had pressing down the fire button and the other
=}hand rolling the ball. It would probably be cheaper to just put your disk
=}boxes on the floor like I do and buy the smallest mouse mat you can find.
That's only because you have a poorly designed trackball.
The button(s) is supposed to be to the lower left (or right for lefties), so
that you use your thumb to click. With this setup, the ball is just as easy
to move with the button depressed or not.
The other important thing that gets forgotten when desigining a trackball
is the sensitivity must depend on speed. A straight linear trackball either
takes all day to go from one side of the screen to the other, or makes it
impossible to place the pointer exactly where it should be.
Personally, if I had a choice, I'd use a trackball over a mouse anyday.
--- Wade