al885@CWNS9.INS.CWRU.EDU (Gerard Pinzone) (02/27/91)
Thanks to the support of:
Jason Sodergren soderg@wsu-end.eng.wayne.edu
Scott R. Chilcote vrdxhq!scotty@uunet.UU.NET
I was able to convert the CX80 style trackball to work as a mouse!
This particular brand is different in appearence to the 2600 trackball.
This one has a black roller, it's smaller and has two big triangular
buttons on each side (alot nicer than the 2600's). The instruction
manual comes in EIGHT different languages including Japanese and Arabic!
I have not figured on how to keep the "trak-ball as a joystick" intact
with this modification as was done with the 2600. If anyone can figure
this out, PLEASE let us all know.
I'm not responsible if you ruin your computer or get hurt or killed doing
this. You have been warned! :-) Seriously, don't attempt this if you don't
have a soldering iron and are not good at soldering (or de-soldering)
since you could burn out a chip. Also, be careful about static electricity.
If you have an Amiga, I've heard stories of damaging the computer by
removing the mouse while the power is on. I have no idea if this is true,
however, this device uses the +5V pin on your joystick port. Don't short it
out!
I used a logic probe set to pulse mode and searched for the elusive pulse
trains. They appear in alot of different places. However, you can only use
the ones obtained from one of the ICs in the circut.
You will notice that this model is not as easy to take apart as the 2600.
Everything is compact and soldered tightly. As an electrical engineering
student, it broke my heart having to use tape and loose wires to secure the
nessasary electrical connections, but it really is the easiest way as long
as you don't plan on opening it back up for any reason. :-)
To open it, pry off the little black rubber feet on the bottom of the
case. It will reveal 4 screws. Take the screws out and remove the cover.
There isn't anything other than the screws holding the trackball together
(unlike the 2600 which has to be pryed apart). The chip you need is the
14 pin IC on the bottom right towards you (the joystick pins are at the top
center of the unit). Note that the circut board is upside down (the
components are underneath).
Here is a bad diagram of the chip on the ckt board :-)
Pin 1 should be labeled on the ckt board:
RED BROWN
| |
| |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
---------------------------
| |
| |
| |
| |
---------------------------
14 13 12 11 10 9 8
^ ^
| |
ORANGE YELLOW
Disconnect the first four joystick connectors (Yellow, Orange, Red, Brown).
Leave the rest intact. Push the connectors off, don't pull on the wires.
What I did was get 4 pieces of very thin bell wire, heat up the pin I
needed with a soldering iron, and stick one end of the wire into the same
hole occupied by that pin. Do this for all four pins (2,4,10,12). Make
sure the wires are long enough to reach the joystick connectors.
Now that you have 4 leads hanging out of the IC, just wrap the correct
lead around its corresponding joystick wire and insulate with scotch tape.
Don't worry, I haven't been shocked yet by using mere scotch tape instead
of UL approved "electrical tape" in any joystick application. These are
very low currents and voltages....don't worry.....unless you have an
Amiga ;-)
Stuff all this along the right side and underneath of the ckt board GENTLY!
Test it out before you close it all up. Check to see the wires aren't in
the way of the roller. And please, don't get any of the wires crushed when
you are putting on the cover. When you got the cover back on, test it again
while holding the cover in place as a final check. Put the screws back in
and the little rubber feet and that's it!
If you want this for your Amiga, switch the Brown and Yellow wires around.
If you want a right and left button you will have to run a brand new
joystick wire. Get a Radio Shack extention cord and cut off the end you
don't need.
WARNING: any similarity between wire colors of the Radio Shack cord and
Atari specifications are purely coincidental! Check EVERY pinout! I used
a continuity tester (a bulb and a battery) to check which pin goes where.
An unbent paperclip fits nicely into the pin acceptors.
Once you've done this, you will somehow have to isolate the right button.
I don't remeber what it was like inside. You may have to scratch off part
of the copper with a sharp knife. Then you can solder to the exposed copper
leading to the right button. The ST doesn't really use the right button
that much (it follows the Mac envionment prettly closely). However, Amiga
users will find this a MUST.
Remember to make a strain relief so you don't accidentally rip out the
cable. You can do this by wrapping electrical tape (so that's what it's
for) around the joystick cable before and after it enters the trackball
case. Leave a small gap in between the two so you can close the cover.
Don't hesitate to use alot of tape to make a suitable strain relief.
Well, that's it. If you have any questions, please reply to me at the
address listed in the signature....
=========Gerard Pinzone=======================gpinzone@george.poly.edu=========
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