Programming TRACKBALL

[MIRKOSOFT]

Hi!

I'm new owner of trackball WICO.

I tried to programming it, but I'm not sure:

first - It's not like mouse, that's sure

2nd - I tried to read joy-port1, where was connected - it outputs values like keyboard keys, fire was same as joy-fire

3rd - the ball has 360° so , how to use directions?

Thanks for every reply.

Miro

[MIRKOSOFT]

So, I tried any joystick's programs and now I know that it's the same type of control to every degree...

Miro

[RobertB]

Yes, a quick summary of how the trackball is really a joystick is at

http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/issue65/feedback_trackball_tricks.php

From Compute! magazine, no less,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug

[Hydrophilic]

I had an Atari Trackball (I don't know what model number) until a few years ago.  It was in storage until somebody decided it was garbage and tossed it

It had a standard Atari / Commodore female 9-pin D-Sub connector (DE-9 or DB9) with about a 1 ~ 1.5m (3~4.5 ft) cable.  The base measured about 20cm x 40cm (8in x 16in).  The "ball" was white; it looked like a billards/pool que ball.  The "case" was dark brown (nearly black) with a button in both top left and top right corner.

Underneath, my model had a switch.  In one position, the device would act like a joystick.  In this mode, continous 0V would be applied to up, down, left, right joystick direction depending on direction ball is spinning.  Both buttons will ground (0V) the fire line.  On a C128 you can demonstrate with:

Code Select Expand

DO:PRINT JOY(N):LOOP where N is 1 or 2 for controller port that device is plugged into.

As I remember from documentation (it's been 20+ years, so this is foggy), this was for Atari 2600 / Commodore (vic/64/128) compatibility mode.  It worked pretty good with Crystal Castles on an Atari 2600.  It worked so-so with most games on C64/C128 (never tested my Vic-20).. 

When the switch was in the other positition, it was supposed (as I recall) to be in Atari 800/1200 mode.  I forget if the two buttons were seperately detectable.  Anyway you would get no direction reading with BASIC's JOY(N) function when spinning the ball.

I wish I still had the device, because I would like to test

Code Select Expand

DO:PRING POT(N*2-1),POT(N*2):LOOP function when spinning the ball (where N is 1 or 2 depending on controller port where the device is connected).  It would be cool if it operated similar to 1351 mouse with POT(N) function, but it seems like I would have tried that (and since I don't remember success, it may be failure).

I've attached a drawing I made.  Does anybody know what model (number or other name) this Atari trackball could be?