Re: Perfect interfacing(Trackballs & Spinners)


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Posted by EmuMannen on 30, 2000 at 4:47 AM:

In Reply to: Re: Perfect interfacing(Trackballs & Spinners) posted by Darren Harris on 29, 2000 at 7:52 PM:

There is a good chance that Andy really know the pin-outs for the Millipede trackball. And I am quite sure that he will have some sort of idea of how to connect it to the Opti-PAC if not...

I think that manufacture a variety of different "vanes" wheels will be to much job and would you like to take the CP apart and change in the middle of a MAME-session?

I found this in the Ralf Brown's Interrupt List:

INT 15 - SYSTEM - POINTING DEVICE BIOS INTERFACE (PS) - SET SAMPLING RATE
AX = C202h
BH = sampling rate
00h 10/second
01h 20/second
02h 40/second
03h 60/second
04h 80/second
05h 100/second
06h 200/second
Return: CF set on error
AH = status (see #00522)
SeeAlso: INT 33/AX=001Ch

INT 15 - SYSTEM - POINTING DEVICE BIOS INTERFACE (PS) - SET RESOLUTION
AX = C203h
BH = resolution (see #00523)
Return: CF set on error
AH = status (see #00522)

(Table 00523)
Values for pointing device resolution:
00h one count per mm
01h two counts per mm
02h four counts per mm
03h eight counts per mm

So the sampling rate and resolution can be set by software. I don't know how far this will take you but I think that the settings possible in MAME and using the software interrupts above should be enough if you use a standard arcade trackball like the Happ/Wico/Suzo and an interface like the Happ/Hagstrom/Opti-PAC Plus.

Let me know if you can't find a good mouse driver. I have copies of all old MS Mouse drivers and I could always code a small program that would use the software interrupts above to set sampling rate and resolution if it is not supported by the mouse driver...

/ EmuMannen

: :"That what I tried to tell you in my previous posting. I feel like I am really in the "neighborhood" with my SUZO Mini + Opti-PAC + Old MS Mouse driver..."

: Even an elite competitive gamer cannot tell by just feel alone, whether his home-made CP's responsiveness falls into the original's "window". And a competition is not a good time to find that out. As for your set-up, the SUZO mini makes everything else not an option(for me anyway).
:
: :"I would send Andy Warne a mail and ask him if it is possible to hook the PCB to his Opti-PAC Plus. It looks like you can hook almost any kind of optical circuit to that board so why not the original Atari Millipede trackball PCB? Check the link below for a reference to his homepage..."

: I'll try, but unless he happens to know the pin-outs for Millipede, I guess I'm still stuck. Besides, with all these mice I have lying around, I'll try to postphone spending the $47.00 for an OPTI-PAC Plus, and try to learn as I go.(I'm an amateur inventor). :-)

: From what you said, I may be able to have enough flexibility between MAME and my mouse drivers(whatever they will be). I'll have to cross my fingers on that point. :-)

: Outside of that, it seems easier for me to tackle this problem by just coming up with a way to manufacture a variety of different "vanes"(There are 24 "holes" in both of Millipedes'), and develop a way to attach and unattach them. Then use, and experiment with different mouse hardware/software the rest of the way.(What do you think of that idea?). :-)

: Thanks again.

: Darren Harris

: Searcher7@mail.con2.com




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