Author Topic: Trackball Recommendations or "What are the * of trackballs?" (Read 19866 times)

noctua · « **Reply #50 on:** Mon, 14 June 2010, 16:33:19 »

After long time, i have won yesterday the ebay auction, 4.50 EUR for an CH DT225 (PS2).
I need the trackball suspension with these robust bearings.. you now why..

Oqsy · « **Reply #51 on:** Mon, 14 June 2010, 20:58:52 »

Thanks to ripster's tip I just ordered one of those behemoths. The auction says PS/2, and so does your post, but that looks suspiciously like a serial connector in your pic. It really won't matter to me if it's a serial, ps/2, usb, firewire, bluetooth, or game port connector as I could find a way to accommodate it, I'm really just curious at this point.

Zalusithix · « **Reply #52 on:** Mon, 14 June 2010, 21:48:33 »

Actually, it looks like a PS2 cable with a PS2->Serial adapter attached. Hence the different color etc.

Rajagra · « **Reply #53 on:** Mon, 14 June 2010, 22:21:03 »

Quote from: Zalusithix;193133

Actually, it looks like a PS2 cable with a PS2->Serial adapter attached. Hence the different color etc.

Then again, it could be the old mouse port connector with a serial converter. Fingers crossed it is PS/2.

Oqsy · « **Reply #54 on:** Mon, 14 June 2010, 22:29:52 »

It looks like these are built with different flavors of connectors, so if the auction says ps/2 I'm sure that's what it is. And I didn't notice the adapter on the end, I'm jealous of those of you with good eyes.

Zalusithix · « **Reply #55 on:** Mon, 14 June 2010, 22:40:41 »

Good eyes? My glasses beg to differ! =P

Oqsy · « **Reply #56 on:** Mon, 14 June 2010, 22:55:44 »

http://www.nkcf.org/
My affliction. It's getting REALLY hard to read text on a screen anymore. Most details in daily life are lost on me these days. I just hope new treatments / surgeries are developed before I need cornea transplants. My father has the same disease, and is on his 4th and 5th corneas. The weirdest thing is, up until about 2 years ago I had 20/20 vision. My onset was later than most, but it's moving fast. I'd be less worried if I could tolerate contacts better. I just started Restasis for dry eyes and in a month or so I should start seeing results, and wearing those thick plastic contacts will be more bearable (I hope).

Oqsy's message of the day: Don't take your vision for granted!

Zalusithix · « **Reply #57 on:** Mon, 14 June 2010, 23:15:41 »

Ah, one of those people with eye issues other than the normal nearsighted/farsighted conditions. I feel for you... It's a pity how little we can do for a lot of the problems that our eyes and ears can suffer. I look forward to the day when science has matured enough so that bionic implants can be used to restore sight and hearing to those who have lost it, or suffer otherwise uncorrectable problems.

EverythingIBM · « **Reply #58 on:** Tue, 15 June 2010, 00:02:03 »

Quote from: Oqsy;193162

http://www.nkcf.org/
My affliction. It's getting REALLY hard to read text on a screen anymore. Most details in daily life are lost on me these days. I just hope new treatments / surgeries are developed before I need cornea transplants. My father has the same disease, and is on his 4th and 5th corneas. The weirdest thing is, up until about 2 years ago I had 20/20 vision. My onset was later than most, but it's moving fast. I'd be less worried if I could tolerate contacts better. I just started Restasis for dry eyes and in a month or so I should start seeing results, and wearing those thick plastic contacts will be more bearable (I hope).

Oqsy's message of the day: Don't take your vision for granted!

That's an interesting disease, what happens if the cornea gets too thin?
The only thing wrong with my eyes is a minor case of myopia and marked-up cornea from various things that happened (sand in the eyes etc).

Oqsy · « **Reply #59 on:** Tue, 15 June 2010, 00:51:28 »

When it gets too thin, it starts to bulge into a cone shape instead of the normal dome shape. That's when fitting with contacts (RGPs, and I've been TRYING to wear for several months now) becomes extremely difficult to impossible. You can't really fit a concave disc over a cone and create a seal with any efficiency or effectiveness. The reason Rigid Gas Permeable contacts are needed in keratoconus is because the inside of the contact seals to the eye, and the outside is the ideal shape for focusing light. It's like a clear coat of paint that creates the ideal outer surface even if the color coat isn't necessarily flawless. The key is just no bubbles of air behind the contact and a correctly shaped outer surface.

My father actually piggybacks his RGPs on top of soft contacts to get a better fit behind them. The softer contacts conform better to his irregular eye shape, and act like a cushion beneath the RGP, which provides the shape correction. It's also much gentler on his transplanted corneas, which really have to be babied and taken care of so they last as long as possible.

Sorry to go so far OT

noctua · « **Reply #60 on:** Tue, 15 June 2010, 02:13:27 »

Quote from: Oqsy;193124

Thanks to ripster's tip I just ordered one of those behemoths. The auction says PS/2, and so does your post, but that looks suspiciously like a serial connector in your pic. It really won't matter to me if it's a serial, ps/2, usb, firewire, bluetooth, or game port connector as I could find a way to accommodate it, I'm really just curious at this point.

The trackball was originally intended for a light-project, which wasn't finished over the years,
therefore the unit self was unused. This may the reason why we see a serial adapter at
the end of the ps/2 connector.. If i have received the unit, i'll post some images.

Voixdelion · « **Reply #61 on:** Tue, 15 June 2010, 06:15:55 »

Quote from: ripster;193049

I was thinking of putting the heavy duty CH DT225 bearings into the CST sometime...

HEAVY duty.
Show Image

DudE! That's what's in a DT225? Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice...

I may have to acquire one after all. That looks pretty sweet - almost like I could tune it up like when I put "ze German" bearings in my Rollerblades to bump up the ABEC a notch. This looks like serious smooth...

noctua · « **Reply #62 on:** Wed, 23 June 2010, 02:13:16 »

Got my these days, the ball suspension should seem so. I would say this unit
is the heavy tank and declassifies CST units to middle tank's..

Rajagra · « **Reply #63 on:** Wed, 23 June 2010, 04:44:20 »

Quote from: noctua;195659

Got my these days, the ball suspension should seem so. I would say this unit
is the heavy tank and declassifies CST units to middle tank's..

If the DT255 is a heavy tank, the X-Arcade must be something like a battleship on wheels!

noctua · « **Reply #64 on:** Wed, 23 June 2010, 05:29:32 »

Huhh.. thats truly a heavy turret, you use this weapon? ;-)

ricercar · « **Reply #65 on:** Wed, 23 June 2010, 12:21:32 »

Quote from: Oqsy;193186

The reason Rigid Gas Permeable contacts are needed in keratoconus is because the inside of the contact seals to the eye, and the outside is the ideal shape for focusing light. It's like a clear coat of paint that creates the ideal outer surface even if the color coat isn't necessarily flawless. The key is just no bubbles of air behind the contact and a correctly shaped outer surface.

This is the same logic that "map-dot dystrophy" is treated with rigid gas permeable "hard" contact lenses. The surface of the eye is irregularly wearing away, but smoothed by a rigid lens and sealed with tears.

I'm with you Oqsy. Sucks to KNOW there's stuff I ain't seeing all around me every day. I'm wearing glasses lately because the contact lens maintenance is too expensive for unemployment wages.

microsoft windows · « **Reply #66 on:** Wed, 23 June 2010, 18:10:28 »

Quote from: Oqsy;193162

http://www.nkcf.org/
My affliction. It's getting REALLY hard to read text on a screen anymore. Most details in daily life are lost on me these days. I just hope new treatments / surgeries are developed before I need cornea transplants. My father has the same disease, and is on his 4th and 5th corneas. The weirdest thing is, up until about 2 years ago I had 20/20 vision. My onset was later than most, but it's moving fast. I'd be less worried if I could tolerate contacts better. I just started Restasis for dry eyes and in a month or so I should start seeing results, and wearing those thick plastic contacts will be more bearable (I hope).

Oqsy's message of the day: Don't take your vision for granted!

For a while now my eyes have been slowly getting kind of bad. I can't read my keyboard anymore when at a computer but can still read characters on the computer screen when I look at it through the lower part of my eyes. But as long as I can read the newspaper, I'll be happy.

EverythingIBM · « **Reply #67 on:** Sat, 26 June 2010, 10:51:39 »

Quote from: ripster;163177

CST LaserTrak is American Made.
Show Image

Yeah! Good old American made, who needs cheap chinese stuff. I should pick one up just because it's American.

bigpook · « **Reply #68 on:** Sat, 26 June 2010, 12:05:13 »

There was a time when the US made everything....those days are long gone.

Nice to see there is a niche product with narrow appeal that is still made here....how long before even that moves off-shore to take advantage of the cheaper labor that every other company seems to be taking advantage of.

sethstorm · « **Reply #69 on:** Thu, 01 July 2010, 22:58:22 »

Quote from: bigpook;196671

There was a time when the US made everything....those days are long gone.

Nice to see there is a niche product with narrow appeal that is still made here....how long before even that moves off-shore to take advantage of the cheaper labor that every other company seems to be taking advantage of.

The problem is that moving it there is for cost, not quality.

Voixdelion · « **Reply #70 on:** Sat, 03 July 2010, 17:13:31 »

"The love of money is the root of all evil"

Which is probably why:

"It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven"

microsoft windows · « **Reply #71 on:** Sat, 03 July 2010, 20:34:00 »

You guys don't seem to love money that much, throwing it all at Topres and things. But why are you all still evil?

EverythingIBM · « **Reply #72 on:** Sat, 03 July 2010, 22:19:30 »

Quote from: microsoft windows;199170

You guys don't seem to love money that much, throwing it all at Topres and things. But why are you all still evil?

Ah yes... the root of all evil...

We need to have a talk with webwit then.

ironman31 · « **Reply #73 on:** Sun, 04 July 2010, 00:50:04 »

Quote from: microsoft windows;199170

You guys don't seem to love money that much, throwing it all at Topres and things. But why are you all still evil?

I think I'm going to go on head-fi and let everyone there know how much money they're wasting. Because they are definitely spending ten times as much on their hobby...

niplfsh · « **Reply #74 on:** Thu, 08 July 2010, 10:53:54 »

Hey guys, this thread got me to signup on this forum. I'm looking to replace my aging MX518 and I'm thinking of switching to a trackball. My main question is, does 1600 CPI on the L-trac "feel" like 1600 CPI on a mouse? In other words, can you whip the pointer across the screen with the same tiny motion? Sorry if that's a stupid question, but I'm truly a noob when it comes to trackballs.

I ask because I run a dual-screen setup at 4096x1152, so I don't want to be struggling with movement. I run my MX518 at full speed and it does pretty well. I game some, mainly turn-based strategy games with the occasional shooter (TF2 mostly).

The mod-ability of the L-trac really appeals to me, but I want to be as sure as possible that it will work for me.

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Author Topic: Trackball Recommendations or "What are the * of trackballs?" (Read 19866 times)