Author Topic: My Balls Are Prettier..... (Read 6322 times)

Busty · « **on:** Wed, 22 April 2009, 13:10:55 »

That's great! Makes them look less geeky. Now, it the CH Products Trackballs weren't that expensive.

lowpoly · « **Reply #1 on:** Wed, 22 April 2009, 13:21:53 »

Quote from: ripster;86829

And if you order the Playboy bunny ball, well.... that's up to you.

"Saint Tropez" Balls (Link not safe for work).

ozar · « **Reply #2 on:** Wed, 22 April 2009, 13:32:00 »

Not sure if I like the red ball or the black ball better, because they both look great!

I'm curious, though... do they work as well as the balls that come in them by default?

FKSSR · « **Reply #3 on:** Wed, 22 April 2009, 13:32:52 »

Personally, I just prefer the plain white or black, but it's cool you found something you like. Thanks for posting.

bigpook · « **Reply #4 on:** Wed, 22 April 2009, 16:39:02 »

Thats a nice kensington expert you got there. And the 8 ball looks pretty spanking too.

maybe I am getting forgetful, but I thought you didn't like trackballs?

lowpoly · « **Reply #5 on:** Wed, 22 April 2009, 17:01:40 »

Quote from: ripster;86838

Hah, you'd obviously know better but my High School German translation is, "So Good To Play With My Balls".

It kinda reminds me of those pens that you tip up and down and the bikini comes off. I fondly still remembering as a kid finding one of those in a drawer. He had gotten one while stationed in Spangdahlem Germany.

I betcha German IT Departments don't censor as heavily.

- Ripster

It says "Playing Billard can be that beautiful".

Censoring happens rarely, if ever. If you break company rules you can get fired though. But I can hardly imagine that somebody would get fired for this pic.

ozar · « **Reply #6 on:** Wed, 22 April 2009, 17:07:36 »

Quote from: bigpook;86858

Thats a nice kensington expert you got there.

Just curious, if you know... were the Experts like that one better than the current ones, or do you think they are they about the same in quality?

bigpook · « **Reply #7 on:** Wed, 22 April 2009, 17:23:49 »

The white kensington expert aka Kensington 5.0 Expert 4 Button Mouse is opto-mechanical and came with a 9 pin serial connector. I think it also came with a 9 pin to ps/2 converter.

Better? I don't really know. But I like the looks of it. Some are still available and can be found here:

check it

bigpook · « **Reply #8 on:** Wed, 22 April 2009, 17:29:08 »

ripster

can you post some side-view pictures of the kensington. I am wondering if it has the same height as the current expert mouse. Also, did the white expert come with a wrist pad? Or maybe one was not needed.

Hak Foo · « **Reply #9 on:** Thu, 23 April 2009, 00:04:24 »

Why stick with billiard balls? There are answers for other sizes of trackball.

For a few weeks in university, I had a DFI Mediabook (486/100 laptop I bought used for like $15 and killed with a bad BIOS flash). While it lived, I ripped out its trackball and replaced it with a hematite sphere I had handy about the right diameter- ~2cm. It was actually a bit larger, and tended to stick a bit, but looked cool. Of course, nobody was impressed.

I'd sort of like to see a small trackball, like the Unicomp On-The-Ball, but with the buttons on the back of the casing. But honestly, half the reason I've shied away from trackballs lately is a lack of scroll-wheels (on many); and I've been spoiled by the built-in "Back"/'Forward" buttons of my Logitech MX400.

iMav · « **Reply #10 on:** Mon, 27 April 2009, 04:28:41 »

Hak Foo, the Unicomp on-the-ball DOES have buttons on the back of the casing (as well as the top).

Hak Foo · « **Reply #11 on:** Mon, 27 April 2009, 10:16:38 »

Oh! You'd never know from the picture.

But honestly, what I'd want is four buttons plus a wheel (two standard buttons, two to remap to back-and-forward); AFAICT, nothing Unicomp makes has a wheel. And it's not USB.

J888www · « **Reply #12 on:** Thu, 15 October 2009, 17:45:25 »

Quote from: Hak Foo;87546

Oh! You'd never know from the picture.

But honestly, what I'd want is four buttons plus a wheel (two standard buttons, two to remap to back-and-forward); AFAICT, nothing Unicomp makes has a wheel. And it's not USB.

Then you might be interested in Kensington Expert Mouse PRO Trackball - Model 64213

One for sale atm, ebay, but hurry or else " more cash than sense" will get it first.

TWX · « **Reply #13 on:** Fri, 16 October 2009, 13:27:41 »

Quote from: J888www;125811

Then you might be interested in Kensington Expert Mouse PRO Trackball - Model 64213

One for sale atm, ebay, but hurry or else " more cash than sense" will get it first.

I never use the scroll wheel on mine. It's too far forward relative to the ball.

I suspect that's why the new Expert Mouse came out, with the scroll ring around the ball.

timw4mail · « **Reply #14 on:** Fri, 23 October 2009, 17:36:06 »

Which one should I get for my trackball?

http://frame.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?CompareItems&coaction=compare&coentrypage=myebay&copagenum=1&lineid=110444874144&lineid=370275813266&lineid=400036481587#GoTo240

ch_123 · « **Reply #15 on:** Fri, 23 October 2009, 17:47:51 »

What colour is your trackball?

timw4mail · « **Reply #16 on:** Fri, 23 October 2009, 18:04:28 »

Quote from: ch_123;127957

What colour is your trackball?

Beige...

I'm kind of leaning toward the blue one, as it is cheapest. But is calcite hard enough?

timw4mail · « **Reply #17 on:** Fri, 23 October 2009, 18:59:33 »

Quote from: ripster;127968

Oooo. That calcite is pretty. But all joking about the steel balls thing aside you want to kind of be concerned about weight as well. Any lighter than hard plastic (I don't remember what pool balls are made of but Wikipedia should have it) and it'll feel flimsy. The steel ball was way too heavy because of inertia. I'd worry about that instead of hardness because I've never heard of anyone wearing out a trackball.

As soon as I post this someone will say, "OMG, my trackball has a shiny spot!"

Could you weigh yours, Ripster? I don't have a scale.

FourOhFour · « **Reply #18 on:** Fri, 23 October 2009, 19:04:18 »

My trackball has a shiny spot!

Ok, the ball doesn't have a shiny spot -- it is shiny.

But the button has some signs of wear:

ak_nala · « **Reply #19 on:** Sat, 24 October 2009, 00:24:33 »

I would worry about other issues with the calcite in this application. It's crystalized calcium carbonate, and thus subject to slowly dissolving over time when exposed to anything acidic, like body oils.

It is also on the medium to soft side of the hardness scale as minerals go. Grind it up and it makes a great antacid

ch_123 · « **Reply #20 on:** Sat, 24 October 2009, 11:57:59 »

The crystal would be great with a black one. Especially if it were an optical trackball.

timw4mail · « **Reply #21 on:** Sat, 24 October 2009, 13:04:35 »

Quote from: ch_123;128017

The crystal would be great with a black one. Especially if it were an optical trackball.

Somehow I don't think the crystal would track very well with an optical trackball.

timw4mail · « **Reply #22 on:** Sun, 25 October 2009, 12:26:25 »

I'm still thinking about the blue calcite sphere, as I don't have very acidic fingerprints, and it is hard enough not to be scratched by fingernails. Since jet can be softer than calcite, that rules out the black sphere. Any other suggestions?

itlnstln · « **Reply #23 on:** Mon, 26 October 2009, 08:18:12 »

Quote from: timw4mail;128032

Somehow I don't think the crystal would track very well with an optical trackball.

If you're talking about the CH, it's optomechanical, so you shouldn't have any problems with the crystal ball, but I'm not trying to predict the future or anything.

timw4mail · « **Reply #24 on:** Mon, 26 October 2009, 08:26:57 »

Quote from: itlnstln;128320

If you're talking about the CH, it's optomechanical, so you shouldn't have any problems with the crystal ball, but I'm not trying to predict the future or anything.

I'm just trying to move the mouse cursor, not predict the future.

timw4mail · « **Reply #25 on:** Wed, 28 October 2009, 07:36:11 »

I ended up finding the perfect specimen:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120478201171&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Rajagra · « **Reply #26 on:** Wed, 28 October 2009, 09:26:17 »

There seem to be quite a few stones of the right size on the bay. I wonder how accurate the spheres are though, and how they get them in shape. If they stick them in a tumbler for a few days I suppose they will be spherical enough.

timw4mail · « **Reply #27 on:** Wed, 28 October 2009, 09:35:56 »

Quote from: Rajagra;128766

There seem to be quite a few stones of the right size on the bay. I wonder how accurate the spheres are though, and how they get them in shape. If they stick them in a tumbler for a few days I suppose they will be spherical enough.

Size is one thing, but hardness and weight are important, and that narrows the choices a bit more. Lapis Lazuli has a hardness of 5-5.5, so it's considerably more durable than Calcite, with a hardness of 3. The weight is ~300g, which is about double the original ball. Hopefully the sphere is spherical enough.

Interestingly enough, there's one of these spheres of turquoise, but it cost ~$700.

timw4mail · « **Reply #28 on:** Wed, 28 October 2009, 10:32:00 »

Quote from: ripster;128777

My breakdown of choices so far:

60's/70's - THE CLASSIC - 8 ball
80's - Feel the aura - exotic minerals
90's - Goth Neo-romanticism - Basic Solid Black (probably should Steampunk the case)
2000's - ? - I dunno but at least you'll always have DIP switches

I guess that puts my choice in the decade before I was born...

itlnstln · « **Reply #29 on:** Wed, 28 October 2009, 10:52:14 »

Quote from: timw4mail;128782

I guess that puts my choice in the decade before I was born...

Youngun.

timw4mail · « **Reply #30 on:** Wed, 28 October 2009, 10:59:02 »

Quote from: itlnstln;128787

Youngun.

I'm nearly 20 ;P

TWX · « **Reply #31 on:** Wed, 28 October 2009, 11:38:51 »

Quote from: timw4mail;128788

I'm nearly 20 ;P

Like he said, youngin...

*grin*

You never had a computer that didn't have a mouse, did you?

timw4mail · « **Reply #32 on:** Wed, 28 October 2009, 12:18:20 »

Quote from: TWX;128797

Like he said, youngin...

*grin*

You never had a computer that didn't have a mouse, did you?

Personally, no. I did get a grasp of DOS on one someone else had, though. I had Macs when I first could really do anything with computers.

itlnstln · « **Reply #33 on:** Wed, 28 October 2009, 12:27:09 »

Mouse? I remember getting my first hard drive (10MB) and thinking computing couldn't get any better.

timw4mail · « **Reply #34 on:** Sat, 14 November 2009, 11:26:05 »

Quote from: ripster;132407

Tim, what was the verdict on the Lapis ball? It looks to be twice as heavy as the original ball but less than half the weight of a steel ball. Should feel pretty good.

It works pretty well, actually. It's a big noisier now, but it seems to track faster than with the original ball.

timw4mail · « **Reply #35 on:** Sat, 14 November 2009, 12:36:18 »

Here's a lousy picture under a full spectrum light...

timw4mail · « **Reply #36 on:** Sat, 14 November 2009, 12:43:59 »

There's a tiny fissure, but it doesn't seem to be much of hitch.

TWX · « **Reply #37 on:** Fri, 20 November 2009, 12:10:13 »

Dumb question, but have you guys considered the abrasiveness of these materials? the rollers on my Expert Mouse Pro are very hard, and the plastic ball is hard but very, very light and smooth, and on my Orbit optical the ball is extremely light and almost glassy feeling against the three plastic bearings it rides on. Changing balls could cause something that feels smooth to us but at a microscopic level isn't to grind down the rollers or bearings in a mouse until it's junk...

exia · « **Reply #38 on:** Sat, 19 December 2009, 13:39:21 »

which is better? trackball or mouse? don't tell me there is something better than the logitech mx revolution....

ch_123 · « **Reply #39 on:** Sat, 19 December 2009, 17:59:33 »

Quote from: exia;143722

which is better? trackball or mouse? don't tell me there is something better than the logitech mx revolution....

This is something that is very much a case of YMMV. Alot of people around here are Trackball fans. Their main advantage in my book is the fact that you don't have to move them around - meaning that they use less space, you don't have to worry about cable length, and they can be quite effortless to use (assuming you have a good one, and you have practice with it) Ergnomics are often cited as another reason, but I don't think there's an inherent advantage of one over the other or vice-versa. Just as long as you use them in an ergonomic manner.

Oh, and if you do a lot of gaming, this is one area where the mouse seems to be superior. That said, there are a lot of serious gamers out there who swear by Trackballs.

For what it's worth, since I started using Trackballs and Trackpoints, I haven't used a mouse at home in quite some time (except when I'm playing FPS games, but that's not a common occurrence these days)

timw4mail · « **Reply #40 on:** Sun, 20 December 2009, 07:04:18 »

Ever since I got my trackball, I've been playing FPS games with a trackball.

microsoft windows · « **Reply #41 on:** Sun, 20 December 2009, 13:28:27 »

Tracking balls are great for Solitaire.

ricercar · « **Reply #42 on:** Sun, 20 December 2009, 18:38:00 »

If someone tracks your balls, is it still solitaire?

microsoft windows · « **Reply #43 on:** Sun, 20 December 2009, 18:47:10 »

I meant "Tracking ball" as in the little ball mouse. But, I'd have to say that Solitaire is probably one of the least perverted games out there.

HaaTa · « **Reply #44 on:** Sun, 20 December 2009, 18:58:22 »

I learned to use a Trackpoint from Solitaire and Freecell!

Though I much prefer a Trackball instead for my long Triple Freecell sessions.

microsoft windows · « **Reply #45 on:** Sun, 20 December 2009, 19:00:28 »

True.

hacfed · « **Reply #46 on:** Wed, 23 December 2009, 19:13:27 »

So, inspired by this thread, and my recent purchase of a CST, I feel that a little customisation is in order. I found this.

Now, despite the fact that scorpions have eight legs and not six [anatomy] I wouldn't mind having this little item. Trouble is, it costs a mere $4.95, but the cheapest shipping option they offer is $29.15. That simply won't do; it's nowhere near cool enough to be worth that money.

But then I found this on eBay. [edit: This is 50mm, so too small]

Now, despite everything that's wrong with the shipping cost, the listing itself and overall impression, ie: the fact that I'd be taking a huge chance on the whole transaction, even if they did report back that it was 2.25" dia. and a reasonable trackball weight.... I find this a much nicer proposition.

Why scorpions? Well, I don't believe in astrology, but I'm a Scorpio, and I am obsess^H^H^H admire the little creatures. I even have a tat...

Pool balls are nice, but arachnids in amber are so much prettier! The search for a scorpion in amber commences!

News:

Author Topic: My Balls Are Prettier..... (Read 6322 times)