My L-TracX External Button Project!

[craZivn]

Decided to use this type of switch, about three bucks apiece:



Here's the rough cable part, mono plug soldered to one end, switch to the other:



Now, for the housing I had to wander around Fleet Farm for a bit, looking for something about the right size, or at least something that came in a box that was about the right size. Finally stumbled upon this:



And the mounting plates for it, which I found in the accessory pack:



My original plan was to simply drill a hole in the coupler that I was using for a housing, and let the roller on the microswitch protrude for a button. But the coupler proved to be too shallow, so I had to cut slots in the coupler instead and let the switch body protrude somewhat. At this point I swapped out the roller levers for some flat ones that I had in my junk box. Switch #1, slotted and mounted:



After a little more work with the drill and an X-acto knife:



Shot up with some Krylon Fusion:



Switches mounted inside (the bolts were too long, had to cut 'em off on one side. Good thing nobody's gonna see it)!



The nearly-complete switch assembly:



Mounting plate super-glued in, that patch that resembles Velcro is actually some kind of weird fastener. Instead of hooks-and-loops, it has things that look like tiny mushrooms. Holds more securely than Velcro and once it's fastened, doesn't have the softness or "give" that Velcro has when you push on it.



The finished product! Probably should have painted the inside of the mounting plate black, but that part can't be seen unless you pick the trackball up and turn it around. So I'm happy. I may eventually touch up the screw heads with black nail polish, haven't decided yet.

[craZivn]

Alright! SCOOORE!

I've been skulking the forums a bit, but I didn't want to register and post until I had something worthwhile to ask, or contribute.

Oh, quick story to help future button-adders avoid the mistake I made.
 Initially, I was having a problem where I would plug the mono plugs into the mouse (bare ends on the wires, not touching) and it would register a keypress the entire time the plug was plugged in. Jumping the wires made no difference.

So I emailed Robert Rolling, and after about 18 emails, during which he had me run various simple tests with a voltage tester and send him pics of the trackball internals and the plugs I was using, it was finally determined that absolutely nothing was wrong with the trackball, everything matched up to spec. That's when I butchered up the plug with my indispensable X-Acto knife and found these little buggers molded inside the rubber housing:



Here's the packaging from the cable:



So, apparently "attenuating" means the cable has resistors built-in to limit the volume of the sound going through it. It also makes the cable useless for switch purposes! So I went back to Radioshack and bought the solder-on mono plugs, and used the excess cable from the hacked-up "attenuating" rig.

Hopefully this'll help someone else avoid wasting six bucks on the wrong cable! My hat is off to Robert Rolling at CST for his help and e-coaching. Most companies would have had me send it in for repair, and I'd get it back several weeks later with a note saying they could find nothing wrong. And I still wouldn't know what the problem was.

Loving the forum! Tons of good reading here, looking forward to pillaging much information!

CZI

[craZivn]

Really? I though it was "get-the-ball".
The real question is, how'd he get the first name "Robert"? Rather an odd name.

[craZivn]

Might as well make this my mod thread. Just relocated the LED. Yes, the braided wire idea is a ripoff from Ripster (hey, I said this place has lots of good ideas, didn't I?).
 I decided to place the LED in the lower half of the housing, because I don't want to have to mess with wires every time I lift the top half off for cleaning/modding.