Scroll wheel out of a VHS head: anyone here tried to make it?

[Pretendo]

I recently found an online instructables about transforming the shiny, spinny, heavy tape head reader from a bricked VHS into an awesome customized mouse scroll wheel.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Spinner-Jog-Wheel-Inside-of-a-VCR-Head/

The instructions seem very complex, and I was wondering if any fellow geekhackers have attempted to make one of these.  If so, how did it turn out for you?  Is there an easier / better method than the instructables method?  The thing looks kick ass, and I have an extra VHS head laying around, so my plan is to someday build a version with other mouse functionality as well, since the instructables version seems to only have the scroll wheel.  Perhaps include a thumb trackball made out of bits from an old ball mouse?

At any rate, I would wait until having allot of free time to build it.  It's one of those things that needs to be done completely right.  No half-assing.

[dorkvader]

Yeah, I have a couple of read heads put aside for this purpose, but I ran into trouble trying to design something that'd carry the weight and still work on a mouse. I think I'll end up gluing the optomechanical sensor to the bottom of the shaft, then gluing the outside of the bearing to a box (or trophy stand, if you're classy).

I'm also interested in anything that gets posted here.

Really, I only need it for scrolling. Maybe it'd be easy to make with a microcontroller instead of having to use an entire mouse.

[7bit]

I recently found an online instructables about transforming the shiny, spinny, heavy tape head reader from a bricked VHS into an awesome customized mouse scroll wheel.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Spinner-Jog-Wheel-Inside-of-a-VCR-Head/

The instructions seem very complex, and I was wondering if any fellow geekhackers have attempted to make one of these.  If so, how did it turn out for you?  Is there an easier / better method than the instructables method?  The thing looks kick ass, and I have an extra VHS head laying around, so my plan is to someday build a version with other mouse functionality as well, since the instructables version seems to only have the scroll wheel.  Perhaps include a thumb trackball made out of bits from an old ball mouse?

At any rate, I would wait until having allot of free time to build it.  It's one of those things that needs to be done completely right.  No half-assing.

Great idea!

I've got plenty of old VCRs which don't work anymore. I always knew it is worth keeping them!