trackball with 360° scroll?

[Matt3o]

I'm looking for trackball that by pressing a button (or holding it down) converts the ball into a 360 deg scroller (basically in a 2D mouse wheel). Does something like that exist?

[davkol]

I believe it could be done partially in software. For example, I use Logitech TrackMan Marble with emulated wheel for scrolling—to achieve that I have something like this in xorg.conf:

Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
Option "XAxisMapping" "6 7"

Therefore, you could either use something like Cherry MX Lock for the modifier (EmulateWheelButton), or add some dongle with a button, that would change HID, before the trackball.

[Matt3o]

thanks for your reply and THANKS for the linux example (I was expecting some weird windows only software install).

It is not completely clear to me how you switch from one mode to another though. I seem to understand that you added an external button, is that right? How do you connect that to the internal circuitry?

[davkol]

I use ordinary boring EmulateWheelButton, i.e. I keep the 8 or 9 button pressed while scrolling, but if you could replace that button with a Cherry MX Lock, I guess it would work as expected.

[The_Ed]

Dorkvader asked me to put this very thing into my code for the ADNS-9800 laser sensors were using for custom trackballs. I have a feeling that only vertical "ball scroll" will be supported in my 1.0 code release as horizontal looks to be tricky for windows. But who knows I may have figured it out in time for 1.0, but it will for sure be in 1.1.

[Matt3o]

Dorkvader asked me to put this very thing into my code for the ADNS-9800 laser sensors were using for custom trackballs. I have a feeling that only vertical "ball scroll" will be supported in my 1.0 code release as horizontal looks to be tricky for windows. But who knows I may have figured it out in time for 1.0, but it will for sure be in 1.1.

keep us posted! do you have any custom trackball pictures/tutorials?

[The_Ed]

It's still quite a way off since I don't even have all the parts yet (Some stuff takes FOREVER to arrive from China...). After I have all the parts I can actually build the stuff and test the code I have so far to see what works and what doesn't. Then after I fix the parts that don't work I'll release 1.0 of my code. I have said before that it will be LATE September at the EARLIEST, but it's looking like it'll be October now. There's only so much I can do when I can't test stuff yet.

Horizontal scroll is looking even trickier now... It looks like a lot of support for it is tied to drivers running on the computer instead of something easier like Virtual-Key Codes... Maybe someone else here can figure out horizontal scrolling for me, it's giving me a headache...

[Matt3o]

install linux

anyway, thanks for the update. looking forward to seeing your custom trackball. What about the case? 3d printed?

[The_Ed]

I'm modding both Me and my Dad's Microsoft Trackball Opticals. I'm thinking I'm probably gonna have to have a part 3D printed to attach the ADNS-9800's to the ball sockets, but I have no idea how to 3D model...

I don't like Linux, it's Windows 7 for me.

[Matt3o]

wow it works! I just put this in my /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-evdev.conf

Code: [Select]

Section "InputClass"
Identifier  "Mouse0"
Driver "evdev"
MatchIsPointer "on"
MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event*"

Option "EmulateWheel" "true"
Option "EmulateWheelButton" "9"

Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
Option "XAxisMapping" "6 7"
EndSection

now if I press the button #9 I get a 360° free scroller! Thanks linux!

[davkol]

now if I press the button #9 I get a 360° free scroller! Thanks linux!

But you have to keep that button pressed, don't you?

[Matt3o]

now if I press the button #9 I get a 360° free scroller! Thanks linux!

But you have to keep that button pressed, don't you?

yeah, fair enough. I could replace that with an on/off switch if I find one of the right size

[davkol]

...or write a Pystromo macro. However, it doesn't work with my marble due to some nasty bug.

[Matt3o]

very interesting... gotta investigate into this pystromo.