LiQuiD iCe 9 Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 I just recieved a proline trak-ball from an auction today and on the bottom there looks like a slot that may have had a switch in it. this thing is origional atari model no. cx22 its only listed under the controlers no pic or info. one end of the slot says joystick and the other says trackball it might not be anything its a thin slot. I am going to take it apart tonight (maybe) to see if it is for a switch. right now it works like a joystick so my hopes are not to high either way i want to see if i can hack it for a pc trak-ball for mame (still use it for atari too) and get it to roll smoother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATARIPITBULL Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Some pictures please! :!: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 I just recieved a proline trak-ball from an auction today and on the bottom there looks like a slot that may have had a switch in it. this thing is origional atari model no. cx22 its only listed under the controlers no pic or info. one end of the slot says joystick and the other says trackball it might not be anything its a thin slot. I am going to take it apart tonight (maybe) to see if it is for a switch. right now it works like a joystick so my hopes are not to high either way i want to see if i can hack it for a pc trak-ball for mame (still use it for atari too) and get it to roll smoother. cx22 is a common trackball. Looks like you got ripped off as yes there is a switch ment to be there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiQuiD iCe 9 Posted March 8, 2007 Author Share Posted March 8, 2007 sorry i was interupted (sick kid) origionally i wanted advice on cleaning it grim in cracks and such. usually i just scrub with a plastic bursh and water that doesn't leave scratches on the textured plastic but this has some smooth plastic, i think it will scratch. Where it says atari and proline trak-ball looks to be silver with the black painted on top a couple chips are missing on that plastic strip. i'm afraid the black may come off more if i scrub it there -so i won't scrub there. At this point i guess i'll just carefully scratch the crud away with a damp rag, tooth pic and Qtip maybe rubbing alcohol? I won't be doing this until later tonight, maybe. so please advise or tips. atari age has no info listed or pics if its that common why no info or pic? i haven't googled it yet to see if any one else has info on it. i'll do it later. top: label: broken switch? did it actually work or was the one that went in just cosmetic? i'll check back tonight. thanks. i got this for $42 shipped with a near perfect telegame unit (slightly dirty), 30 games(18 new to me spider-man, super-man, mash SWEET! ), 2 7800 controlers, 2 2600controlers, 1 trak ball, and 1 slick stick. the controlers were pretty shabby but i planed on replacing the buttons anyway for resale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow460 Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 That's not a typical CX-22. I don't know what it is specifically, though. All three of the CX-22 Trak-Ball controllers I've owned had white bases. I've still got one, and it's got a white base. I'd bet that's a 7800 compatible Trak-Ball, and that is why there is no switch for Joystick mode. If it is, I think you got a decent deal. Hold on, I'll get you some pictures of a typical CX-22 in a minute. Now for cleaning an actual CX-22 (yours is probably different) you'd strip that bad boy down. All the roller shafts, the support bearing, and the circuit cards come right out with a Phillips scredriver and some patience. From there, the plastic shell can be washed with a warm soapy rag. Same goes for the ball, but DON'T drop it! Reassemble it and you're good to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmips Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 I bought two of these myself and one of them needed a lot of work. In addition to the washing I also had to sand the rust off the shafts. I also cleaned the roller bearings with alcohol , rolled them a bit and repeated until they were free of rust. I then lubricated them and now they move quite freely. It would have been better to have replacements but this worked OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow460 Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 OK, here are the "normal" CX-22 pictures. Notice the white base. First, a pair of shots showing the top. The Haunted House cart is there to give you an idea how big this thing is. The only markings on the top are the words "Atari" and "Trak-Ball", both of which are silver. Now here's the label, which says "CX-22" like yours does. Finally, here is the switch. You can see the large cutout, whereas yours has barely a slit. The switch would not fit into your Pro-Line Trak-Ball without the plastic case being modded. IMO, either yours is built to simulate a joystick automatically (probably dating it in the late '80's), or it was designed with future Trak-Ball games in mind (and the Pro-Line logo suggests 7800 games). That switch tells the controller when to function as a joystick, and when to act like a Trak-Ball. Do you have the Activision Decathlon? If so, plug the Trak-Ball of yours into the left joystick port and start the game. Rolling the ball to the right or left without reversing its direction will cause your athlete to run pretty fast if the controller is set up to be a Trak-Ball. If it's set up to be a joystick, you'll have to reverse the direction of the ball rapidly to make your green fella run. If neither works, then either it's 7800 only, or its busted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow460 Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Hey, dj, did yours have black bases or white? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmips Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Both of them look like your pictures with the white bases. Here are the internals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 That's not a typical CX-22. I don't know what it is specifically, though. All three of the CX-22 Trak-Ball controllers I've owned had white bases. I've still got one, and it's got a white base. I'd bet that's a 7800 compatible Trak-Ball, and that is why there is no switch for Joystick mode. If it is, I think you got a decent deal. Hold on, I'll get you some pictures of a typical CX-22 in a minute. Now for cleaning an actual CX-22 (yours is probably different) you'd strip that bad boy down. All the roller shafts, the support bearing, and the circuit cards come right out with a Phillips scredriver and some patience. From there, the plastic shell can be washed with a warm soapy rag. Same goes for the ball, but DON'T drop it! Reassemble it and you're good to go. What trackball isn't 7800 compatible? I've never found any that didn't work on the 7800. Not once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiQuiD iCe 9 Posted March 8, 2007 Author Share Posted March 8, 2007 Do you have the Activision Decathlon? no i don't are there other games for the trak ball? i don't remember there being any trak ball games or even hearing of a trak ball for atari. i don't know if it helps date it but it says made in el paso texas and i saw yours says mexico, i think yours maybe newer. my serial # is smaller and that ep# is too, some times #s start over with revisions or factorys. it could be for either or both the 2600 or 7800 the person i bought it form had a 7800 game and 2 7800 controlers with the lot. the top of your case is the same size as mine. thanks for the cleaning tips i figured the bearings will need a little help. i didn't get to it tonight so i'll start in the morning or afternoon i've been restoring controlers for 2 days now well, not all day but close enough:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiQuiD iCe 9 Posted March 8, 2007 Author Share Posted March 8, 2007 thanks for the pics djmips. i'll post what i find inside tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
else Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 (edited) Looks like it's from a very early batch of trackballs -- maybe the first run? Notice the very low serial number and the fact that it was made in Texas verses Mexico.... Very neat!!! Edited March 8, 2007 by else Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow460 Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 What trackball isn't 7800 compatible? I've never found any that didn't work on the 7800. Not once. I was thinking maybe his had the fire buttons set up so that they function like the ones on a Pro Line joystick. There are drawings out there for a 7800 specific Trak-Ball. I saw the schematics on Curt's website, but I do not know if any were ever built. If there were some made, I think that's what we're looking at here. A Pro Line Trak-Ball with distinct left and right fire buttons could easily have been marketed for the 2600. Hitting either button on the Pro-Line Joystick has the same effect as hitting the button on a CX-40. Back to the question, though: To my knowledge, no 2600 games were truly Trak-Ball compatible until the days of homebrews. Decathlon functions with it, but that's a severe bug. Try any game that uses a joystick and see if it'll respond to your controller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiQuiD iCe 9 Posted March 9, 2007 Author Share Posted March 9, 2007 i can't believe i over looked it but the switch slot is not a slot. there is a square hole where the switch would be but the factory put a strip of laminate tape along the entire side of the case to cover the hole. top left is the covered hole no switch option on the pcb either. yes that is a feather on the left i think i'm more confused because why would they put a hole in the case if they had not designed the switch yet. usually they take away features to lower production cost when the product is ending production. possibilities? maybe they had 2 versions, the trak ball was changed shortly after 1982, the black bottom may have been the budget one, or came bundled with a games? does anybody know?? the back side of the pcb. so now i'm wanting to know the story on this thing and why is it different. when i first posted i just wanted advise on cleaning it but nooo this one is odd thanks alot guys i did clean it and it works far better than before but one of the sets bearings does drag alittle, i'd like new ones but i don't have the slightest clue on where or what to look for its not a pressing issue yet, it does roll fairly good. i'm going to try digging up information on it now i'll post if i find anything. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow460 Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Hmmm, it's not 7800 specific. A red wire runs from each of the contact domes that go under the fire buttons, so they are wired parallel. You said is works good, is that just rolling it around a bit? How does it perform with some games? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenfused Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 I think the 7800 trackball also was to have some additional circuitry to make reading it less processor and timing sensitive reading the thing. The centipede source I had, had code for a 7800 specific trackball (don't know if the real cart has it or not). I think one of the site's (probably Curt's) has schematics for modifications to one of the existing trackballs to make it a 7800t trackball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiQuiD iCe 9 Posted March 9, 2007 Author Share Posted March 9, 2007 so far it acts like a controler but you really only have to move it a hair to get a response with most games. the response is like taping the joy stick. if you roll it fast it'll make frogger jump fast accross the street like its still like hitting the joystick rapidly. its alright to play pole position with, like analog for 2600. cosmic arch the space ship shoots out a ton of laser blasts when it shoots not al all like the joystick (i lost 2/3 of my energy on one astroid field). i guess its like putting a auto fire on the joystick but that little green ship flys well and very smooth too. i can see an advantage with some games but you have to keep it spinning to "walk around" in others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiQuiD iCe 9 Posted March 9, 2007 Author Share Posted March 9, 2007 whats Curt's site i don't think i've been there. i know who he is, i just don't know of his site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow460 Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Atari museum, I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathanallan Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 http://www.atarimuseum.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 I think the 7800 trackball also was to have some additional circuitry to make reading it less processor and timing sensitive reading the thing. The centipede source I had, had code for a 7800 specific trackball (don't know if the real cart has it or not). I think one of the site's (probably Curt's) has schematics for modifications to one of the existing trackballs to make it a 7800t trackball. I think the the CX80 would be a great candidate for 7800 use with both buttons working. Yes, yes I sure of it. /grabs trakball and goes to the ER for surgery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiQuiD iCe 9 Posted March 9, 2007 Author Share Posted March 9, 2007 i have been to his site before. well based on what Curts aritcle its all black and has no switch like a cx-80 but it is marked a cx-22 and says proline on it. it doesn't look like a repair or hack job, like someone swaped guts. i don't think they would take the time to cover the hole so well and its not painted black, its black plastic. i guess its a cx-80 at heart only. if someone has a confirmed cx-80 we could compair pcb pics. i suppose it could've been a hang over day at the factory when this accident happened just to see i pluged it into my flashback2 it only goes up and down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow460 Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 (edited) I have a manual for a CX-80, and it has a picture of the CX-80 on the front page. The CX-80 looks quite different from either of the two CX-22's we've seen here. Oh, hey, Shawn, let me know what you've got cooking up in the ER. My CX-22 wants some. Edited March 9, 2007 by shadow460 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 i have been to his site before. well based on what Curts aritcle its all black and has no switch like a cx-80 but it is marked a cx-22 and says proline on it. it doesn't look like a repair or hack job, like someone swaped guts. i don't think they would take the time to cover the hole so well and its not painted black, its black plastic. i guess its a cx-80 at heart only. if someone has a confirmed cx-80 we could compair pcb pics. i suppose it could've been a hang over day at the factory when this accident happened just to see i pluged it into my flashback2 it only goes up and down. I'm opening up a cx80 so I'll take some pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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