Trak-Ball PCB help

[ledzep]

I have seen the talent that resides on these forums when it comes to creating new PCBs to deal with electrical/programming issues with the various computers and game consoles and arcade games that exist. I'm hoping someone can help me with an idea for the Trak-Ball since I'm all thumbs when it comes to that stuff.

 

I've read that the Trak-Ball isn't a true trackball in the sense that it doesn't deliver true gray code or whatever the optical output is of the average trackball, it has a board inside that converts those signals to analog to mimic the analog joystick. Basically, the outputs are run through tachometers and delivered to the 5200. Ingenious in terms of making joystick games back-compatible to the Trak-Ball but otherwise unnecessary.

 

After looking at the schematic for the Trak-Ball PCB -

 

http://www.atarihq.com/danb/images/52TB_PCB1_schem.pdf

 

I'm hoping for one of two things -

 

1) Someone can mark up the schematic in terms of where I would need to solder in jumper wires in order to feed a different gray code controller (in this case, an Oscar Controls Vortex replacement Tempest spinner but hopefully more generic instructions for spinners in general, assuming they are more or less similar) signal into the Trak-Ball tachometers (horizontal or vertical) so that as far as the Trak-Ball is concerned it's still getting a signal from the original roller wheel(s),

 

or, preferably -

 

2) Someone could build a PCB board to take the place of the original Trak-Ball board. One end of the board would have a header to receive the signals from the Vortex (+5V, GND, S1, S2) while the other end would have a header to plug into the original Trak-Ball Molex connector (5 wires). In-between would be the same resistors and chips for one Trak-Ball tachometer (basically, half the original board's circuitry). I would pay a reasonable price for a such a board, I would suspect there might be others out there who would, also, since the idea of playing Super Breakout or Tempest, for example, with a spinner would be desirable to some 5200 owners.

 

Is this idea idiotic or is there someone out there in the Atari fan world who could help me out with this?