Redcurrie Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 Okay, I got a CX-22 Trak Ball that doesn't seem to work at all. I tried to take it apart by unscrewing the 4 screws but something is still holding it together. I can see two holes that appear to have some rivet in them but I'm not sure what to do. Can anyone tell me how to get this thing open as I received enough tips for fixing my 5200 Trak Ball that I'm sure that I can repair it if I can ever get it open!!! Thanks, Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christophero Sly Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 I posted this exact question some months ago after having the same problem. http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=29735 You just have to force it apart. There are no rivets. **Don't sue me if you break it though** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redcurrie Posted October 31, 2003 Author Share Posted October 31, 2003 I posted this exact question some months ago after having the same problem. http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=29735 You just have to force it apart. There are no rivets. **Don't sue me if you break it though** I did a search and this didn't pop up. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redcurrie Posted November 1, 2003 Author Share Posted November 1, 2003 You just have to force it apart. quote] That did it, I got it open. Hopefully after a trip to Radio Shack tomorrow, I'll have it fully functional. Let me just say that willingness to force something with no fear of breaking it is definitely a Y chromosome-linked trait.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christophero Sly Posted November 1, 2003 Share Posted November 1, 2003 Let me just say that willingness to force something with no fear of breaking it is definitely a Y chromosome-linked trait.... Yup...I have a box full of broken gadgetry to prove it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB Posted November 1, 2003 Share Posted November 1, 2003 Let me just say that willingness to force something with no fear of breaking it is definitely a Y chromosome-linked trait.... Yup...I have a box full of broken gadgetry to prove it. The trick is knowing WHEN the brute force approach is the right one, and how much of it to apply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjk7382 Posted November 1, 2003 Share Posted November 1, 2003 I have never owned one of the trackballs. and I was wondering if they work with the popular games that used them in the arcades? Like centipede, because I know that uses a joystick normally. I never quite understood what games worked with these things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redcurrie Posted November 1, 2003 Author Share Posted November 1, 2003 I have never owned one of the trackballs. and I was wondering if they work with the popular games that used them in the arcades? Like centipede, because I know that uses a joystick normally. I never quite understood what games worked with these things. I am far from an expert on this but my understanding is that the trak-ball (at least the CX-22 which is what I have) can technically be used with any games that use a joystick. It has a switch on it that can be either set to joystick or trak-ball. From what I've read, Atari never actually released any games that used it in trak-ball mode, it has to always be set for joystick. While technically it can be used in any joystick-compatible game, some are better suited than others. You'd never want to use it for Pitfall for example because you would have to be constantly be rolling it to keep moving and you would never have the control to make it across the gators. As you might expect, I've seen it recommended most for games that had a trak-ball like Centi and Millipede and Missile Command. I'll let you know what I think if it survives tomorrow's surgery..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjk7382 Posted November 1, 2003 Share Posted November 1, 2003 I guess I will think about buying one now that I know that. I know that there is one homebrew game that uses the trackball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Player Posted November 1, 2003 Share Posted November 1, 2003 It's a hack of Missile Command by Thomas Jentzsch that uses the trak-ball setting. There are two versions of the hack for each type of trak-ball. Last I checked, it was available in the Atari Age store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Posted November 1, 2003 Share Posted November 1, 2003 It's a hack of Missile Command by Thomas Jentzsch that uses the trak-ball setting. There are two versions of the hack for each type of trak-ball. Last I checked, it was available in the Atari Age store. http://www.atariage.com/store/product_info...&products_id=31 Well worth the $15, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjk7382 Posted November 1, 2003 Share Posted November 1, 2003 So is it tremendously better than playing the regular missile command on the trackball's joystick setting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Posted November 1, 2003 Share Posted November 1, 2003 So is it tremendously better than playing the regular missile command on the trackball's joystick setting? Like Kool Aid Man says, "Oh Yeaahh!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB Posted November 1, 2003 Share Posted November 1, 2003 It's a hack of Missile Command by Thomas Jentzsch that uses the trak-ball setting. There are two versions of the hack for each type of trak-ball. Last I checked, it was available in the Atari Age store. Each type?There's more than one? ... I have a Wico trackball. It doesn't actually have a trackball mode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Player Posted November 1, 2003 Share Posted November 1, 2003 It's a hack of Missile Command by Thomas Jentzsch that uses the trak-ball setting. There are two versions of the hack for each type of trak-ball. Last I checked, it was available in the Atari Age store. Each type?There's more than one? ... I have a Wico trackball. It doesn't actually have a trackball mode. There are two types of Atari trak ball controllers, the CX-80 and the CX-22. See Rob Mitchell's post in this thread. My understanding is that the Wico is not a true trackball. http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=27714 Here's the thread were Thomas got the idea for the Missile Command hack. http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14391 And here's where Thomas released the Missile Command hack. It was about the worst timing for me since three days before I passed on buying an Atari Trak Ball at the 2002 Cinciclassic because "no 2600 games take advantage of it." http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14784 I'm not sure if the WICO trackball works with the Missile Command hack or not. I think I've played with the search function enough for one post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redcurrie Posted November 1, 2003 Author Share Posted November 1, 2003 Okay, I am really proud of myself because I actually fixed this thing!!!! It had several problems, the first being that the rollers weren't spinning correctly because it looked like someone had barfed in it. That was easy enough as the electronics come out of those quite easily and cleaning it is no big deal. The second problem was that the fire buttons didn't work because the metal connectors that clip the wires to the boards under the fire buttons had come off. I went to put them back and they were so corroded that they just fell apart. I went to Rat Shack to get some new ones only to find out that they apparently don't make that kind anymore. (They have 2 leaves instead of the rolled edges like the ones now have.) I just got those and managed to unroll the edges so that they were like the others (I was just hoping that they would work "as is" but no luck). After clipping them a bit and mangling them a bit more to make them fit when the board was popped back in, I had a working Trak Ball. I am SO excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB Posted November 2, 2003 Share Posted November 2, 2003 It's a hack of Missile Command by Thomas Jentzsch that uses the trak-ball setting. There are two versions of the hack for each type of trak-ball. Last I checked, it was available in the Atari Age store. Each type?There's more than one? ... I have a Wico trackball. It doesn't actually have a trackball mode. There are two types of Atari trak ball controllers, the CX-80 and the CX-22. See Rob Mitchell's post in this thread. My understanding is that the Wico is not a true trackball. http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=27714 The Wico is a true trackball, it's just not capable of outputting the data in a trackball format(or put another way, it only operates in joystick mode). I've debated hooking it up to a standard PC mouse board for purposes of having a heavy-duty game-quality pointing device, but ... I knew the CX80 and CX22 existed, but I didn't know they were diffrent divices internally. What the hell was Atari thinking? (not that it matters since they never supported either device, but...) Here's the thread were Thomas got the idea for the Missile Command hack. http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14391 Ooohhhh... *goes to look* And here's where Thomas released the Missile Command hack. It was about the worst timing for me since three days before I passed on buying an Atari Trak Ball at the 2002 Cinciclassic because "no 2600 games take advantage of it." http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14784 Ouch. I'm not sure if the WICO trackball works with the Missile Command hack or not. I think I've played with the search function enough for one post. Not as far as I know. There's no visible way to switch modes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted November 2, 2003 Share Posted November 2, 2003 And here's where Thomas released the Missile Command hack. It was about the worst timing for me since three days before I passed on buying an Atari Trak Ball at the 2002 Cinciclassic because "no 2600 games take advantage of it." You better should have believed me when saying it might be possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Player Posted November 2, 2003 Share Posted November 2, 2003 And here's where Thomas released the Missile Command hack. It was about the worst timing for me since three days before I passed on buying an Atari Trak Ball at the 2002 Cinciclassic because "no 2600 games take advantage of it." You better should have believed me when saying it might be possible. A lesson for everyone: No doubting Thomas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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