[rescue] Spaceballs.

[Corda Albert J DLVA]

That type of connector is also used on the MAC (and later model
SGI systems) to provide serial port connectivity. If your
spaceball hasa (Sun Kbd - /Mac/SGI seral)-like connector,
then it was most likely destined for use with an SGI...

One other thing... a number of SGI trackballs of this ilk
needed an external wall-wart power supply, which on some
models was connected to the unit by an serial cable adaptor
which was inserted in-line with the serial cable coming
from the host system... in essence it _inserted_ power onto
one of the unused lines of the serial cable going to the
trackball.  The point of all this is that just because 
a trackball you picked up on ebay does not have a power
connector on it, don't assume it doesn't need an external
power supply... (oops... too many negatives in the
previous sentence?...sorry :-)

-al-


 


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dan Sikorski [mailto:me at dansikorski.com]
> Sent: Friday, December 07, 2001 5:10 PM
> To: rescue at sunhelp.org
> Subject: RE: [rescue] Spaceballs.
> 
> 
> I've got a spaceball, and it has a connector precisely like a sun
> keyboard (sorry, i don't know the name of the connector) I've 
> never done
> anything with it, it's just been sitting around for a few 
> years.  Anyone
> know if this thing works in solaris?
> 
> 	-Dan
> 
> On Fri, 2001-12-07 at 15:37, Corda Albert J DLVA wrote:
> > I don't know about the newer spaceballs, but I've played
> > a little bit with the (oldest?) SGI spaceball... The large
> > one with the tan contoured base that curves around the ball...
> > 
> > It has a serial interface, and while I was tinkering with it,
> > I set up 2 cu sessions to( and from) the serial port it was 
> connected
> > to, so I could watch/capture the output... I was quite suprised
> > when, on a lark, I sent the ball an ascii "h", and it
> > immediately responded with a "readable" ascii help menu,
> > displaying all the commands it accepts... the menu was short
> > and cryptic, but it was readable! I don't know if the
> > newer balls will do this, but it might be worth trying, and
> > would considerably ease the task of trying to reverse-engineer
> > the spaceball protocol... I imagine the protocol must not
> > have changed that much across models, in order to insure
> > driver compatibility...
> > 
> > 
> > -al-
> > -acorda at 1bigred.com
> > 
> > 
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Joshua D Boyd [mailto:jdboyd at cs.millersville.edu]
> > > Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2001 4:29 PM
> > > To: rescue at sunhelp.org
> > > Subject: [rescue] Spaceballs.
> > > 
> > > 
> > > Does anyone know anything about getting the spaceballs (some 
> > > are branded 
> > > Labtec, others spacetek, other HP, other IBM, other SGI, all 
> > > appear to have
> > > the same model numbers, 2003, 3003, 4000FLX, and be the same) 
> > > working with 
> > > linux?  (Or an OS other than HP-UX, AIX, Irix, or windows)
> > > 
> > > The 4000FLX models appear to have an XInput driver for XFree, 
> > > and there
> > > also appears to be a driver in the linux joystick system for 
> > > the 4000FLX.  But
> > > that is all I've been able find.  The 4000flx drivers appear 
> > > to specifically
> > > not work with the earlier models
> > > 
> > > I'm mainly intersted in the 2003s and the 3003s since they 
> > > are cheaper, and 
> > > I think they look cooler also.  They are serial devices.  
> > > I've never tried 
> > > writing serial drivers before, but I would think that the 
> > > devices shouldn't be
> > > too hard, unless someone went and intentionally obfuscated 
> > > the protocol (can't
> > > put that past companies, especially small/cheap ones like labtec).
> > > 
> > > Also, on a related note, what are the chances of being able 
> > > to use serial 
> > > devices like palmpilots, wacom tablets, digital cameras, and 
> > > spaceballs off of
> > > a gadget like a xyplex?  So far the reports haven't been good 
> > > for USB to serial
> > > converters, or I'd try those.  I still trying to figure what 
> > > to do about 
> > > wanting a digital camera, a wacom tablet, a spaceball, a palm 
> > > pilot, and a null
> > > modem cable on one 2 serial port machine.  At the moment I'm 
> > > reaching around
> > > and swapping cables fairly frequently.
> > > 
> > > -- 
> > > Joshua D. Boyd
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > rescue maillist  -  rescue at sunhelp.org
> > > http://www.sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/rescue
> > > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > rescue maillist  -  rescue at sunhelp.org
> > http://www.sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/rescue
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