Best bet for a cheap spinner

[Jess Ragan]

The easiest spinner is to use an optical usb mouse, a fidget spinner, some type of firm thin disk about 1.5 inches in diameter, a knob of choice and some Krazy glue. This is all very inexpensive and requires minimum time and no special skills to create, like $25, or less if you have extra mice and glue already. The fidget spinner acts as a basically frictionless spinner, so it'll spin 15 times or so from a single twist. The main peculiarity of this method is that the buttons end up on the bottom of the spinner because you use the mouse upside down. Also, the bottom of the spinner is curved (top of mouse) so it sits a little skewed when not in use, as far as aesthetics.

 

Also, as far as using usb mice in general as controllers, I sometimes see the right mouse button/B1 acting in its original function for some reason, which messes up playing, like in Tempest for the super-zapper 2nd button.

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/274614-mame-and-mouse-button-b1/?p=3941212

 

Edit: Since you are using a usb mouse, you can also use an adapter to use it on Amiga and Atari systems, among others. Also, someone is making a direct Amiga usb optical mouse at one of the couple main online Amiga stores, although it is about $40, IIRC.

 

This has crossed my mind. I'm not thrilled with the Mickey Mouse design of a spinner like this, but I have pretty much everything required but the fidget spinner itself. I may wind up going this route if no other options present themselves. It doesn't look like they will... it's not clear if a USB volume knob can be used as a spinner. Someone on Amazon claims that it CAN, but hasn't yet explained how. Same deal for the ShuttlePro... there's just not enough information to know for sure if it would work well with arcade games.

 

I've considered connecting a rotary encoder to the sensor chip of a mouse, in the hope that input from the encoder would override input received from the LED. It would take some of the aggravating mechanical concerns out of the picture, BUT I would have to know the pinouts of both the encoder and the chip, AND the chip would have to accept input from the encoder. There's a lot of variables involved, and I'm not skilled enough with electronics to know what to do if complications spring up. An Arduino would probably be a better solution, but I don't have the knowledge or the tools to program one.

[mr_me]

If you're talking about the Griffin Powermate multimedia knob, there's an old discussion here. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/35765-usb-paddle/

 

Some mixed information, some say it can't map to a mouse axis, only maps to keys/buttons. Others say it can map to the mouse x-axis but it's not an effective spinner.

 

As far as I can tell, the ShuttlePro maps to a key/button not a mouse axis.

Edited August 3, 2018 by mr_me

[Jess Ragan]

I'm referring to this DROK volume knob, but it may have the same problems.

 

https://www.amazon.com/DROK-Lossless-Computer-Controller-Adjuster/dp/B01MV411BR/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1533327574&sr=8-3&keywords=volume+knob

[4300]

I picked up an Ultimarc Spin-Trak last year

 

I put a Spin Trak in my Mad Planets build and love. Works really well.

[AnnA Ayms]

On 8/3/2018 at 4:20 PM, Jess Ragan said:

I'm referring to this DROK volume knob, but it may have the same problems.

 

https://www.amazon.com/DROK-Lossless-Computer-Controller-Adjuster/dp/B01MV411BR/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1533327574&sr=8-3&keywords=volume+knob

In case others are still wondering about this.

The Drok btw is (as of the time of this posting) the iWit.

[jenergy]

Using autohotkey I've found a way to configure any volume changer as a spinner under Windows

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thdRbjQ1-Pw

[Lord Mushroom]

Thailand.

 

Oh, you were talking about something else.