[sdiy] New Aquisition

[Jim Patchell]

    We are cleaning out the attic here at work.  I found a track ball.
It is pretty nice, about 1 1/2" diameter ball and three buttons...two
problems...first, to reverse engineer the thing to find out how it
interfaces (this is only a minor problem)...the second problem...anybody
got any idea's on how I should use this thing with a synth?

    My idea was just to make a module that would have two control
voltages out (for X-Y) and three outputs for "gates" that are activated
by the three buttons.  This is pretty straight forward.  If anybody else
have a more inspired idea?  I am open to more idea's.

    By the way, this is a Cognex Trackball, dating from around 1995.  If
anybody has the documentation for this thing, it would make my reverse
engineering much easier.  When I transfered all the documentation for
our cognex system to another employee, who then quit a couple of years
latter and took it all with him, has sort of left me stranded.

    -Jim