Tiny trackball $5.95 XY pulse & pushbutton

[DrBunsen]

Tiny trackball from Sparkfun Electronics

8mm ball, pulse output for X & Y directions, ball acts as push button, 2 internal LEDs

[Sinnsyk]

Looks very cool!

Did u buy one yourself?

I would like to have one, but since that shop is in the VS and I'm living here in Holland, it will cost me $ 26 + $ 11 dollar to get it here. That's a bit expensive.

I'm hoping for mr SmashTV that he can order a few for me and then ship it with a bunch of boards and encoders, I am planning to order stuff at his shop anyway... damn shipment-costs  :-[

[stryd_one]

I was hoping to get one of those cool trackballs off ebay last month but missed out, but this one does look cool. I like the idea of using them to navigate menus....

Are you ordering some mate? If so, are you interested in adding some to the order for me? We could split the shipping that way, everyone wins ;)

[Sinnsyk]

I'm gonna ask smashTV if he could order a few for me and other people, and then add it to a package from his own webshop. I hope he agrees, it will save me the double costs for a shipment.

I will make a topic in the dutch part for shipment, but first I'm gonna party some more (geslaagd -> 6v)

[stryd_one]

I think it would be more polite to wait, and if smash is interested, let him offer to stock them.

removed

[DavidBanner]

also, you've gotta remember the smaller the ball the worse the resolution is going to be  - could be that they could be pretty much useless for ableton (and others) which you really do need a good resolution on the pointing device or you are going to click something you wished you hadn't

I've gotta back stryd; Tim's store is amazing, his customer service is 2nd to none, the prices are very low, and he's a lovely man too. Personally I'm loath to ask him for anything over and above what he's providing at the moment, if I was going to ask/suggest anything it would be something that could make his life easier / possibly make him some profit.

[Sinnsyk]

I didn't mean he should order a lot and send me 1 or 2, but me (or him) ordering some of the trackballs, let it deliver at his addres (me paying), and that he could also pack the trackballs at the package that he will be sending to me anyway.

I don't want to bring him into trouble or that sort of stuff, because he's great to this community. I'm willing to pay him a few extra bucks if he can do this, it will stay a lot cheaper than ordering from 2 shops and let both packages ship oversea...

If he's interested he could even order some more and re-sell them, or something like that. But that's not up to me, I will first send him an email about this idea and see if he accepts this deal.

So, keep checking the dutch forum here if u want some of that little things to...

About the resolution, that's a point. But since it's used for navigation purposes etc, they should have the resolution that's good enough... At least I can try :)

[DrBunsen]

I'm not planning to order one at the moment.  Just thought they might be useful to someone, say for a mini SID B.

[stryd_one]

First I have to make a disclaimer: I'm not smash, I don't order smash around, I don't own smash and I can't speak on his behalf. I am simply expressing my own opinion.

Smash may well read the things I am about to write, and say "Stryd, you're an idiot, STFU"

edit: or maybe roger will ;) removed

[illogik]

second that;

sinnsyk; maybe you could try to do a group order; see if enough are interested, (even if there is one person more, shipping costs will be like 4 euro) you'll see it can be pretty awarding

and i'm sure that you have the spare time ;D (congratulations on the exams)

cheers, marcel

[stryd_one]

removed.

[Screaming_Rabbit]

Hey what's it all about this? Don't you think SmashTV is businessman enough? Don't you think he knows what trade he needs?

What's this "Smash has enough other things to do", "Smash can't say no", "Smash can't spend enough time with his wife"?

I think you guys insult him more by discussing his life (...what you think is his live) here in the open forum than somebody who want's to ask him for a favour on which Tim can make his own desicion. O.k., "Sinnsyk" shouldn't have mentioned this here but better write him a PM. - This is getting pretty far now... and I don't mean by "Sinnsyk"!

Please stop it now.

Greets, Roger

[stryd_one]

All removed.

Sorry Roger.... I don't think I said anything that hasn't been said on the forums before, so I don't think that I was breaching Smash's privacy - I would never do that intentionally, as I'm sure you know.... but I do understand what you're saying, so I've removed all that stuff. It's not that important anyway :)

As for whether I think he is businessman enough, that's completely the opposite of what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the fact that he is a nice enough guy, aside from his business, that I know he would like to help everyone out if it were possible, and so I think that he is likely to sacrifice is own time to help people out, rather than turn them down.... I'm not insulting his business capabilities, far from it, I am complementing his personal nature.

but dude, don't misquote me, I freakin hate that. I didn't say two of the three things you just put in quotes. I said something similar to each of the misquotes, but not the same. I didn't say he -can't- say no, I said he might feel uncomfortable saying no. I didn't say he -can't- spend enough time with his wife, I said that asking him to do this thing was also asking him to take time away from his wife. Both of these things are absolutely true.

In future, I'll wait for smash to ask me to, before I act like his store's bodyguard ;)

And Smash if I have offended you I sincerely apologise. I hope that you can understand that I'm just trying to look out for a mate. It's an Aussie thing, where I live, it's considered a compliment, something that friends do for one another - but apparently that is not always the case, and I apologise if my ignorance of international culture has made me seem overprotective.

[smashtv]

wow it's going to take one of my famous novel-length posts to reply to this.

My apologies to the accidental reader!

Been completely slammed (no time) lately, just noticed this thread. 

First off I will not have my friends trading any not-happy words with each other about me (-to- me when I need a reality check is expected though)....You guys are on my short list of favored (whoop favoured for you DB ;D) friends, some for years and some recently. 

I'm quite honored to have so many people hold me in such high regard, but don't get grouchy with each other over any of this..... :)

I realize some of the posts have changed now, but I did get to read everything that was said.

Is it too late to call a "safety"?  ;) 

Stryd was just trying to get the point across with no misunderstanding, and you got it right man...I am spread too thin these days but that is temporary.  No offense taken.  ;)

Roger as an old freind saw someone else opening the book of Smash, and sounded the alarm bell.  Then he reminded everyone (including me!) that I should speak for myself. ;)

Then there is the statement from DavidBanner, It took all the power I have not to die laughing when I told my wife casually "Dude in the UK thinks I'm a lovely man!" and she said "tell him I'm jealous, and that you are loverly, but not that lovely" with a smile on her face....  ;D

Differences between our respective cultures are always going to make these things harder to correctly gauge, then you take body language out of the communication, replace it with a small set of smilie face icons and all hope is lost for constant peace.

That said I'm not offended by anything that was said, and -everyone- is right on this one.  Every last thing said was my buds watching out for me and can't be faulted.

Not that I want to become a drop-shipper for mouser or the like, but I don't mind re-shipping parts from vendors I already have an account with for people who are ordering from me anyway....It just makes sense in cost and effort.  You guys have to remember that I have been buying parts for many years now, and the volume was easily 5x this during the coinop years, so an extra package coming in or 5 minutes spent PO'ing a non stock part is not going to kill me. 

Depending on the vendor cost+shipping+10% usually covers any extra time involved, and for some vendors and small parts it's so quick and painless no markup is justified.  Packing kits to fill the order is the time eater for me, everything else takes a tiny amount of time compared to that.

Not that I'm all seeing with 20/20 hindsight or anything like that (not even close, I'm a stupid American!) but I stick by my words above about cultures and lack of body language.....Its important to note that everything said in this thread is as it would be if we were in person, something too many people forget to do these days.

We are all here because we love this stuff, and we post because we like to help people.  I already picked you guys, your on my team like it or not, and it's us against the newbie questions.  Sometimes you have to knock their dick in the dirt, and sometimes you have to politely say "read this first" - for the hundredth time.  That process at the very least breeds learning and self teaching, and there is nothing better than watching a newbie shed the training wheels and answer a question.  :)

So.....Everybody cool?  None of this will stress me at all unless you guys walk away with bad feelings.

Back to the kit mill with me, I'm trying to make a large enough stack of outgoing boxes to block access to my office tonight.  ;)

Best

Smash

[stryd_one]

No hard feelings at all here :) I am sure that not a single word was said in this thread, that was said with malicious intent.

That was another good example of a Friggin Big Ass Post smash ;)

[Screaming_Rabbit]

but dude, don't misquote me

... I don't  :D I have nothing against you and I didn't want to offend anybody, I just tried to stop this.

Sometimes it's not easy to find the right words, if you're not writing in your mothertongue and the result sometimes can sound a bit rude  :(

Greets, Roger

[stryd_one]

Geez, your english is good, I had no idea it wasn't your first language :)

Well anyway I'm glad you put a stop to this thread. Thanks man :)

[DavidBanner]

Smash,

Lol, Yes we English do talk funny, but since we invented the langage we reserve the right to do so...

Tell your wife there is no need to be jealous, unless of course you happen to look like a pretty bruenette with big dark eyes, long hair and pert bussoms.

> "tell him I'm jealous, and that you are loverly, but not that lovely"

What your wife is refering to would be classified as a "lovely, lovely man", which is a rare and high honour indeed, it's sort of like Knighthood for being super-cool. It's something we can all aspire to becoming ;)