Missile Command Trackball Movement

Superully

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I'm having troubles with my MC trackball! The crosshair wasn't moving horizontally. I was pretty sure it was a problem with one of the opto boards, so I swapped them and now it wasn't moving vertically anymore.
OK, so I got a replacement opto board which I installed immediately. In order to check the function of the new opto board, I removed the vertical movement plug and started the game in test mode. the result: PERFECT HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT! plugged the vertical movement plug back in and removed the horizontal movement plug. the result: PERFECT VERTICAL MOVEMENT. conclusion: both directions are working perfectly now when one directional plug is unplugged!
what i did then is plug in both movement connectors and gave it a try in test mode. the problem now is that the directions don't work smoothly again, e.g. if i roll the trackball in a straight horizontal line, the crosshair also moves up and / or down. i know that it is almost impossible to roll the trackball without hitting other directions as well, but the directional deviation is really enormous when the trackball is being moved.

hope you guys understand what i mean, perhaps it would be easier if i filmed a short video ... ;)
 
but why is the movement working perfectly then when just one movement connector is plugged in?

If you have an incorrect trackball setting, or if there's an issue with a roller lockup, and you disconnect one of the optics, that doesn't mean the issue has gone away, it simply can't react to the issue as you've eliminated the ability for the trackball to stray from it's straight line path by removing the other optic.

Check the dip and the roller as the previous posts suggest. It's likely you have an issue there.
 
Check the dip and the roller as the previous posts suggest. It's likely you have an issue there.

alright, thx for your input, guys! i'll tackle both problems later. although my rollers still look pretty good, i'm probably going to replace them with new ones from dave. still have a set of rollers and bearings lying around :)

i'll keep you posted!
 
ok, just checked the dip switches and guess what: dip switch #4 was set to OFF for the mini trak-ball input. turned it ON, started the game in test mode, no change, i couldn't even move the trackball left or right correctly. then i left test mode and it was working like a charm - didn't change a thing. i haven't changed the bearing / rollers yet, i want to see if anything changes over the course of the next few days first ... THX GUYS for now!

two more questions:

- i know that MC comes with mono sound, but shouldn't the sounds come from both speakers nevertheless?

- which settings are you using? dip switches 1 to 7 all turned ON?
 
I spent an hour making my trackball work perfectly.
Lots to do in there...pull it out and clean it.
 
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